Red Sox patience with Steve Pearce is starting to pay off

The Boston Red Sox have been patient with slumping Steve Pearce up until this point. Today, he finally rewarded them for it.

When the Boston Red Sox were struggling early on in 2019, there was plenty of blame to go around. As the team finally started to pick it up, so too did most of the players on the roster. Soon enough, it seemed that nearly everyone was beginning to find their groove. Everyone, that is, except Steve Pearce.

The reigning World Series MVP, who was beloved in Boston less than six months ago, quickly became the face of an underachieving team. His batting average hovered well below the Mendoza line midway through May and he was still searching for his first home run of the season. Keep in mind that this is a veteran who hit three long balls in the Fall Classic just last year.

Fans were coming to the unpleasant realization that the 36-year-old journeyman may have just gotten hot at the right time in October. Given the rapid ascent of Michael Chavis and the big bat of Mitch Moreland, Pearce’s position on the roster looked tenuous at best. The Fenway faithful began clamoring for his departure, especially as Brock Holt and Dustin Pedroia eyed returns from the injured list.

Still, Alex Cora stuck with his guy. He continued to trot Pearce out every few days, trusting he would turn it around before long. On Thursday, the manager even batted him fifth in hopes that he would break out of his slump and sure enough, the righty did just that.

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Pearce erupted at the plate vs. the Toronto Blue Jays with three hits in five at-bats, tallying three RBI as well as his first homer of the season. After trotting around the bases, everyone in the dugout seemed elated for their teammate. Of course, none more so than Pearce himself.

While one game is too small of a sample size to ensure that Pearce is back, it certainly is an encouraging sign for both the hitter and the team as a whole. Lately, the Red Sox have seen several key pieces come alive at bat. Now that the burden of breaking out is off of these players’ shoulders, they can start relaxing at the plate and let the game come to them.

Winning always galvanizes a team, but perhaps none more so than a win that involves a hard-working teammate overcoming his struggles at last. The resurgence of Pearce, even if it’s just a temporary mirage, could help spur on the Red Sox heading into several tough upcoming series.

In all likelihood, everyone has already seen the best Pearce has to offer. He’s clearly in the twilight of his career and Boston is just trying to squeeze out every bit of productive play he has left. Whether that’s a lot or a little remains to be seen, but today was definitely encouraging for everyone. Judging by the smile on his face when he was high-fiving his friends after his home run, Steve Pearce wholeheartedly agrees.