Watch Former Phillies Fan Favorite Remember His MLB Debut Lineup
![Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (12) hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (12) hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3193,h_1796,x_0,y_18/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_phillies/01j2qnrf4840v964kfcb.jpg)
When Rhys Hoskins returned to Philadelphia in June with the Milwaukee Brewers the City of Brotherly Love certainly showed up.
Hoskins connected with Phillies fans like few others and when he strode to the plate for his first at-bat in the series opener he was greeted with a warm standing ovation from the crowd.
The Phillies also played his old walk-up song, Calvin Harris’ “Slide.”
It was an emotional few days for Hoskins, who admitted before the first game that he would “probably” cry at some point.
In Milwaukee Hoskins is helping the Brewers take the lead in the National League Central. Serving primarily as a designated hitter, he’s struggling at the plate with a slash line of .215/.308/.414/.722 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI.
But the memory? Well, that’s elite.
Hoskins made his Major League debut with the Phillies on Aug. 10, 2017, when they took on the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park.
A TikTok account called batboybaseball recently got with Hoskins in Milwaukee and put him to the test. Hoskins was asked if he could remember the starting lineup from his debut game.
Rhys Hoskins was recently asked to name the starting lineup from his MLB Debut, and he absolutely nailed it.
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) July 12, 2024
Oh how far we’ve come 😂 pic.twitter.com/fGgouaSKmq
Well, he remembered that he batted seventh. Then, he just rattled them off.
César Hernández batting first and playing second base? Check.
Freddy Galvis batting second and playing shortstop? Yep. And he kept going.
Odúbel Herrera in center field and batting third. Maikel Franco at third base and hitting cleanup. Check the boxes.
After that, it was Nick Williams in right field and Tommy Joseph at first base. Yep, Hoskins wasn’t at first base, where he rose to prominence with the Phillies. He started in left field.
He wrapped with catcher Cameron Rupp batting eighth and pitcher Vince Velasquez batting ninth.
Yep, Hoskins remembered it all.
If you don’t remember, those Phillies were not good. They finished the season 66-96 and in last place in the NL East. Pete Mackanin was the manager.
Philadelphia has come a long way since then, as it has the best record in the National League, went to the NLCS last year and went to the World Series in 2022.
Hoskins was unable to play last year after he tore his ACL during spring training. While he was rehabbing his injury, the Phillies moved Bryce Harper from the outfield to first base as a strategy to get the former MVP — who was still recovering from Tommy John surgery — on the field.
Harper took to the position and Philadelphia informed Hoskins that he would not be the first baseman if he stayed.
Hoskins was well-liked by Phillies fans for his bat and his work off the field. Hoskins and his wife, Jayme, raised more than $1 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association while they connected with Philadelphia-area children who suffered from the disease.