WEST SACRAMENTO -- As a youngster, Rhys Hoskins frequented Sutter Health Park. The Sacramento native commonly attended Triple-A games at the ballpark with his dad and friends, often sitting on the lawn beyond the right-field fence in hopes of catching a home run ball.
You can understand, then, what Hoskins was feeling on Friday afternoon, before the Guardians’ series opener against the A’s.
“My 10-year-old self is screaming right now,” Hoskins said pregame.
Hoskins made a ton of memories at this ballpark growing up. He added another to the list on Friday. Playing in his hometown for the first time as a big leaguer, with many family members and friends in attendance, he sparked a pair of rallies in the Guardians’ 8-5 win over the A’s.
Hoskins went 2-for-4 with one double, one home run, one walk and three RBIs. His two-run double sparked a three-run fifth inning, and his solo homer launched a three-run seventh.
“It’s cool,” Hoskins said postgame. “This is home. Obviously, I have a lot of 12- and 13- and 14-year-old memories here. Just a cool moment for me and my family. Obviously, to get a win is even better in that type of situation. Just a cool night all around.
“It’s gonna be a memory for life, for sure.”
Friday marked Hoskins’ first big league game at Sutter Health Park, but his familiarity with it extends beyond childhood visits. He estimated he played between 10 and 20 games at the park between travel ball, high school and college, when he attended Sacramento State.
That he was back in the heart of the baseball season again was a full-circle moment, and somewhat of an unfamiliar one. Hoskins said before Friday, the only time he recalled being home during the season in his MLB career was in 2023, when he missed the entire season recovering from a torn left ACL.
Of course, MLB only began to play regular-season games here in 2025, when Hoskins played for the Brewers and did not visit Sacramento. With his return home, a lot of loved ones came out Friday night.
“A lot of support from all around,” Hoskins said. "All facets of my life [from] when I was a young kid, and all the way up to being a big leaguer now. That's what it takes, and that's really cool that they're here.”
Hoskins put on a show for them.
The Guardians trailed 4-2 when Hoskins stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning. He got a 1-0 sinker from A’s starter J.T. Ginn and crushed a game-tying two-run double that one-hopped the right-field wall. It sparked a three-run inning in which Cleveland took a 5-4 lead.
Hoskins wasn’t done. In the seventh, he crushed a solo home run off A’s right-hander Justin Sterner, which traveled a Statcast-projected 376 feet and landed inside the left-field foul pole.
Hoskins’ double in the fifth was huge after the Guardians loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning but did not score. Steven Kwan and Chase DeLauter singled, and José Ramírez walked. Kyle Manzardo and Hoskins struck out, and Daniel Schneemann flied out to end the threat.
The A’s took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Brent Rooker two-run homer.
“Obviously we had some chances early on, myself included, that we just didn't cash in,” Hoskins said when asked about his double. “Those typically come back to bite you. But the game has a way of throwing you right back in the same situation, and I was just happy to come through there.
“... You just have to be stubborn and ready for the next moment, because it's going to show up, usually pretty soon, too.”
Hoskins entered Friday with a .203/.353/.319 slash line in 24 games, with one home run and six RBIs. His performance in the series opener is exactly what the Guardians envisioned when they added him in the middle of Spring Training to bolster the middle of their lineup. It was also part of a good night from the Cleveland offense.
The Guardians tallied 11 hits. Kwan went 2-for-4 with one walk, while DeLauter went 4-for-4 with one walk and two RBIs. DeLauter extended his on-base streak to a career-high 10 games. Bo Naylor added an RBI double in a 2-for-4 night, while Travis Bazzana went 0-for-3 with two walks and still seeks his first big league hit.
Hoskins’ homecoming performance was at the center of it all.
“It's so cool when guys get to play in their hometown, in front of their family,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Really fun for him to come through with some big hits, big at-bats. Really happy, fun night for Rhys.”