PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio, AP) — What a moment for Rhys Hoskins. What an inning, and what a 9-1 win for the Philadelphia Phillies in the third game of the National League Division Series.
Hoskins, who entered Friday's game just 1-18 in the postseason with six strikeouts (and just two hits in his last 37 at-bats dating back to the regular season), came up to the plate for his second at-bat in the bottom of the third inning and absolutely smashed a three-run home run to left, showing a lot of emotion that 45,000 fans jubilantly shared.
Hoskins struck out in his first at-bat and was unable to come up Alec Bohm's low throw to first base. All of this just two days after missing a grounder at first leading to the Braves' first run, which many Philly fans and media said was the reason the Phillies lost Game 2.
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He was starting to hear the boos from the Philly fans, until he produced one magical swing. And bat slam.
Just two batters later, last year's NL MVP Bryce Harper hit a two-run bomb, his second postseason home run and first at Citizens Bank Park.
For the second consecutive Friday, the Phillies scored six runs in one inning, delivering a win that brought them one victory from a series triumph in the NL playoffs.
Last week, the six-run ninth inning over St. Louis predicated a Saturday night series clincher in the Wild Card round.
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This win means the Braves can clinch the National League Division Series title in the fourth game of the best-of-five series, Saturday at 2:07 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park.
If they accomplish it, it would be their first NLDS series victory in 12 years.