Steve Pearce had a nice run with the Orioles (plus other notes)

He often did things with little fanfare. He just wanted to play hard, give his all and see his team win. But there are no more baseball wins in the future for former Oriole Steve Pearce.

He announced his retirement in a rather understated way. Boston radio station WEEI was replaying Game 1 of the 2018 World Series Monday night and had Pearce on as a guest. During that interview, he announced his career was over.

"You know what? It has been a good run. I have 10 years in there. Right now, I am officially retired," he said.

Pearce was the MVP of that 2018 World Series. For the Red Sox against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he went 4-for-12 with three homers and eight RBIs. Not bad for a player cut loose by several big league teams over the years.

Orioles fans no doubt have some fond memories of Pearce. He was a big part of the 2014 season, when the Orioles won their first American League East title since 1997.

That year, Pearce hit .293/.373/.556 with 26 doubles, 21 homers, 49 RBIs and an OPS of .930 in 383 plate appearances. He was one of three O's that season to hit 20 or more doubles and homers, joining Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones. That year, Pearce slugged .704 versus left-handed pitching and .600 at Camden Yards.

Pearce played parts of 13 seasons with seven different clubs. Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, he went to play for all five AL East teams. But he had 999 career plate appearances as an Oriole, more than with any other club.

His strong contribution with the 2014 Orioles was more impressive when you remember that he got designated for assignment by the club on April 22 of that season and released not long after. But only a week later, on April 29, the Orioles re-signed him and were later thrilled they had.

Going into the 2014 season, Pearce had hit 17 career homers in 743 at-bats over parts of seven seasons with four different teams. Then he belted 21 home runs in 338 at-bats with the Orioles and was a real key to the club winning 96 games. Pearce had never homered more than four times in any year until that season, when he hit his fifth homer on June 17. He had 11 homers by the All-Star break.

But Pearce got off to a very slow start in 2015 and hit just .218 that season for the Orioles. It was a big drop-off in run production and performance.

I never heard Pearce make excuses and he didn't that year, either. After one game, he called himself "a one-man rally killer." But it was probably pretty clear to O's fans that Pearce was a real gamer and he was popular with his teammates, who appreciated his story of perseverance. He was always around for reporters. No matter how bad the night went for him or the team, he was there to answer questions. Much respect to him for that.

But many of his days in an O's uniform were pretty good. He had a career .810 OPS as an Oriole. He was great to deal with, and when he played well, he was usually quick to deflect credit to others on the team.

I'll never forget Pearce choking up in the clubhouse after the Orioles clinched the division in 2014. A reporter reminded him of all he overcame to get there. That included getting released or designated for assignment by several clubs, including the one he was with at that time. Pearce teared up a bit and the couple of us around him that night will probably never forget the emotion we saw that was really tears of joy.

Former O's coach dies: Former Orioles coach Jim Frey died Sunday. He was 88. No cause of death was announced. Frey managed the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs and also served as Cubs general manager.

In Baltimore, O's fans may remember he was part of the coaching staff of Earl Weaver from 1970-79, spending six seasons as first base coach. That was a great time for the Orioles. In those 10 seasons they were in the playoffs five times and in the World Series three times. They were in first place five times and won 100 or more games three times.

In October 1979, Frey was hired to manage the Royals, replacing the popular Whitey Herzog. According to this article, one of the strongest endorsements for Frey came from Weaver.

"The Royals couldn't have picked a better man than Jim," said the Birds skipper. "I know the Orioles will miss his knowledge, his judgment and his organization ability."

Remembering Jackie: The Orioles will join Major League Baseball to honor the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson with a virtual Jackie Robinson Day Celebration today. As part of MLB's partnership with the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the Jackie Robinson Museum, the Orioles will provide online opportunities for children at home to learn about Robinson's legacy.

In conjunction with Jackie Robinson Day and the club's ongoing efforts to provide educational resources for children, the Orioles will offer new programming on the Digital Kids Corner. Orioles infielder Richie Martin will educate children about Robinson's legacy by reading "My Little Golden Book about Jackie Robinson" by Frank J. Berrios.

Martin is the grandson of Walter "Bancy" Thomas, who played in the Negro Leagues and was teammates with Robinson in 1945 before he broke MLB's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Martin will also reflect on his grandfather's career in a story to be featured on Orioles.com.

Last year, Martin and a few of his Orioles teammates got a private tour of the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City with museum president Bob Kendrick. Martin's grandfather died before he was born, but Kendrick showed Martin pictures of his grandfather on the 1945 Kansas City Monarchs. That roster included not only Robinson, but also pitcher Satchel Paige.

"It really just makes me appreciate what we as players have today," Martin said after the museum tour. "Those guys had a tough time. Just the ability to go out and play. Bob told us the Negro Leagues, all they cared about was if you could play. They didn't care what color you were or what you looked like. I really appreciated that. Not that I didn't have an appreciation before but this gave me more of a love for the game and just motivates me more to carry on that legacy and take pride in what we do."

Click here for more about Martin's tour that day.

By the way, Pearce's retirement followed that of Mark Reynolds by five days. And in an unrelated matter, Chris Davis was reading to kids last night. His own and any that wanted to tune in via the magic of the Internet.

Steve Pearce Mark Reynolds
🤜🤛
Hanging it up after 13 seasons

Congrats! We hope retirement treats you both well! pic.twitter.com/ssLki6siNk

-- Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 14, 2020

It's story time! 📚

Join Chris Davis and his family as they read "The Wonderful Things You Will Be." pic.twitter.com/HkuKAYvAKE

-- Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 14, 2020