‘He’s a one-of-a-kind, special talent’: Edmundo Sosa steps up for Phillies once again
The Phillies’ home opener, a day meant to bring the energy of a baseball season back to Citizens Bank Park, lacked much life for almost seven full innings. That’s when Edmundo Sosa brought exactly what he brings.
Philadelphia’s extra man and spark plug, Sosa stepped to the plate with two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh against Colorado Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik. And the right-handed hitter delivered the blow that kicked off a parade of late Phillies runs in his third straight start at shortstop in place of Trea Turner.
Sosa lined a gapper into right-center field, driving home two runs and giving the Phillies the lead in an eventual 6-1 victory on Monday afternoon. The infielder pulled into second base and turned to the first-base dugout. He pumped his arms and flexed his muscles. Sosa, once again, had come through.
“It’s important for me to get this many shots early on,” Sosa said through a team interpreter, “and I’m just having fun on the field. I’m optimistic about it, and I’m having fun on the field, too. I had a lot of at-bats in spring training, so I’ve been in the groove. And I’m just going out and doing what I need to do and whatever they need from me.”
three games he’s played to begin the year, going 6-for-11 with a walk and three doubles. He’s succeeding in a role that he’s taken advantage of during his time in Philadelphia.
“He’s extremely important because you’re gonna have injuries over the course of the year,” manager Rob Thomson said, “and he can fill in almost anywhere other than first base, anywhere in the infield. And when he gets a chance to play, he plays well.”
Sosa isn’t a perfect player and probably wouldn’t fare as well as a starter. He’s a free swinger at the plate, which can lead him to being overexposed in too many at-bats. But he’s carved out a niche with the Phillies, and he’s helped the team off the bench. He spelled Bryson Stott against left-handers during the club’s run to the 2022 World Series after coming over in a trade from the Cardinals. He can give players around the infield a day off their feet when the matchup is in his favor, and he can take on a bigger role for stretches when a player hits the injured list.
Sosa knows he’s not a regular, but he still prepares every day and wants to contribute. He feels the trust that the Phillies have in him to produce in the chances he gets.
“The Phillies brought me here in 2022,” Sosa said. “I was having a little bit of a tough stretch during my career, not getting as many opportunities with my previous organization. And the Phillies just embraced me, and they treated me like a superstar from the first day. And I think that’s something that played a lot into embracing these roles, giving the best of myself here and working every day.”
