Chris Paddack Wrote '16' on Mound Before Near No-Hitter Against Marlins to Honor Jose Fernandez

Chris Paddack has had a stellar rookie season with the Padres, and he continued that by taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against his former team, the Miami Marlins, on Wednesday night.

But what made the outing so special was the fact that Paddack wrote the number 16 on the mound at the outset of what would evolve into a gem of a start, honoring former Marlin Jose Fernandez, who Paddack met back when he was drafted.

Paddack, who was drafted by the Marlins in the eighth round in 2015, was a massive fan of Fernandez and tried to emulate his style while he was in the team's farm system. He also used him as inspiration when he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

And he couldn't have found a better way to honor his tragically deceased idol than to turn in such a dazzling performance in the park where Fernandez once pitched. Paddack retired the first 15 batters he faced before a throwing error from Fernando Tatis Jr. ended his perfect game bid.

He finished the night having pitched 7.2 innings with eight strikeouts and a walk. The lone hit he gave up was a home run to Marlins second baseman Starlin Castro.

It was a performance Fernandez would have been truly proud of, and it's absolutely perfect that Paddack dedicated it to him before it even got started.