Pearce brings gritty all-out style to Toronto

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Steve Pearce knows all too well how heated the rivalries can get in the American League East, but he’ll have a different perspective of the bitter feelings in 2017.

Pearce made the jump from Baltimore to Toronto earlier this week when he signed a two-year deal worth $12.5 million. There’s no love loss between those two organizations, with feuds dating back to 2012 and the clash became even more intense during this year’s AL Wild Card Game.

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Switching sides isn’t a new concept for Pearce, who has played for five organizations during his 10-year career. He appeared in more games for the Orioles than anyone else, but with stints on the Yankees and Rays, he’s experienced this kind of transition before.

“That’s just an AL East thing,” Pearce said. “We had that rivalry with Tampa, we had it with New York, we had it with Boston and Toronto. It’s a tough division. You can’t be a .500 team and compete in that division. You have to be the best and you have to bring it every night. Sometimes when you’re playing so hard, there’s a feud. There’s a lot of emotions going on in games like that, and it’s just a part of baseball.”

Pearce is expected to platoon at first base with Justin Smoak, and he could see …

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