LOS ANGELES — For a dozen years, Steve Pearce was on the move. From Pittsburgh to Houston to every single team in the American League East, just looking for a spot where he could stick.
He finally found his permanent place — in Red Sox lore.
The well-traveled journeyman wound up as the World Series MVP on Sunday night after hitting two home runs that lifted Boston over the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 5.
“This has been a lifelong journey,” Pearce said. “And to be here right now is a dream come true.”
It got better and better, too, as hundreds of Red Sox fans in the stands chanted “MVP! MVP!” Later, Pearce strolled hand-in-hand with his young daughter behind home plate.
For a guy who just kept on truckin’ around the majors, he now has something shiny to show for it — a bright red truck, presented to him on the infield dirt as a most unlikely MVP.
“Baseball’s a funny game,” he said. “The longer you stay in the game, great things can happen.”
Traded from Toronto to the Red Sox in late June, the 35-year-old delivered the key hits in two straight games against the Dodgers.
On Saturday, he launched a tying home run in the eighth inning, then added a three-run double in the ninth that sent Boston to a 9-6 win in Game 4.
Pearce got the Red Sox rolling in the clincher, connecting for a two-run homer off Clayton Kershaw in the first inning. He capped his October spree with a solo drive off Pedro Baez in the eighth.
He became the fifth Boston player with a multihomer game in the World Series in Red Sox history, joining the likes of Babe Ruth and and Ted Kluszewski (both of whom were also 35 or older), and the first since Rico Petrocelli in Game 6 in 1967.
“That’s great company,” Pearce said. “Those guys were the best. And if my name gets to sit right next to theirs, I know I’ve accomplished something.”
Overall, the first baseman hit .333 in the Series (4-for-12) with three home runs, eight RBIs, a .500 OBP and a 1.167 slugging percentage.
Pretty good production for a guy acquired in midseason from the Toronto Blue Jays for a minor league infielder. He played 50 games after the trade — he became the first position player to win a World Series MVP while playing 50 or fewer games for the winning team in his career, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
“You never know where the game will take you,” he said. “And I’ve gone through a lot in my life or in my career to be here, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.