Skip to main content

Philly's New Crush Loves You Back

Hunter Pence started off on the right foot Saturday, his first day with his new team, the Philadelphia Phillies.

His day began early, with a lot of packing preceding his travel plans, but Pence made time to conduct a phone interview with 97.5 The Fanatic prior to boarding a flight. During his time on the air, Pence expressed excitement to join the club that agreed to trade four prospects to Houston for him on the previous night. He also described the roster he was joining as "once of the best teams ever assembled".

As good as the previous quote is, the sound bites offered up by the two-time All-star got even better after Pence helped the Phillies lock down a 7-4 win over the Pirates with a run scoring single.

Pence offered up the following quotes while speaking with the media...

"It’s surreal. I'm absolutely ecstatic to be here. To see that kind of support for my first game, I can't explain it, it's awesome."

"It’s fun to look at the squad around here. It’s like being at an All-Star Game."

"I feel over-appreciated...it's nice."

"The fans were giving me chills. I ran out to stretch and they went nuts. It was pretty amazing."

Later in the night, Pence took to his Twitter account to thank Phillies fans for the warm reception he received.

"There was some major love! Thank you Philly for the warm welcome!"

Of course there was, Hunter. And I'm sure a collective "You're welcome" is on its way from over 44,000 people on Sunday as the Phillies close out their three-game series with the Pirates. Philadelphia's citizens and sports fanatics from the surrounding region have heavy amounts of adoration and appreciation to share. With all the big time crushes that Phils game goers have for other Phillies players like Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard, some might think this sort of treatment would no longer surprise people. But, while Pence is new and he didn't realize this before, he clearly knows, now, that this is simply how Philadelphia fans get down. It is justly called The City of Brotherly Love.

--------------------------------------

Fans in attendance at Citizens Bank Park cheered wildly for Pence throughout the night. Pence was receptive to the crowd, singing autographs for some lucky fans prior to the game, responding to their cheers with waves, raised arms and thumbs up, then even after Pence was mistakenly called out on a play at first base in the second inning, despite beating the throw for what should have been a base hit in his first Philles at bat, the crowd had his back.

First base umpire Angel Hernandez, whose nephew is injured Phillies LHP prospect Nick Hernandez, ruled Pence out following the throw from second baseman Neil Walker. Charlie Manuel stormed the field to argue, but the call was final.

Nick Hernandez, who is out for the season, following shoulder surgery, was celebrating his 23rd birthday on Saturday night. While spending time with other relatives in Florida, Nick was aware of the situation in Philadelphia and contacted PhoulBallz.com to jokingly offer an apology, on behalf of his family, in regards to Pence's "ground out".

____________________________________

Image- AP

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

You can also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Dear Hunter,
We hope you liked the welcome party. Now, hit well, or you'll see the exact opposite of that.
Love, Philadelphia

Popular posts from this blog

Diekman a Late Addition to Mesa AFL Roster

On Wednesday, Phillies lefty pitching prospect Jacob Diekman made his Arizona Fall League debut. Diekman, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft, was assigned to Mesa late, in order to increase his 2010 innings total, according to Mesa hitting coach Mark Parent, who managed Diekman in Lakewood this past season. Diekman, 23, posted a 2-0 record with 1.90 ERA in 21 games with Class A Lakewood before being promoted to High-A Clearwater on June 24th. In 24 games with the Threshers, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Combined, Diekman tossed 55 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average against at two levels in 2010. However, after not pitching in an official game since he threw a shutout inning to wrap up the Clearwater season on September 5th, Diekman was unable to record an out as all seven batters he faced reached base, six with hits, one on an error. Diekman was charged with 5 earned runs in the outing. Diekman had spent time at instructional ball from

2022 Phillies Top Prospects Countdown: #24 RHP Cristian Hernandez

Venezuelan born right-hander Cristian Hernandez has begun to earn recognition as one of the Phillies most promising pitching prospects. Signed as a 16-year-old in 2017 for a reported $120,000, Hernandez got his professional career started the following summer as a starter for the Phillies' Red Dominican Summer League club.  There, in 13 starts, Hernandez tallied a 2-3 record with 2.57 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP as well as a 7.0 K/9 mark. An injury sidelined Hernandez in 2019 and the 2020 season was cancelled due to the global pandemic. In 2021, Hernandez saw his first regular season action in the United States, starting his season in Florida Complex League.  After two appearances there, the six-foot-three 185-pounder was promoted to the Class A Clearwater Threshers.  In 20 combined outings (17 starts), Hernandez notched a 2-7 record with a 3.57 ERA, a .228 batting average against and an 11.2 K/9 mark. Projectability is something that baseball folks like about Hernandez.  His size, consistent

Who is Your Favorite Willie 'Mays' Hayes?

PhoulBallz.com is wondering which individual who has portrayed Willie "Mays" Hayes is the favorite of the public. Hayes, of course, is the character made famous in the Major League motion picture series. In Major League , Willie "Mays" Hayes was portrayed by budding Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes, who would go on to action movie superstardom. Snipes has starred in major motion pictures like the Blade trilogy, Passenger 57 , Undisputed and many more. Snipes remains an impact Hollywood actor, despite legal troubles related to income tax evasion. Snipes was replaced for the sequel, Major League II when his busy career, and possibly the film's budget, would not allow him to return, by Omar Epps. Another budding actor, Epps had previously worked with director David S. Ward, on the film The Program , and landed the role of Hayes, who had become a Hollywood action star over the off-season that occured between the two films. Epps' career portraying athletes rolle