Top 100 prospect Mack leads no-hitter from behind the dish

Joe Mack was locked in on both sides of the ball Friday night in Jacksonville.

The Marlins’ No. 5 prospect (MLB No. 95) not only guided four pitchers through a combined no-hitter, but he also matched a professional best with four hits in the Jumbo Shrimp’s 15-3 win over the Nashville Sounds at VyStar Ballpark.

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It marked the first nine-inning no-hitter in franchise history since Kevin Mobley’s effort on Aug. 3, 2000 -- more than two years before Mack was even born. Anderson Pilar, Matt Pushard, Christian Roa and George Soriano teamed up to accomplish the feat -- with Mack handling every pitch behind the plate.

“Everything was going good for the pitchers,” Mack told Jacksonville’s Matt Davis postgame. “Getting ahead of these guys, not walking them, throwing strikes and using their best stuff when we needed to ... credit to them and to the whole bullpen. They came out and threw a great game.”

At the plate, the 22-year-old catcher matched a professional best in hits, going 4-for-5 with three singles, three runs scored and an opposite-field solo home run in the fourth inning off Nashville righty Sam McWilliams. The drive carried over the left-field wall after Nashville’s Drew Avans lost it in the lights -- initially appearing to hover under what he thought would be a fly out before turning around to see the ball clear the fence, extending the lead to double digits.

It was Mack’s fourth Triple-A homer, and seventh overall on the season, as well as his second long ball in as many nights.

“I feel like we kept it short and kept it simple and stuck to our approaches,” Mack said of the team’s offensive outburst. “And [we] put the bat on the ball.”

Since being promoted from Double-A Pensacola on April 22, the 31st overall pick from the 2021 Draft has begun to find his footing. He joined Triple-A following the callup of former top prospect Agustín Ramírez, who has since produced 12 homers in the Majors.

Mack had earned the bump -- and a spot on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list -- after slashing .318/.464/.614 over 44 at-bats to open the year, showcasing his ability to generate power to all fields. Despite his swing-and-miss issues in Jacksonville, over his last 18 at-bats, Mack has nine hits and tallied 16 total bases.

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On Friday, Mack’s power and game-calling came together in a big way -- highlighting his potential as one of the Marlins’ most intriguing young talents.