Rhys Hoskins came on our show today and now we’re best friends (hopefully he feels the same way too).
Seriously though, it was a great conversation; we got to know #17 better, heard about how much he loves the fans and even got a peek at the game through his eyes. Oh, and Rhys gave an update on his man-date with Carson Wentz:
Congratulations man, is your head spinning? It’s been a whirlwind, but everything has been great about it. I’ve been able to share a lot of it with my family & friends which has made it all the better. And I get to go to the ballpark and play baseball every day!
Seriously, how do you do it? I was lucky enough to have a hitting coach, Frank Cacciatore, who really harped on me to have an approach and a plan when walking up to the plate every single time. (Based on the pitcher… what kind of stuff he has… situation of the game is…) and it really has taken off from there.
Baseball is a game of failure. I was lucky enough to have some success.
How do you handle an 0-2 count? The first thought is “I don’t want to strike out” especially there is a bad stigma about striking out looking. But sometimes a pitcher is going to make his pitches. That guy out on the mound is pretty good too; he’s in the big leagues for a reason. It’s my focus to swing at pitches that I think that I can do the most damage with… and sometimes you don’t get that until you have two strikes.
When do you know you hit a great shot? Can you describe the feeling? You don’t really feel it too much, and that’s when you know you got it.
Ahh ha, like a good golf swing, do you hit a golf ball 500 yards too? I tend to bring my baseball swing onto the golf course. So when I do hit it, I hit it 220 – 250, but it’s usually pretty straight.
Can you recall the very first ball you put over the fence? I do! I remember it being a huge deal because a lot of times we played in parks where the fences were way back there… but I think I was 8 years old and we ended up playing on a smaller field and I remember rounding the bases. Before that you think “I only saw this on TV.”
Take a listen to the full interview above to hear which Dodgers he is most excited to face this week – including the Giants-killer he grew up watching – and how he feels about the renewed energy his success has brought to Phillies fans.
For fun, here’s the full montage we put together for the interview…
