MILWAUKEE -- For as many times as it's probably happened to Geoff Jenkins, he had to relish watching a case of mistaken identity up close.

Jenkins, the former Milwaukee Brewers outfielder who signed with Philadelphia after the team declined his $9 million option last October, was grabbing lunch with former teammate Ben Sheets Wednesday afternoon when a fan approached them.

Not surprisingly, the gentleman thought one of the two was a certain recently retired Green Bay Packers quarterback.

But not the member of the duo you would think.

"I loved it," Jenkins said, laughing while recalling the story. "I loved it. ... And he was dead-set that it was Sheeter. Now that I'm gone, I guess I'll pass that on to Sheets."

Yes, much of Jenkins' time before his first game at Miller Park in a different uniform was spent catching up with old friends, players and personnel he grew to know during a 10-year run in Milwaukee.

Now, Jenkins, who is second on the Brewers' career home run list with 212, is manning right field for the Phillies after signing a two-year, $13 million contract in December.

That's where he was Wednesday night, when Philadelphia fell 5-4 to Milwaukee. Jenkins went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base to continue his slow start. He is hitting .239 with just one homer and three RBIs this season.

He did, though, make a vintage diving catch on a blooper by Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks in the second inning.

"It's not like when you play somewhere for a couple years, and you come back as a player, I don't think it's that much of a change," said Jenkins, who has split time in right along with Jayson Werth and So Taguchi for a Phillies team expected to compete for the National League East title after winning the division last year.

"But when you play somewhere for a decade, it's a long time of your life. All I've known is the Brewers, putting on a uniform here, so for me, yeah, it's a little emotional."

Jenkins left Milwaukee on good terms. He took out a full-page ad in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in November to thank the team's fans, and chatted with most of his former teammates during batting practice.

The Brewers opted to go in another direction after using the former first-round pick and Kevin Mench in a left-field platoon last year. Jenkins hit .255 with 21 home runs, 64 RBIs and 116 strikeouts in 420 at-bats in his final season in Milwaukee.

"I think you pride yourself on the way that you carry yourself on the field, off the field and the way you treat people," Jenkins said. "And people don't forget that."

That showed before the game, when Jenkins received a loud ovation from the Miller Park crowd before the Brewers played a personal highlight video on the stadium's video board. He also drew a standing ovation before his first at-bat.

"He did nothing but play his heart out here in this city and this stadium for 10 years," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "The fans understand players who give full effort, and they appreciate them."