Chris Paddack was simply too much for Class A Rome hitters on Sunday.
Making his fourth start of the season for Greensboro, Paddack, the Marlins' No. 18 prospect, struck out a career-high 11 hitters over five no-hit innings to pace the Grasshoppers in a 6-0 shutout. He issued one walk and faced just 16 hitters, one over the minimum.
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Paddack opened the game by striking out five hitters between the first and second innings, and he went on to fan two hitters in each of his next three frames. All together, the 20-year-old right-hander induced six swinging strikeouts while retiring five batters on called third strikes.
"I'm a guy that doesn't change anything unless they prove to me that they can hit my fastball, and my fastball was working today," Paddack told MiLB.com. "It's usually pretty good location-wise, but today was probably one of the best it has been all year, so I was really excited."
An eighth-round selection in the 2015 Draft, Paddack has posted a 1.47 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP through his first four full-season starts for Greensboro. He's allowed nine hits in 18 1/3 innings in that span -- two of which have left the park -- and, after striking out 11 on Sunday, owns a stellar 31/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the season.
In his professional debut last summer, Paddack pitched to a 2.18 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP and 39/7 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 45 1/3 frames (11 games/seven starts) in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.
"I'm going to soak in the great performance tonight and then tomorrow I'm going to get back after it," he told MiLB.com.
Marlins No. 21 prospect Justin Jacome replaced Paddack in the sixth and promptly delivered two perfect innings, striking out three. But Greensboro's attempt at a combined no-hitter was ultimately thwarted in the subsequent frame on Rome catcher Lucas Herbert's leadoff single in the eighth. It was the only hit that the Grasshoppers allowed in the game.