Rhys Hoskins already benefitting from Bryce Harper in Phillies lineup

During his first game with Bryce Harper as a teammate, Rhys Hoskins hit a grand slam for the Philadelphia Phillies to help defeat the Atlanta Braves.

Words can’t describe how much excitement there was at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday afternoon with the Philadelphia Phillies taking on the Atlanta Braves during Opening Day with Bryce Harper in the lineup.

For months, the Phillies were viewed as one of the top landing spots for the star outfielder since they had the money to spend, and once the Harper deal became official earlier in March, fans haven’t been able to hold back their excitement.

From ticket sales skyrocketing to seeing all of the new No. 3 jerseys surrounding the City of Brotherly Love, the addition of Harper has given Philadelphia a new level of expectations for the 2019 season as a serious World Series contender.

Unfortunately, Harper’s debut with the team didn’t go according to plan after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, and a run, but at least the Phillies were able to pull off the 10-4 victory over the Braves to start 2019 off on a hot note.

Even more exciting, Philadelphia watched Rhys Hoskins benefit from playing behind his new teammate in the batting lineup after the youngster made his presence felt in the seventh inning with an incredible grand slam, the first of his career.

Before this incredible hit by Hoskins, the Braves made the decision to walk Harper to load the bases since the Phillies already had runners on second and third, which obviously turned out to be a decision they would quickly regret.

For obvious reasons, there were plenty of reasons for Philadelphia to be excited over the addition of Harper to their team after landing other key players this offseason as well, such as Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura.

However, one of the most exciting factors about Harper was how much his presence would benefit Hoskins in the batting lineup since the thought of these two power hitters batting back-to-back each game sounded like a nightmare for opposing teams.

Thursday was only one game, and the Phillies obviously have a long way to go in the 2019 season, but watching Hoskins already hit a grand slam should provide the 26-year-old with a major boost of confidence.

Moving forward, one can only imagine how many home runs the duo of Harper and Hoskins are going to hit for this incredible lineup, as 40+ home runs each doesn’t sound all that crazy when looking at the potential surrounding these two.