It was Aug. 13, 2004. Feliz and the San Francisco Giants marked their first trip to the Phillies' new stadium with a 16-6 victory. The Giants hit six home runs. Barry Bonds, Marquis Grissom and A.J. Pierzynski each hit one, while J.T. Snow had the hat trick - three bombs.

Afterward, Snow couldn't hide his excitement about the Phillies' new digs.

"It might be a better place to hit than Coors Field," he gushed. "It's really small. We deserve it, because we play in the toughest place to hit. Guys were giddy after batting practice the way balls were flying out."

Yesterday, on his first official day as a Phillie, Feliz smiled brightly at the memory of Snow's big night. After spending his career in what his former teammate called "the toughest place to hit," Feliz will play in a stadium with tempting power alleys.

"It's not an easy park to hit home runs," the Phillies' new third baseman said of his former home in San Francisco. "I wouldn't say it's easier to hit them here, but I hope this is better."

Feliz, 32, has reached 20 homers in each of the last four seasons. Phillies officials believe that number could grow when he plays 81 games a year at Citizens Bank Park.

But a little pop at the corner was only part of the reason the Phils signed Feliz to a two-year deal (with a club option for a third) worth $8.5 million.

Feliz led National League third basemen with a .973 fielding percentage last season. He joins an infield that has three stars - first baseman Ryan Howard, second baseman Chase Utley, and Gold Glove shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Like Rollins, Feliz has excellent range, so don't expect many balls to get through the left side.

"We feel like we shored up the best infield in baseball," said assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., who handled the news conference announcing Feliz's signing.

"Pitching and defense rule the day. We felt we already had a quality offensive club. We think it's important to give our pitchers some relief, to catch the ball. You've got to get outs."

The Phils had tried to upgrade at third base all winter. Last season, their third basemen combined for a .688 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages), the worst in the NL. The Phils failed to sign free agents Mike Lowell and Tadahito Iguchi. Several weeks ago, they appeared to have no interest in Feliz and seemed ready to go with incumbents Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs.

Feliz turned down a two-year offer to stay with the Giants, and when he lingered on the market, the Phillies decided to make a pitch.

"We continued to assess ways to improve," Amaro said. "He was still there. It fit on the payroll. It seemed like the right thing to do."

Feliz could hit from fifth to seventh in the batting order. He has averaged 84 RBIs the last four seasons. He is a lifetime .252 hitter and his career on-base percentage (.288) is poor.

"I'm excited to be in Philadelphia and be part of this team," said Feliz, who is from the Dominican Republic. "I think it's great to be in the infield with Rollins, Utley and Ryan.

"It's good to be part of a team defending a [division] championship. I think it's a team that can do it again."

Feliz has five doubles and a homer in 13 career games at Citizens Bank Park. He did not salivate on his red pin-striped jersey - No. 7 - as he talked about his new hitter-friendly park yesterday.

"Coming here, I don't want to put pressure on myself trying to hit the ball way out," he said. "I just try to work on my swing and be consistent. I don't look [at the park's dimensions]. You might try to overdo it, and it wouldn't be a good result."

Feliz hit 20 home runs last season - 12 on the road, eight at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The Bill James Handbook 2008 rated AT&T Park as the second-toughest NL stadium in which to homer over the last three seasons. According to James, Citizens Bank Park was the easiest. He based that calculation on the last two seasons, after the left-field wall was raised and moved back.

Last season, batters hit an average of 1.46 homers per game in San Francisco, while the average in Philadelphia was 2.98.

The addition of Feliz means the Phillies have an extra body at third base. Helms could be had in a trade, but Amaro didn't think one was likely before spring training begins in two weeks. The Phils still need to clear a spot on their 40-man roster before Feliz's contract is filed with the commissioner's office.

Extra bases. The Phils haven't closed the door on re-signing free-agent pitcher Kyle Lohse, although Amaro said the likelihood was "fairly low." . . . The team plans to take another look at Kris Benson when the free-agent pitcher throws for scouts again next week. . . . Amaro on the Mets' pending acquisition of two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana: "There's no question, if he's on that club, he'll help them. He's one of the best in the game. But we have to focus on our club." Asked whether the Phils tried to get Santana from Minnesota, Amaro said only, "We inquire about every available starting pitcher." A baseball source with knowledge of Santana's thinking said the pitcher would not waive his no-trade clause to come to Philadelphia. That deal was never in the cards, however, since the Phils have neither the minor-league prospects to get Santana nor the inclination to meet the pitcher's reported demands of a long-term contract worth about $20 million per season. General manager Pat Gillick repeatedly has expressed a reluctance to sign pitchers to contracts of more than three years. . . . The Phillies signed two international players - Czech infielder Jakub Sladek, 17, and Australian pitcher Todd Van Steensel, 17.