Blue Jays: Steve Pearce starts his own club

With his 2nd walk-off grand slam in just four days, Steve Pearce’s home run heroics are now in a franchise category all of their own.

The Blue Jays have shown a little more fight lately with their statements and also with their performance on the diamond. After sweeping a four game set with the Oakland A’s, the Jays were on the verge of being on the other side of the situation, having lost their first two games of a series against the Los Angeles Angels.

Things didn’t look good either, as the Jays entered the final frame down by a score of 10-4, and I’m certain there are plenty of Blue Jays who wish they hadn’t turned away from the game. Much to our pleasant surprise, the offence produced seven runs to complete an improbable comeback, capped by a grand slam from Steve Pearce. It was a huge moment for the veteran team, as they avoided being swept, and also picked up a win in the type of scenario that can change a club’s momentum in a real hurry.

As mentioned above, the big blast of the inning was provided from Pearce, who has a pretty intense flare for the dramatic lately. Not only did he hit a home run to walk off the game on Sunday, but he also provided the same thing just four days ago against the A’s.

More from Jays Journal

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

With the pair of game-ending grand slams, Pearce has not only endeared himself to Blue Jays’ fans, but he’s also started his own stat club. In fact, with his second grand slam walk-off, the Blue Jays have now had that happen  four times in their club history, with Pearce owning two of those blasts within less than a week.

As far as the other walk-off grand slams in franchise history, the first belonged to George Bell from September 4th, 1988. The second was a shot from Gregg Zaun, which happened September 6th, 2008. And then came Steve Pearce in 2017, adding the only other two to take place in a Jays’ uniform. The blast also capped the biggest ninth inning comeback in Blue Jays’ franchise history as well.

Pearce also joins the MLB club for hitting two of these monumental shots in the same season, with only two other members. No player in the history of the game has ever hit two in the same week.

After the game, both Pearce and Pillar talked about the resiliency of the team, and the fact that they weren’t done fighting for the 2017 season. As frustrating as the season has been, their statements and actions (Pillar also hit a two-run homer in the wild ninth inning), have to be music to the ears of frustrated Jays’ fans.

Next: Blue Jays' Trade Deadline Tracker

As for Steve Pearce, he’s just carved a footnote into the Blue Jays’ history books.