Rhys Hoskins had a frustrating night at the plate Monday night, going 0-4 with two strikeouts in a 4-2 loss to the Yankees.
The worst moment of the 25-year-old outfielder's night was in the sixth inning when he struck out with men on second and third with just one out. The ball got away from catcher New York Austin Romine, but Hoskins didn't run to first fast enough because he didn't initially notice the ball had skipped away. Apparently, one fan was particularly unhappy with the play, and let Hoskins know about it when he trotted back to the dugout.
MORE PHILLIES: Phillies need to demand more of themselves if they plan on bigger things in 2018
Video from the game shows that Hoskins appeared to tell the fan to "go home." Then, after walking back up to the stairs of the dugout, he appeared to ask: "You wanna go hit? Go hit."
After the game, Hoskins told Philly.com a bit more about what happened:
“Someone said something in the stands that obviously triggered me. I was pretty frustrated at the at-bat I’d just had and compounded the mistake. Got caught up in the moment. Shouldn’t happen. Can’t happen. But it did.”
We often forget that professional athletes are still people. And while the play wasn't a good look — Hoskins had a chance to be safe if he had run to first right away — anyone who watches the team on a consistent basis can see that Hoskins is a guy who generally gives it his all.
So, to the fan who decided to mouth off to arguably the team's second best position player and get under his skin, shut up. It always amazes me when fans heckle their own players like that. Is booing appropriate sometimes? Of course, this is Philly after all. But targeting Hoskins after one bad play is silly and unnecessary.
Unless, of course, the fan in question was rooting for the Yankees. In that case, the fan was simply doing his or her job, as much as I hate to admit it.