Hunter Friggin Pence

[Coach]

Wow.

[vega51]

this guy is for real.

[Coach]

Looks like the guy shoulda been here out of spring training/

[vega51]

yes, and burke at 2nd.

[hembo36]

lets dont get carried away yet...i sure like his passion though...its nice to see a young guy out there who loves playing the game and hasnt been corrupted by money yet...He's having fun and looks good so far....better than carrying dead weight like lane and ensberg...

i dont agree on the second base thign though...while burke shouldnt have been sent down, right now loretta is the one who should be playing second

[vega51]

burke had a decent OBP and was playing out of position.
I would love to see what he can do for a full year at his position.

Actually, last year he did better than Biggio and Loretta.

[hembo36]

oh i dont know if he did better than loretta? loretta was an all star...that doesnt say too much but still...the guy is a great hitter

[chandler44]

Well, I don't wanna start another sh*tfest over Burke, but I will say that I'd much rather see Loretta at 2b than Burke right now. I simply don't see Burke as having that high of a ceiling. He might be useful, even put together a few good seasons, but we've seen pretty much what he has to give.

[chandler44]

Oh, and I do like Pence, have so since seeing him play down in Corpus last year.

[hembo36]

i actually agree with chandler...i thought the scott/burke thing was silly...scott will be a star of they dont jack with him. burke has zero future

[Coach2]

www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4808278.html

Clutch homer fulfills Pence's desire

Rookie strives for meaningful hits to help team win



As much of a thrill as Hunter Pence's first two big league homers were this month, he wanted something more.

He wanted to feel the rush that a clutch homer late in a game could bring. He wanted to hit the kind of blast that puts fans into a frenzy. And he wanted another chance at a curtain call.

Pence got it all Tuesday night in the Astros' 6-5, 10-inning win over the San Francisco Giants.

The rookie belted a two-run, game-tying homer with two outs in the eighth inning to cap a perfect day at the plate and set the stage for Carlos Lee's walk-off homer in the 10th. Pence went 3-for-3 with a homer, double and three RBIs to raise his average to .310.

"It's a huge win," Pence said. "Those build momentum. For the team to come back from being down after we jumped out to a lead, it shows some character. And also to finish the job. Just tying it up is one thing, but Carlos Lee hitting the home run shows the team got it done."

Pence's first career homer May 5 was a grand slam at St. Louis that was nothing more than the finishing touches on a 13-0 wipeout of the Cardinals. He hit a solo homer Saturday against Arizona that gave the Astros a 10-3 lead.

Trailing 5-3 with Lee at first base in the eighth Tuesday, Pence hit a 2-1 pitch from Giants closer Armando Benitez and sent it high down the left-field line. The ball kissed the foul pole, just inches above the yellow line to tie the game.

"That's more of the kind of ballplayer you want to be," Pence said. "Just (hit) one that helps the team out. They brought me here to help us win, and that's what I want to do. I don't really care about building up stats that don't matter. Winning and getting to the playoffs is all I'm here for."

Pence flew around the bases and nearly caught up with Lee by the time he reached home plate. He sprinted to the dugout, where teammates had to tell him to calm down. Within a matter of seconds, Pence was back out on the top steps of the dugout for his first curtain call.

"The only other (curtain-call opportunity) I had was in the minor leagues (at Tri-City in 2004) and I really didn't know what was going on," Pence said. "And I missed it. And this time they told me I went out there too early or whatever, but I'm not missing it."

The roar of the crowd was even felt in the home clubhouse.

"I tell you when Hunter hit the home run I was in shower shoes and my undershirt," starting pitcher Woody Williams said. "I ran down there in the dugout. I was fired up. Just having him around adds a lot of excitement. You don't know if it's positive or negative. It's fun to watch, fun to be a part of. He's enjoying himself and doing a great job right now."

It's fun see a rookie add some enthusiasm to that clubhouse.

[tbone421998]

Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence are carrying this team right now. They have just put this team on their backs and just hauled off. I haven't been this excited about a rookie position player since Berky came up.

[WarningTrackPower]

It's fun see a rookie add some enthusiasm to that clubhouse.

It would be even more fun if we could add a real third baseman to the team.

[tbone421998]

It would be even more fun if we could add a real third baseman to the team.

Do you have any suggestions on how to do this? I'd like to trade Morgan but who is going to take him? The only way is to get somebody else's under achiever in return.

[vega51]

wow, another homer by Pence, that ball went faaaaaaaaaaaar.