BALTIMORE — Steve Pearce had some making up to do as soon as he became a Yankee.
As a member of the Orioles earlier in the season, the first baseman played a key role in two wins that helped Baltimore stay on the Yankees’ tails.
Last night, he helped even things up. His fourth-inning fly ball just cleared the left-field fence for a two-run home run and provided a necessary cushion in an 8-5 victory at Camden Yards.
After the win, which put the Yankees back into first place by themselves, Pearce said: “Baseball has a funny way of working itself out.”
At least it does for Pearce, who began spring training with the Twins and then signed with the Yankees at the end of March. After spending two months with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pearce used an out in his contract so he could get to the majors, and landed in Baltimore.
He played 28 games with the Orioles and had five RBIs in a win over the Pirates, then drove in all three runs in a 3-2 victory over the Angels.
But a roster crunch led the Orioles to designate him for assignment and he landed in Houston. Pearce was designated there as well and was shipped back to The Bronx on Aug. 27 as the Yankees looked for right-handed help off the bench.
“It’s definitely been an adventure,” Pearce said after he followed Russell Martin’s three-run blast in the fourth to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead off lefty starter Wei-Yin Chen. It was his first home run as a Yankee. “If you had asked me at the beginning of the year, I would have said there’s no way this would happen.”
Not many would, especially with his turn in the AL East.
“[Being released by the Orioles] was a shocking blow,” Pearce said. “I didn’t let it bother me. … It was a move they felt they had to make.”
It’s one that has paid dividends for the Yankees, at least for one game.
When asked if there was any added satisfaction in the homer because of his history with the Orioles, Pearce laughed and said: “No. It just felt good to help these guys.”