Hoskins becomes fastest Phillie ever to reach 30 career home runs

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Philadelphia Phillies 1B/LF Rhys Hoskins has either matched or broken a myriad of club records, just 119 games into his professional career.

In his first career month in the majors last August, Hoskins became just the third Phillies rookie to win the National League Rookie of the Month — joining Ryan Howard (Sept. 2005) and Maikel Franco (June 2015) — and the first ever in club history to win such honor in his first career month. Hoskins' 11 home runs set a franchise rookie record for a calendar month, besting Howard's 10 in Sept. 2005. Hoskins, at the time, became one of five players in franchise history to homer in five straight games — a feat matched by Odubel Herrera this season.

On Sept. 14 against the Miami Marlins, Hoskins slugged his 18th career home run in his 34th career game. Doing so, the Sacramento, California, native became the fastest player in Phillies and MLB history to reach 18 career home runs in terms of games played.

Twelve home runs and 85 games later, Hoskins set another franchise milestone mark during Wednesday evening's series finale victory over the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park.

Read: Phillies' Eflin caps off career-best month with 5th straight win

With two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the first — facing Yankees right-hander Luis Cessa — Hoskins launched a 86-miles-per-hour slider in the top left quadrant of the strike zone over the right center field wall. Doing so, Hoskins provided the Phillies a 3-0 lead, the only runs scored in the game for either side.

Hoskins' blast was his 12th this season and the 30th overall of his career, the fastest Phillie in franchise history to record 30 home runs (119 games). Hoskins breaks Chuck Klein's previous franchise record of 132 games. Howard needed 134 appearances to accomplish the feat.



"Any time you get mentioned with names like that, it's pretty humbling," Hoskins said in a post-game interview with Gregg Murphy on NBC Sports Philadelphia. "It's cool. Hopefully there's a lot more to come, but we'll see."

Eleven of Hoskins' 12 home runs this season have been go-ahead blasts. According to The Athletic's Meghan Montemurro, this is the second-most by a Phillie in a season before the end of June "since the data started being tracked in 1974." Per Montemurro, only three other players have hit 10 go-ahead home runs in 2018.

Only Howard's 12 go-ahead home runs hit during his 2006 MVP season bests Hoskins' mark in franchise history. The Phillies have three more games this June, all against the Washington Nationals, for Hoskins to match or break the 2008 World Series champion's record.

In 69 games this season, Hoskins is slashing .252/.370/.475 with 18 doubles, 12 home runs, 46 RBI and 43 walks spanning 242 at-bats. 

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