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Rhys Hoskins hopes first game back is the start of turning the page on time in Philadelphia

Rhys Hoskins is back in Philadelphia. (Grace Del Pizzo/Phillies Nation)

Milwaukee Brewers players and staff members were amused as they walked by two dozen Philadelphia media members huddled around the visiting dugout.

“Jesus Christ!” someone yelled.

“Holy F***,” another yelled.

“Rhys isn’t coming out today, sorry guys” joked another.

Hoskins was a popular guy during his seven-year tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies. He came up in 2017 as the beacon of hope, hitting 18 home runs in a 30-game stretch. He became the face of a Phillies team that was getting better, but wasn’t ready to contend. He endured losing seasons, scrutiny and disinterest from a city that was craving a baseball team to fall in love with again.

“Everybody talked about Red October,” Hoskins said Monday prior to his first game back at Citizens Bank Park as a visitor with the Milwaukee Brewers. “Talked about the rally towels and there’s a photo down in Clearwater of the ’08 World Series and what that’s like.”

Hoskins couldn’t contain his excitement in St. Louis the night the Phillies clinched a berth to the National League Division Series in 2022. His only concern? Would the colors of the thousands of rally towels in the stands at Citizens Bank Park be red or blue?

“All of the stuff that I heard about Red October — let’s go. Let’s bring it on,” Hoskins said that night as teammates soaked him in beer and champagne.

But first, the Phillies had to play two on the road against Atlanta, hoping for at least a split in order to avoid a repeat of the 2007 NLDS sweep against the Rockies that nobody cares to bring up. The Phillies held on in Game 1, but a misplay by Hoskins proved costly in Game 2. That dampened the mood around the Phillies for a moment, but Hoskins wasn’t interested in dwelling on it too much.

“Focus on Friday,” Hoskins said in Atlanta that night. “Get to go home, play in Philly, I mean how can you not be excited about that?”

Little did he know that a swing that day would live forever in Phillies infamy and define his legacy in a town that loved him like family.

The Phillies are sure to replay the famous Hoskins bat spike home run against Spencer Strider at least once as the team and city welcome him back.

“It’s hard not to smile, right? I think the best part about it is that it came in the first playoff game in this stadium in over a decade,” Hoskins said Monday. “That’s I think where that kind of eruption of emotion came because it’s just built up for so long. I just drew that right from the fans.”

Hoskins is batting sixth and DHing for Milwaukee on Monday night. As Phillies fans salute him during what should be a brief pause in action, tears will be visible, Hoskins predicts.

“It just tells you all you need to know about the energy and emotion I’ve been able to grab from this place over the last decade,” Hoskins said. “It’s going to be memorable for sure.”

The split between player and team was amiable, but lacked satisfaction. Hoskins missed the entirety of his final year under contract with the team in 2023 after tearing his ACL in spring training. He tried to make a comeback during the World Series, but it wasn’t in the cards. The Phillies fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks in seven.

“Getting to play in front of these fans, the ending didn’t match the rest of the time here,” Hoskins said. “That’s I think something that I’m looking forward to. I don’t think closure is the right word. But just kind of moving on from that chapter, I think today would be a nice start.”

There was some hope in the days leading up to the qualifying offer deadline that the team could find a way to keep Hoskins. They could have decided to use Bryce Harper in both the outfield and first base and squeeze out enough DH at-bats for Hoskins, who wasn’t expected to play first base on a full-time basis in his first year back from ACL surgery. Instead, the team opted to move Harper to first base permanently and say goodbye to Hoskins.

“I’m smart enough and aware enough to see what was going on,” Hoskins said. “I said this before, but I was just happy they were transparent with me. That’s why I have no ill will here. No hard feelings.”

He’s back now as an opposing player, but for a moment, Hoskins gets a chance to take in a sold-out crowd at Citizens Bark Park that came to salute him.

“Just to get to see the transformation of where this place was when I got called up and what we as a group are able to turn it into what it is now, it’s easy to be proud of it,” Hoskins said.