When the Blue Jays traded reliever Nate Pearson to the Cubs on July 27 and he was saying his farewells to his teammates, they responded with, ‘‘See you in [three] weeks.’’
Though his tenure with the Blue Jays didn’t go as he envisioned, Pearson is still grateful for that time when he looks back on it.
On Saturday at Wrigley Field, Pearson — whom the Blue Jays selected 28th overall in the 2017 MLB Draft — said the trade is still fresh for him.
‘‘I was 23 when I debuted [with the Blue Jays],’’ Pearson said. ‘‘I was just a young guy. [I’ve] matured, and now I’m coming over here [to the Cubs] with a little more experience.’’
In part because of two rain delays totaling 55 minutes, Pearson pitched two innings and earned the victory against his former team. He yielded no runs, one hit and two walks and struck out one in the Cubs’ 3-2 victory.
Pearson struggled during his time with the Blue Jays. He had a 5.21 ERA in 115⅔ career innings with them because he struggled with the mental side of the game.
‘‘You can have all the ability in the world, but if you’re not ready to go mentally every day, then you’re not gonna have good results out on the field,’’ he said.
What plagued Pearson with the Blue Jays was a lack of confidence. He said it was hard to trust his stuff as a young reliever facing seasoned veterans.
‘‘I learned just to stay confident in myself,’’ Pearson said. ‘‘I feel like each day it’s all about who’s more confident in their abilities. Just go out there and just be successful. You can’t go out there with doubt or fear.’’
Players’ Weekend
MLB Players’ Weekend allows players to show their personalities more than usual.
Corner infielder Patrick Wisdom had his daughters customize a pair of gloves that he will wear Sunday. Misheel, a patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, designed a pair of white gloves with flowers on them that he wore Friday.
The Cubs also designed a pair of cleats for Wisdom. One features Anna and Elsa from the movie ‘‘Frozen’’ because the movie is his daughters’ favorite. The other features the inscription ‘‘Wisdom Wine,’’ complete with miniature wine corks on the laces. Wisdom became fascinated by the wine-making process during the pandemic.
Wisdom has three kids: Molly, Claire and Jack. For him, this weekend is about having them feel that they’re a part of his workplace and enabling them to get a better understanding about his job.
‘‘To bring them here or have them do things like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna wear the cleats that you drew or the gloves or the bat,’ they kind of feel a part of it,’’ Wisdom said. ‘‘They understand it more.’’
Pete’s streak over
Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was caught stealing for the first this season, snapping his streak of 23 successful tries in a row.