Fans gave Pence 'chills'
The best way Hunter Pence could summarize his first day in Philadelphia was with two words.
Fans gave Pence 'chills'
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
The best way Hunter Pence could summarize his first day in Philadelphia was with two words.
"Thank you," he said.
Pence was humbled by the ovations from the 181st straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park; ovations that began during batting practice, continued when he stretched minutes before game time and all the way until the ninth inning when the right fielder saluted the crowd one final time.
Phillies fans are smitten.
"The fans were giving me chills," Pence said. "I mean, I ran out to stretch and they went nuts. It was pretty amazing."
Twenty-four hours took Pence from right field at Miller Park to three different airports and a new fortune. The closest he's ever been to the postseason was 2008, when Houston finished in third place (11 games back) in the National League Central.
He has played on losing teams in an apathetic baseball city for his whole career. It's all he knows.
"I can't even begin to explain it," Pence said of the reaction. "It's surreal. I'm absolutely ecstatic to be here. To see that support, for my first game, it's awesome. Thank you. It's the only thing."
Now one day in a Phillies uniform may have created unnecessary hype. Pence was 1 for 5 with a run-scoring single in the eighth. He is not a superstar by any means. He's not even Jayson Werth (circa 2008-10) when he provided pop and walks matched by few corner outfielders.
In fact, since the beginning of 2008, Pence has the same OPS (.802) as Bobby Abreu. That's tied for 11th among all major-league right fielders.
But he brings stability to a Phillies lineup that lacked a righthanded presence. And for that, Pence is rewarded with a shot at the postseason. He plopped his Astros duffel bag in the empty locker next to his new one in Citizens Bank Park, emptied the contents, and started anew.
That bag will probably disappear come Sunday morning.
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bourn to the Braves..is there anyone left in Houston to trade?— jeff gross- Hunter Pence is Chase Utley in the rightfield.— Dr. Michael
- Pence: Is this Heaven?
Charlie: No, its Philadelphia.
WC: When I said "All things considered I'd rather be in Philadelphia, I meant it!"
— mackwheaton - bobby abreu? there is a guy that if you were up 10-1 would smoke everything. if your were down 10-1 would smoke everything. if you were tied strike out— rysagr
Matt's point is that Phillies fans should burden Hunter Pence with expectations that he is the next Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, or Ken Griffy. Hunter is a star, not a super star. Nobody on the Phillies is a superstar-- a sure bet for the Hall of Fame-- with the possible exception of Roy Halliday
Players like Howard, Utley, and Hamels have a chance for future superstardom, but they need consistency --more seasons like their very best seasons.
Pence is in his late 20's. Unless he is an incredible late bloomer, he is destined to be considered an excellent player, but not a great player. But he is just what the Phillies need and I am very pleased that Amoro could swing a deal.
Welcome, Hunter Pence. Here's hoping you stay a Phillie for another six or seven years.- Bourne to Atlanta kind is good for Atlanta. That gives them a legit leadoff hitter with real speed, and he will be able to cover some serious ground out in the outfield...— PhilliefaninAZ
- Welcome Hunetr! FYI : I called the Pence trade on 7/9...just saying.— bossrjc
- I have to disagree with gelb here. If your about in the top 10 in almost every stat for outfielders i think that makes you a star. I also think when you play on a team that finishes last every year and has 9 thousand fans at home games its hard to be a star.
And then you compare the guy to Werth ??? Whats he doing now that he isn't here ??? Whos to say with the line up around him and the fan support (which helps don't even say it doesn't) I think Pence will be a better hitter than Werth (not a better fielder as werth was an a+ fielder with a A++ arm) but pence hits for more average, he strikes out but far less than werth did hits about a 100 points better with RISP and Werth had one good power year here, PEnce averages about 23 homers in houston but in Philly again because of his lineup position and the shorter pourch in left Pence may end up hitting 30 plus here the next two years.
Remeber Werth in LA before coming to philly never did anything at all. In fact people said he shouldn't even be in MLB. Pence is a 300 25 90 guy before he gets here playing for a team that has sucked since he was there. Now he comes to philly in the same way Werth did. My guess is Pence ends up being 2 times better than Werth at 1/4 of the salary Werth is getting to hit 220 with 10 homers.— andyreidisfat - Jayson Werth hit more than 27 HRs exactly 1 time in his career (36 HRs in 2009), he hit .273 in 2008 and .268 in 2009, he has never driven in 100 runs, he struck out 156 times in 2009 and 147 times in 2010, and he hit only .244 with runners in scoring position from 2008 to 2010. Plus, we've all seen how he's done in Washington so he obviously benefited from hitting in our line-up and in our park. Please stop acting like the guy is Jose Bautista. Werth was not a superstar. He was a good piece on a good team. He's not good enough to carry a team. Also, Werth didn't do anything in the majors until he turned 28. Pence is only 28. If Pence even improves slightly as he enters his prime and hits in the Bank surrounded by good hitters, he'll be much better overall than Werth was during his time here. Pence was a career .290 hitter on a horrible team, hit 25 HRs three times and drove in as much as 91 RBIs in a season and hit .279 with runners in scoring position from 2008 to 2010. Pence and Werth are already very comparable except Pence is 4 years younger, in his prime and doesn't cost 18 million per year for 7 years. I'd rather have Pence than Werth, especially with that contract.— JimG
- Precisely. Very well said. Fact is that in HOU, where he had to be 'the man' he put up numbers as good/better than Werth did burried in a line-up of productive hitters. Here, Pence an figure to blossom to his full potential. Which is really the genius of this move on the part of RAJ; At his 'normal' 162 game averages (25 hr and 90 + rbi) Pence is a steal; at his 'potential' upside playing in this park in this lineup = he could become an 'all-time' steal. I love the move. I love the way this guy hustles and seems to be cut from the same cloth as Utley. Can't wait to see him perform under the bright lights in October with rally-towels waving.... — SaganRand
- wandy rodriguez is still left..Oh and dont forget about J mike lol— theeman1
- why 'tictoc' because everywhere i have turned this guy has been sold as a 'superstar', i feel bad for him because of how overhyped he's been. the horse face blonde on that idiots morning show, all the other talking heads, the sports guy on the morning shows and a lot of the message boards have this guy being a megastar. yes, he was an all star, but he was the only member of the astros that made the team and every team needs to be represented...
-not bob levy— remyy 
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- Pence is a terrific 4-5 tool player who I think will actually improve because of his moving into a much more positively charged atmosphere. Look how hard Ryan Howard has had it with no help behind him in the lineup? In Houston, Pence was it.— yobill626
