Pence didn't see deal to Giants coming
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Pence didn't see deal to Giants coming
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
WASHINGTON D.C. -- Hunter Pence said his goodbyes inside the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park exactly 367 days after saying hello at Citizens Bank Park.
The circumstances of the departure and arrival could not have been any more different.
When Pence arrived in Philadelphia from Houston last year at the trade deadline, he was supposedly the missing piece for the team with the best record in baseball.
As he departed for the San Francisco Giants Tuesday afternoon, he was a player who had become too expensive and inconsistent to keep. The Phillies acquired outfielder Nate Schierholtz and minor-league prospects Tommy Joseph, a catcher, and Seth Rosin, a righthanded pitcher, from the Giants.
Pence admitted to being shocked by both the trade and the Phillies' 2012 demise that has led to a flurry of deals by general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. at the deadline.
"Very surprising," Pence said with a glazed look in his eyes. "I don't think anyone anticipated the season that has gone on this year. It was a perfect storm of injuries and things that didn't go right for us. That's the business of the game and you have to understand that. We had a great run and now I've been sent on."
Unlike a year ago when he was with the Astros, Pence did not see this deal coming.
"Not until it happened because I honestly this year didn't pay any attention to any of that," he said. "I didn't really hear rumors. I talked to the media maybe one time, so really it just kind of happened, so I'm on to play for San Fran and hopefully in a playoff race."
Pence is in a playoff race again. The Phillies, meanwhile, were in their final race of the season and it was a sprint to see how much money they could get off the books before the 4 p.m. deadline.
Despite his brief time in Philadelphia, Pence said he grew to love playing for the Phillies.
"I had nothing but great memories here in Philadelphia," he said. "I am nothing but thankful for the opportunity to play -- unbelievable teammates and really the organization is a class act all the way from the top down. The fans made it an absolute blast to play for, so it was a great experience."
What are the PHILLIES going to do with 46,000 Hunter Pence Bobbleheads? Hunter and Shane were both "CLASSY" guys. I do, however, agree with the trades. The Phillies need to get younger and more consistent. One Home Run in July for Hunter is unacceptable and Shane had only ONE home run since June 8th. Too bad but the PHILLIES have to Re-Build.— cleusner- I would love to see Manuel cleaning out his locker on the 6 o'clock news tonight. That's the deal I've been waiting for years and years. He's as big a part of the problem as any of these players are. Yeah we traded away 1 of the only guys who hustles, but I don't think that Ruben's phone has really been ringing off the hook for the majority of these slouchers.
I'd love to see Jimmy Rollins wearing a different uniform tonight. I've seen enough of his "swinging for the fences" on every pitch to last me a lifetime. He's not a leadoff hitter, and apparently only he and Manuel are the only 2 people in the world that think he is.
Still alot more ground to cover, alot more people that need to be shipped out.
The Nationals are a force rising in Washington, and they are still very young, as the Braves were in 1990-91 when their dynasty finally started to come together.— BosoxJohnny - The alternate headline was: "Pence Surprised By Ball Heading Toward Him In Right Field."
Okay, a low blow. I like the guy but not for the money he'll make. I viewed him as a shot to win in 2011 and that's it. Good luck in SF Hunter.— s - What a classy way to go out Pence. Now "let's go eat"— Phanatrix
- Lost in all this trade stuff is the really great news that Brian "Mendosa" Schneider has been activated. Wow!— LI PhilPhan
- Juan Samuel is happy.— sillybilly
- TICKETS WILL BE CHEAP NOW! IT'S A DAM SHAME THIS WAS A GREAT TEAM THE LAST FIVE YEARS. WE ALL HAVE TO ADMIRE THIS ORG GROUP WHO GAVE US SOMETHING THIS CITY NEVER HAD IN THE PAST. I'M GLAD LEE IS STILL WITH US HE WILL COME THRU IN THE FUTURE HE IS A CLASS ACT..
— philly27 - "Pence said with a glazed look in his eyes."
What else is new?— PhightinPhil - sad to see Shane go, he was a major part of the resurgence, but the nucleus has aged out, so we need a new chemistry, Rollins is a lost cause, Polanco needs to retire, Utley literally on his last legs, what in the world do they see in Mayberry?, I see little, literally from top to bottom they need to retool, it will be years before they contend again. Being spoiled, as we have over the past five years is really hard to let go of. But the foundation is cracked and needs to be rebuilt.— lancesimmens
- We still have Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick. Even if Amaro had gotten 29 1st-round picks for Pence, the fact that we still have Blanton and Kendrick makes Amaro a failure.— Edward Creed
- HP and SV were so special my kids love them and it was hard telling them that they will be gone.— joedig22
- The downfall of the club starts at the top- too much faith in Manuel and Amaro from Monty - Giles and ownership. Can't fault them for spending the money- problem is poor evaluation and team construction at the GM level and weak field leadership, tactically and lack of accountability with the players from Manuel.— Northcountry
- Unless there's some sort of dramatic improvement over the winter that's a part of their grand plan, Amaro has established himself as an incompetent boob today. Dumping salary is one thing, but giving up a lot of major league caliber players for a bunch of minor league "suspects" shows that you got taken by every other general manager you dealt with.— ANGRY AL 2
- I am very disappointed in who ever made this final. Pence had grown to be one of my favorite players and now he is gone. I am shocked at this I think it was a dumb move on your part. All I have to say is I am very disappointed.— farside37
- Shane on MLB TV. Show saying that he still thinks that the Phillies can turn it around because of the people they have.
That is loyal player. Pence is 2nd best right bat we have.
This is bad.— joedig22
