LOS ANGELES — If you had to name one player who would carry the Red Sox offensively in the World Series, a platooning journeyman first baseman would not be high on the list.
But Steve Pearce was that kind of postseason hero.
Pearce slugged a two-run homer in the top of the first inning of Game 5 — his third extra-base hit in as many at-bats — and then added a solo shot in the eighth inning to cap off the Red Sox' series-clinching 5-1 win in Game 5 on Sunday night, and earned him World Series MVP honors.
"It sure is," said Pearce, when asked if this was beyond his wildest dreams. "This has been a lifelong journey. And to be here right now is a dream come true.
"Best feeling in my life. This is what you grow up wishing that you could be a part of something like this. With that special group of guys out there, to celebrate with them, that was awesome."
Not bad for a 35-year-old who became the first Series MVP, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, with 50 or fewer career regular-season games played for his team.
Pearce was brought over from the Blue Jays on June 29th. Toronto threw in cash considerations — it paid Boston to take Pearce — and received prospect Santiago Espinal in return. After playing for the rest of the AL East — and the Pirates and Astros — the Red Sox completed the cycle.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Pearce, who grew up a Red Sox fan in Lakeland, Fla. thanks to his Rehoboth-born father, Steve. He was drafted by the Sox in the 10th round in 2004, but he decided to return to college before signing with Pittsburgh as an eighth-round pick.
"You know, baseball is a funny game," said Pearce. "You never know where the game will take you. And I've gone through a lot in my life or in my career to be here, and I couldn't be more thankful."
Pearce's heroics also got him in the record books:
- Pearce joined Babe Ruth and Ted Kluszewski as the only players 35 or older with multiple-homer games in a World Series;
- Pearce became the fifth player in franchise history to have a multi-homer game in a Fall Classic game, joining Rico Petrocelli (1967), Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski (1967) and Harry Hooper (1915), as well as Patsy Dougherty (1903);
- Pearce's eight RBI in the Series is the second-most by a Red Sox player in a World Series behind only Dwight Evans (nine, 1986);
- Pearce became the fifth player in Red Sox history to hit three home runs in a single World Series (Evans, Larry Gardner, David Ortiz, Yastrzemski. Only Pearce, Ortiz and Gardner homered in consecutive games.