PHILADELPHIA Stealing a base against Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is never an easy feat. And it becomes even more challenging when Zack Wheeler, known for his ability to limit runners, is on the mound. Hitting a home run off Wheeler is tough too. But that didnt stop former Phillies teammate Rhys Hoskins, now with the Brewers, from trying to pull off both feats and sharing a moment of camaraderie with his old teammates during the Phillies' 3-1 victory on Monday night.
In the fifth inning, Hoskins worked a walk to lead off the inning. Then, taking advantage of Wheelers delivery, he made a strong jump off first base and easily slid into second ahead of Realmutos throw. Hoskins couldnt resist glancing toward home plate with a smile as he locked eyes with the two-time Gold Glove catcher. Realmuto chuckled and tossed the ball back to Wheeler, asking the umpire for a fresh one.
But Realmuto got the final laugh just two pitches later. When Brewers center fielder Blake Perkins hit a two-out single up the middle https://www.philliesplayerfanstore.com/max_kepler_jersey-281
, Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas sprinted to field the ball and made a strong throw to Realmuto at the plate. As Hoskins slid toward home, Realmuto applied the tag, ending the inning.
Realmuto spun around and gave Hoskins a friendly tap on the back, which Hoskins quickly returned before they both made their way back to their respective dugouts, grinning.
Of course, I wish I couldve scored, Hoskins said. But Rojas made an excellent throw, and thats something well joke about forever.
The stolen base attempt was part of an eventful inning for Hoskins, who shared an embrace with Bryce Harper at first base, much to the crowd's delight. A few batters later, Hoskins successfully stole second, marking his 17th career stolen base in seven seasons.
Its worth noting that Wheeler, heading into Mondays game, had only allowed 17 stolen bases in five seasons with the Phillies https://www.philliesplayerfanstore.com/nick_castellanos_jersey-209
, and just 11 of those were with Realmuto behind the plate. So, how did Hoskins manage to pull it off?
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