Hunter Pence enjoying triumphant return to Philadelphia
By Mike Marteny
Hunter Pence misses Citizen’s Bank Park. Well, at least he misses hitting there. Pence is 6-13 with three runs scored, three RBI, and this monster home run into Ashburn Alley in the first two games of the Giants’ series in Philadelphia.
The 31 year old Pence is on quite a tear in July, hitting .354 to put his season average at .305.
More from MLB
- Braves get dose of bad news on Max Fried as ace nears return
- Shohei Ohtani trade rumors live tracker: Every update so far
- MLB Rumors: Yankees mistake, Cardinals trade package, Cubs choice
- Inside the Clubhouse: What I’m hearing ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline
- After frantic trade day, Kiké Hernandez grateful for second chance with Dodgers
Pence’s stint in Philadelphia was not a long one. He was only there for 367 days. However, in that time he hit .289 with 28 homers and 94 RBI.
Philadelphia paid dearly for his services. They acquired him from the Astros two days before the deadline in 2012 for Jarred Cosart, Jon Singleton, Josh Zeid, and Domingo Santana.
By the 2013 deadline, the Phillies had given up on Pence. They sent him to the Giants for Tommy Joseph, Seth Rosin, and Nate Schierholtz. That is not anywhere close to what they gave up for him.
The Giants have liked Pence’s services enough to lock him up through the 2018 season.
Pence stumbled to the finish for the Giants in 2012, hitting just .219 with seven homers, but he did drive in 45 in 59 games. Last year, Pence adjusted to his new surroundings well, hitting .283 with 27 homers, 99 RBI, and a career high 22 stolen bases.
This year Pence is at it again, hitting .305 with 13 homers, 38 RBI, and nine steals for a Giants team looking to make another post season run.