Hunter Pence responds to Royals fan signs with monster Game 1

Hunter Pence took a lot of abuse in 2014. With nearly every baseball fan on the planet waving a sign making fun of the wild-eyed Giants outfielder, Pence managed to find a way to laugh along. He even appeared in a music video about the signs: 

When he showed up at Kauffman Stadium for Game 1 of the World Series, baseball's Rodney Dangerfield got more of the same: 

What we didn't see was that Pence probably wallpapered his bedroom with the signs, doing his morning pushups while thinking, "I do lather, rinse and repeat. Sometimes." 

So when Game 1 of the 2014 World Series started, Pence was ready to strike back. Using that awkward-yet-effective swing -- seemingly one part poorly-made-pretzel and one part snake-unfurling-after-a-large-meal -- Pence did this to James Shields' offering: 

Let's look at that again. Pence somehow short-armed that ball out of the park to the opposite field, right toward the "Hunter Pence is a gatherer" sign. That's some serious strength. 

Pence went on to double in the fourth inning before adding two more walks in the game. Will that be enough to stop the signs before Wednesday's Game 2? 

Absolutely not. 

Sad abandoned Hunter Pence sign. pic.twitter.com/Pzq4iDicbD

- Jason Gay (@jasonWSJ) October 22, 2014