The man who spent his first nine seasons in the majors wearing the red batting practice jersey of the Philadelphia Phillies this time of year made his very first Bright House Field appearance as a member of the opposition yesterday.

It had to be an awkward feeling for Pat Burrell, but those classy Phillies fans welcomed him back with a nice extended standing ovation before his first trip to the dish.  The Bat then thanked his supporters by tipping his cap and popping out with a RISP to end the inning; obviously not wanting to put his former teammates in an early hole.  Here was Pat’s reaction:

“The fans were pretty amazing,” Burrell said. “They definitely made me feel appreciated today. That doesn’t always happen. I’ve seen some players go back who haven’t gotten that kind of response, so I’m pretty grateful.”

As are we, Pat.

And even though the fan’s were getting all sentimental with Burrell yesterday during the game, he still managed to get his balls busted prior to it.  According to Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, Pat Burrell ran out of gas on his way to Charlotte Sports Park earlier in the week, forcing him to hitchhike to a local gas station in order to refuel.  So yesterday, the players chipped in and got Pat a gas can, taped a bunch of money to it, and put it in left field for him so the next time it happens — he’ll be better prepared:

Images courtesy of Eric Menchar/Inquirer