After 13 seasons and 766 games in MLB, Steve Pearce has officially announced his retirement. Pearce made the announcement Tuesday on WEEI during a rebroadcast of Game 1 of the 2018 World Series.
Back in December, Pearce told WEEI’s Rob Bradford that he was “unofficially” retired. Now he makes the decision official.
Steve Pearce is calling it a career.
The 2018 World Series hero says he is officially retiring. https://t.co/YeC9MUsFwC pic.twitter.com/VtLDHmEYsD
— NESN (@NESN) April 14, 2020
The World Series
The most notable stretch of Pearce’s career came in 2018 when the Boston Red Sox acquired him from the Toronto Blue Jays. He played in 50 games down the stretch for Boston, and he contributed in all three rounds of the postseason.
The most significant contribution that he made came during the World Series, where he was named MVP. He played in all five games, and he hit .333/.500/1.167 in 16 plate appearances. He recorded four hits, including one double and three home runs. These four hits drove in eight RBI.
One of those home runs came off of Kenley Jansen to tie Game 4, and his double gave the Red Sox an 8-4 lead in the 9th inning on route to a 3-1 series lead. His other two home runs came in Game 5 as the Red Sox won the series 4-1 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Additionally, he joined Carl Yastrzemski as the only two Red Sox with three home runs in one World Series.
His Career
Steve Pearce played for seven teams during his career. That includes playing for all five franchises in the AL East. He played the first five years of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who originally drafted him in the eighth round of the 2005 MLB Draft out of the University of South Carolina.
He also played five seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, and his 291 games played with them is the most he played with any team. Aside from the 2018 World Series run, his only other postseason experience came in Baltimore when they won the 2014 AL East title and went to the ALCS, and he played in all seven games that the Orioles played that postseason.
Pearce finishes his career with 91 home runs and 303 RBI with a 108 OPS+. His career slash line sits at .254/.332/.440. Although he never played in All-Star games, his legacy is etched in Red Sox lore for his World Series heroics.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
