"Hunter Pence has played 12 games in a Phillies uniform, and 11 times he's walked off the field a winner.

In his last 47 games with the Astros, Pence won only 10 times.

"It's been surreal," he said.

When Pence arrived in Philadelphia, he sat at a news conference and gushed that he'd just jumped 60 games in the standings. It was a statement meant to underscore Pence's enthusiasm rather than an actual statistic, but as it stands the Phillies actually lead Houston in the wild-card race by 39 games -- so it wasn't that much of an exaggeration.

The truth is, Pence fell into a perfect situation, and he's been the perfect fit for the Phillies.

"He plays hard. He hustles. He puts a lot into it," manager Charlie Manuel said.

It's not that the Phillies weren't already clicking on virtually all cylinders before Pence arrived.

They've won four straight division titles. They had the best record in baseball before the trade deadline deal. The starting rotation remains the key ingredient in their success, even as the offense has bounced back to average nearly 5 1/2 runs per game since the beginning of July.

But Pence brings a bit of renewed enthusiasm to a team that has been there and done that. "