Chiefs' Pearce sets MWL walk-less record

Matt Pearce just wanted to make a name for himself in the second half. And now that name will appear in the Midwest League record books. 
The Cardinals right-hander did not issue a free pass over eight innings Sunday night in Class A Peoria's 4-0 shutout of Kane County to extend his walk-less streak to a Midwest League-record 46 1/3 consecutive frames. He allowed six hits and struck out three in the longest outing of his two-year career. 
"It's nothing I really had been thinking about too much," Pearce said of the streak. "I'm just trying to pound the zone, and that's something I'm able to do pretty well. I had no idea the Midwest League record was on the line. I knew I had come close or surpassed the Chiefs record in my last start. It was an honor just to get that, so it's the same thing for this."
Pearce last issued a walk on June 8 at Lansing and has not given up a free pass in his last seven starts. He surpassed the previous record of 45 straight innings, set by Bill Castro with Danville from June 29-Aug. 12, 1973. 
The 2014 13th-rounder, who has a high-80s fastball to go with a changeup and subpar curveball, was a pretty good candidate to see the streak through to the record. In his two seasons at Polk State Junior College in Winter Haven, Florida, he issued only 25 walks over 164 1/3 innings -- a rate of 1.4 walks per nine innings (BB/9). He carried that impeccable control to pro ball, issuing only nine walks in 45 innings (1.8 BB/9) a season ago at Rookie-level Johnson City. 
Following Sunday's gem, during which he threw 64 of his 87 pitches for strikes, Pearce improved to 7-9 with a 2.85 ERA, 70 strikeouts and only 17 walks in 101 innings this season.
"I've just been doing the same thing I've always done," he said. "I never really changed anything since I started pitching as a kid, to be honest. It's the same mechanics. I've never struggled with throwing strikes, and that's something I take pride in.
"I like to pound the zone for the guys behind me, because I know they don't like be out there when a pitcher's walking so many guys. When you think about it, a .300 average makes a hitter successful, and then he's only getting hits in three of 10 at-bats. The ball's in your hands as a pitcher."
Beyond just control, the 6-foot-3 hurler has impressed in other areas of his stats page.
In six second-half starts, which take up 37 2/3 innings of the 46 2/3 frames that make up the walk-less streak, Pearce is 4-2 with a 0.96 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 22 strikeouts. In that stretch alone, his Midwest League ERA has dropped from 3.98 to 2.85, its lowest level since May 21.
"A big part of that has just been going right at guys," he said. "I was talking to my manager [Joe Kruzel], and he pointed out that I kind of lacked energy and that was making the guys behind me lack energy too. I was just going through the motions. But after talking about that, I've really been trying to end the season really strong. I want to make a name for myself and hopefully move up next season or even this one, if they'll let me."
Before that happens, it's likely that Pearce will get at least another shot to extend his new record. Now aware of the record, it might cross his mind during his next Peoria start, but he said it shouldn't be difficult to move past the free pass, once it inevitably comes.
"It's gonna be in in the back of my mind, definitely," he said. "But once that guy's out of the batter's box, I'll focus on the next guy right away. You can't focus on the walk at all. Work on the next guy. Don't let him reach second. I know it's gonna happen. Of course, it's gonna happen. But it's not something I'm at all worried about."