PHILADELPHIA -- Rhys Hoskins¡¯ first taste of postseason baseball hadn¡¯t gone the way he had envisioned.

He was 1-for-18 with six strikeouts through his first four postseason games and had misplayed a ball at first base in the sixth inning of Wednesday night's Game 2 of the National League Division Series that led to Philadelphia's only playoff loss thus far. Hoskins even heard a smattering of boos when he was introduced for his home postseason debut prior to Friday's Game 3 at Citizens Bank Park. Those boos grew louder after his first-inning strikeout, and again after failing to scoop a low throw from Alec Bohm in the top of the third.

Hoskins let out all of those frustrations in one home run swing -- and one emphatic bat spike -- in the bottom of the third of the Phillies' 9-1 victory?over the Braves that has them one win away from the NL Championship Series.

"I guarantee if you ask him, he doesn¡¯t even remember doing that,¡± teammate Nick Castellanos said of Hoskins¡¯ bat spike. ¡°There was no thought behind doing that, just genuine emotion."

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Confirmed.

¡°I didn't know what I did until a couple innings later, really. It's just something that came out, just raw,¡± Hoskins said. ¡°But God, it was fun.¡±

Nobody had a better view of it than J.T. Realmuto, who was in the on-deck circle.

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¡°Watching his reaction, there¡¯s definitely some pent-up frustration in that swing and that reaction,¡± Realmuto said. ¡°As much as we try not to pay attention to that stuff, it¡¯s impossible not to -- and he responded just like we expect him to. He came up huge for us. He won the ballgame for us with that swing.¡±

Added manager Rob Thomson: ¡°He's hit a lot of big homers here, and he's taken a lot of grief since the last game we played, just because of the [misplay]. I'm so happy for him.¡±

Hoskins brushed off the notion that his recent play or the negative reception from the fans provided any extra motivation -- ¡°If we're at this point and you need something to fuel you, you¡¯re probably not in a good position¡± -- but he acknowledged the Braves may have tossed a little fuel on the fire, nonetheless.

With Bryson Stott on second base and one out, Atlanta opted to intentionally walk Kyle Schwarber -- who was 0-for-17 with nine strikeouts in the postseason to that point -- to get to Hoskins.

¡°They're obviously telling me something right away, before I even step in the box,¡± Hoskins said. ¡°So I'm ready to compete. And I think when you light a little bit of a fire under somebody, [you] tend to hone in and focus a little bit more. And I just didn't miss.¡±

Hoskins unloaded on a first-pitch fastball from starter Spencer Strider, launching a three-run homer that jumped off the bat at 107.3 mph, per Statcast. The Phillies¡¯ first postseason homer at Citizens Bank Park since Raul Ibanez's blast in Game 1 of the 2011 NLDS sent the home crowd into a frenzy -- but that celebration paled in comparison to the one on the field.

The moment the ball left Hoskins' bat, he stared into the Phillies' first-base dugout and lifted both hands in the air before spiking his bat into the dirt. He then took off in a sprint around the bases before being mobbed by teammates outside the dugout.

¡°It blew the roof off of our park, metaphorically,¡± Realmuto said. ¡°It was incredible. The stadium went wild. That¡¯s what he¡¯s here to do. He¡¯s our guy who comes up big in spots like that, and he did tonight.¡±

Hoskins' first career postseason homer ignited a six-run third inning that also featured a two-run homer by Bryce Harper that left his bat at 108.4 mph and traveled a projected 401 feet into the right-center-field seats.

¡°I got chills sitting here thinking about it again,¡± Harper said of Hoskins¡¯ homer. ¡°But it's a really cool moment. Just really cool to be part of it.¡±

Hoskins also found himself at the center of the Phillies¡¯ other rally on Friday. He worked a seven-pitch walk -- his first of the postseason -- to help set the table for a three-run seventh that slammed the door on a potential Atlanta comeback.

Hoskins is confident that one emotion-filled swing can be the turning point for his entire postseason.

"I just think it's crazy how one swing of the bat can change it, for good or for bad,¡± Hoskins said. ¡°Obviously, tonight was on the good side. But I think it just goes for everybody that's playing right now -- either you're one swing away or one pitch away.¡±

Or perhaps even one epic bat spike away.