Boston Red Sox World Series 2018: How Steve Pearce became a legend

The Boston Red Sox are 2018 World Series champions because of a stellar performance from none other than Steve Pearce.

As New Englanders, we’re kind of spoiled when it comes to our sports teams. I’ve witnessed five New England Patriots Super Bowls, one Boston Bruins Stanley Cup, one Boston Celtics championship, and now a fourth World Series from the Boston Red Sox.

Alex Cora’s team sealed the deal on Sunday night in Game 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, ending what’s been a dominant postseason for his squad.

The Boston Red Sox finished the 2018 playoffs with an 11-3 record and obtained only one loss on the road (the 18-inning marathon). The run was clearly an epitome of what this team has been all year, especially with different players stepping up in each of the respective series.

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In the Yankees series it was the middle relief, in the ALCS it was Jackie Bradley Jr, and in the World Series, it was Steve Pearce (shoutout to David Price though).

Pearce especially will go down in history for having one of the greatest World Series runs in the MLB. The guy absolutely balled, hitting three home runs in the final two games, and sparked an organization that looked fatigued coming out of the gate after losing Game 3. He finished with a 1.167 slugging percentage and batted .333 in the entire series.

His homer off Kenley Jansen in Game 4 officially put the Boston Red Sox back in the game, and then his two dingers off of the mighty Clayton Kershaw and Pedro Baez officially put the Dodgers away.

Hits like those helped alleviate the stress off of Price, putting him in an element where he felt comfortable with his stuff. The lefty only gave up three earned runs in his final three starts, or 19 innings pitched.

The biggest chip off of his shoulder is finally gone, which is fitting for someone who’s had such an illustrious career with other teams, especially in Tampa. This is what we expected of him after he signed that massive $200+ million contract.

Pearce on the other hand was not expected to do what he just did. The Red Sox literally traded for the guy back in late June, and only had to give up a minor league infielder.

The only reason why GM Dave Dombrowski wanted to trade for him was to improve their lineup against left-handed pitching. And boy did it work out. He batted .304 against lefties during the regular season and smacked one of his homers off of Kershaw in the World Series (a lefty).

Pearce has been underrated his whole career. Most probably don’t know he’s 35 years-old, or that he’s played for every AL East team. He’s shown a level of competency and consistency not too often seen in today’s MLB.

People forget that the first baseman has been here in the postseason before, one other time with the Baltimore Orioles in 2014. He batted well in those playoffs as well, garnering a .300 average in the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers. In the minimal time he’s played under these lights, Pearce has displayed a calm and collectiveness that has clearly trickled down onto the rest of the team.

The younger guys definitely needed a veteran who’s been here before and knows the ropes. Pearce was that guy. So was J.D. Martinez.

Chowder and Champions’ own Sam Minton explained how Pearce shocked the league with his performance in the World Series. For the MLB this is probably very much the case, but for the Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox, this probably wasn’t a surprise at all.

Everyone knows their job, as well as the one goal of winning a championship. Pearce figured that out quickly when he got here, which is why his legacy in New England folk lore will forever be cemented.