There were no promises, no guarantees.
That hope is still there for Juan Pierre. A 1-3 start isn’t going to diminish any of that.
“I came to the Phillies on a minor-league deal because of the chance to win,” Pierre said. “I wasn’t going to be given anything. I worked like crazy to earn my way on the roster. One thing about being around as long as I have — you’re going to go through ups and downs. It’s how you come through it. I know we will come through it.”
Pierre largely made the roster for his ability to bat in the leadoff spot, something that he has done in the past two games. He is 2-for-9 (.222), including a pinch-hit appearance this season.
“If Charlie [Manuel] puts me in the lineup, I’m going to do what I do best, get on base, use my legs and try to manufacture some runs for us,” Pierre said. “You know, this club has a ton of talent and pop, too. We can score playing small ball, but we also have some pop with Hunter Pence, Jimmy Rollins, [John] Mayberry [Jr.]. Hopefully, we’ll get the big guys back soon.”
Without Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, the Phillies understand they’ll have to score runs in a different way. Even at 34, Pierre can provide a spark at the top of the lineup.
“I believe we will win a whole lot of games this year.”
