Phillies: Rhys Hoskins Splits The Show Players League Opener
By Matt Rappa
Game 4: April 11, 2020, 10:39 p.m. vs. Niko Goodrum — Phillies 4, Tigers 3
After beating the Oakland A’s Jesus Luzardo comfortably in Game 3 to get in the win column, Hoskins relied on his momentum to help him edge the Detroit Tigers’ Niko Goodrum in Game 4, 4-3.
Goodrum, 28, has played all of his three career seasons thus far in the American League Central. He started out with the Minnesota Twins in 2017, collecting only one hit across 17 at-bats; in 2018 and 2019 with the Detroit Tigers, the second baseman, first baseman and corner outfielder slashed a combined .247/.318/.427 with 56 doubles, 28 home runs, 98 RBI, 24 stolen baes and 88 walks across 243 games and 964 plate appearances.
Starter Vince Velasquez struggled in the first, allowing two hits and a walk, but Hoskins came out of the inning unscathed while throwing 15 total pitches; a Bryce Harper RBI single in the latter half of the first would give him the early lead.
Hoskins’ luck would not translate over the following inning. In order to win, Hoskins would need to come from behind, after allowing three runs in the second inning, all of which were charged to the line of reliever Robert Stock despite him retiring his first two batters in order.
Andrew McCutchen cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the second with a RBI single, putting the score at 3-2 in favor of Goodrum and the Tigers. Then came the bottom of the third, Hoskins’ last chance to at least tie the game to force extras. He did just that.
With one out, Hoskins himself walked on a 3-2 count. Then, Didi Gregorius singled just past the second baseman; Jean Segura also singled, but Hoskins was called out trying to score for the would-be tying run. With two runners in scoring position and two outs, Jay Bruce came through with an opposite-field single.
Fast-forward to two inning later in the bottom of the fifth, also with two runners on, Bruce came through again with a single to load the bases. Scott Kingery would deliver the walk-off with a single to center.
Total in the game, Hoskins produced nine hits and seven walks, as opposed to Goodrum’s 10 hits and two walks on the Tigers.