If you were at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday night to see the Phillies skirt past the Marlins in the bottom of the 15th inning you were one of a very select few.
Rookie outfielder Nick Williams had his first walk off hit (after a ninth inning walk-off by Hyun Soo Kim was reviewed and called out at the plate), the Phillies posted 17 hits and their bullpen allowed just one run over the last 10 innings of the five hour dogfight.
But that’s not what everyone is talking about after the Phillies’ best game of the year.
Rhys Hoskins hit two homers in the game, upping his season total to 16. His second, a towering 413 foot shot to dead center tied the game in the bottom of the tenth inning, made him the fastest baseball player ever — 32 games — to hit 16 home runs.
“He’s an alien,” Williams said of Hoskins after midnight when the game ended. “He’s not human. It’s not real. It’s crazy.”
“This guy is unbelievable,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. “What a bonus he’s been to our lineup.”
Here are five numbers to know about Rhys Hoskins, the rookie revelation:
112 — The number of at bats Hoskins has needed to reach 16 homers. The next closest in history was Babe Ruth with 368.
81 — If Hoskins was able to play an entire 162 game schedule this season (he was called up in August) he is on pace for an MLB record-setting 81 homers and an eye-popping 172 RBI.
21 — Hoskins, who was called up on August 10, has a real chance to lead the Phillies in home runs. Their current leader is Tommy Joseph, who has 21.
.754 — Hoskins obviously leads the Phillies with a slugging percentage more than .200 points better than the next best plater Aaron Altherr. Giancarlo Stantion (who, granted, has had nearly five times as many at bats) leads the majors at .639.
130 — Unless he is shut down this week, Hoskins cannot come back and win the Rookie of the Year award with a strong 2018 season. If a baseball player has 130 at bats or appears in 45 games he loses his rookie status. As of Wednesday afternoon Hoskins was at 114 at bats and 32 games.
