Baseball was greeted to absolutely horrible news on Sunday morning.
One of Major League Baseball’s young stars, Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, was killed in a boating accident around 3:30 am on Sunday. He was 24-years-old and has a baby on the way.
The accident occurred when the boat occupied by Fernandez and two others crashed into rocks at full speed. The boat was completely destroyed, and was found at the entrance of Miami Harbor on Sunday morning.
Fernandez and two others were killed in the accident. No drugs or alcohol were found on the boat upon initial investigation.
Fernandez was the Marlins’ first round pick of the 2011 amateur draft. He was one of baseball’s top young stars, and a huge draw for the team. In 2013 he was named the National League rookie of the year. He also made the All-Star team in 2013 and again in 2016. This season, Fernandez was 16-8 as a starting pitcher with a 2.86 ERA in 29 starts.
In the wake of the news, the Marlins cancelled their Sept. 25 game against the Atlanta Braves. Some fans still made it out to the ballpark on Sunday to pay tribute to the star pitcher.
Jose Fernandez had an impact both on and off the baseball field. At age 15, he escaped from his home country of Cuba after being jailed three times due to defection charges. In one attempt to escape Cuba, Fernandez was on a boat with his mother and sister. During their attempted trip, Fernandez’s mother fell off of the boat. Without knowing who the person was, Fernandez dove into the water and saved his mother from drowning.
A Marlins player mourns the loss of his fallen teammate on Sunday.
On Sunday, players, coaches, and baseball administrative all had statements addressing Fernandez’s death.
“All of Baseball is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernández. “He was one of our game’s great young stars who made a dramatic impact on and off the field since his debut in 2013. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, the Miami Marlins organization and all of the people he touched in his life.” – Rob Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball.
“I see such a little boy in him. The way he played, there’s just joy with him when he played and when he pitched.” – Don Mattingly, Marlins manager.
#JDF16 pic.twitter.com/9COE2g0BeU
— Bryan Morris (@Bryan19Morris) September 25, 2016
Damn man it's raining at your mothers house bro…God and ALL his angels are crying down tears of joy on us because you came HOME. #JDF16
— Dee Strange-Gordon (@FlashGJr) September 25, 2016
Statement from the Miami Marlins organization: pic.twitter.com/6A4Rv6m2g9
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 25, 2016
Before all of Sunday’s games around Major League Baseball, a collective moment of silence was held for Fernandez.
Jose Fernandez was one of the top young stars in baseball. His actions both on and off the field show the type of person he was and the way in which his life ended make his death that much more devastating. This is a loss that is being felt all throughout baseball, and the responses being shown by those close to Fernandez reveal how much of an impact he had on so many people.
