Top prospect Tink Hence powers Springfield Cardinals to combined no-hitter

After nine months of waiting and preparation, Tink Hence made his long-awaited return to Springfield, Missouri on Friday night. The St. Louis Cardinals' No. 3 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline returned to the mound in Springfield to face the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

This is Hence's first official start after being activated off the 60-day injured list due to a right rib cage strain. He made five rehab appearances with the Florida Complex League, Low-A Palm Beach, and High-A Peoria. He struck out 10 batters across 10.2 innings with a 1.69 ERA.

In Hence's first game at the Double-A level this year, he was nearly perfect. Hence struck out eight batters in 4.1 innings. He walked one batter, but he still faced the minimum of 13 batters thanks to his battery mate and rising catching prospect Leonardo Bernal throwing out a would-be base stealer. Hence topped out at 96 MPH with his electric fastball, and he sat 93 MPH with the offering.

"It feels great," said Hence of being back in front of a strong crowd — of which I was a member — at Hammons Field in Springfield. "It's hard to put into words. I just wanted to come out and do what I could do. I knew I had a pitch count, and I just wanted to give (the team) the best chance to win."

Hence did just that, as he was utterly unhittable all night. Soft contact occurred throughout the night, and his high strikeout rate proves that he was on all night.

The Cardinals would go on to win the game 1-0 over the Hooks. A closer look at the box score would reveal that the Cardinals' pitchers had a combined no-hitter. This is just the second no-hitter in Springfield Cardinals history. The most ironic part of this story? The last no-hitter was on June 20th, 2024, exactly one year ago.

Behind Hence came pitchers Zane Mills, Austin Love, and Sean Harney. These three relievers collectively walked three more batters and struck out five more for a total of 13 strikeouts as a staff.

Last year's combined no-hitter was started by Cooper Hjerpe, who struck out six batters through five innings. Andrew Marrero threw the final two innings of the Cardinals' 5-0 victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks.

It was a big two days for the Springfield Cardinals: They clinched a Texas League playoff spot the day before by virtue of having the best record in the first half of the season. It was also a Margaritaville theme night. The game may have ended at 10 P.M. Central Time, but it was certainly five o'clock somewhere.

Hence still has to prove that he can stay effective and healthy as his pitch count rises. He's always been one of the most talented pitching prospects in the system, but his health has been his greatest downfall. 2025 is an important year for the 22-year-old pitcher. If he can continue to pitch well while proving that he can throw greater than 90 innings in a season, he has a chance to vie for the starting rotation or bullpen at the major-league level in 2026.