José Fernández gone but not forgotten
People across the country woke up Sunday morning to somber news. Miami Marlins’ ace José Fernández, as well as two of his friends, had died in a boating accident on Miami Beach in the early hours of the morning.
Many avid baseball fans could recite Fernández’s remarkable story, and by the end of the day, so could anyone who heard the news.
There was the story of him getting to the United States in the first place — defecting from Cuba in a boat with his mother and being caught three times. On the second time, his mother fell into the water and Fernández jumped in and rescued here. On their fourth attempt, Fernández and his mother made it into the country.
There was the story of Fernández being reunited with his grandmother. She had remained in Cuba until members of the Marlins’ front office decided she needed to be reunited with her grandson. Their emotional reencounter was filmed by MLB.com.
There was the story of Fernández provoking a benches-clearing because he admired his first career home run for too long — something Atlanta Braves’ third baseman Chris Johnson felt was an insult to his team.
Fernández continued to have fun while everyone else was feuding.
Numerous sports publications brought these stories back in the public light. Dave Cameron, head editor of FanGraphs, intimated that Fernández would have been a great role model for his son.
Michael Baumann of The Ringer proclaimed that Fernández was the future of both baseball and America.
On Sunday, the Marlins cancelled their game scheduled with the Braves. Nearly all of Fernández’s teammates posted social media tributes. Most notably, star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton took to Instagram to convey his grief. He mentioned how Fernández’s extraordinary baseball talent had him at a clear Hall of Fame pace, and yet what everyone will miss the most was his personality.
The Marlins resumed play on Monday, opening a three-game series with the New York Mets. A moment of silence was held at every ballpark across Major League Baseball, and the Marlins’ and Mets’ players knelt around the pitcher’s mound. Every Marlins’ player was wearing Fernández’s number, 16, and each had his name inscribed on the back of their jersey.
In the bottom of the first inning, Marlins’ left-handed leadoff hitter Dee Gordon took the first pitch from the right-handed batter’s box to honor Fernández, a right-handed hitter. Gordon’s leg kick and bat waggle were nearly identical to the characteristics of Fernández’s timing mechanisms.
Gordon flipped around to the left-handed side and on the very next pitch he saw, he blasted a home run to right field. The home run was the first of the season for Gordon. Tears rushed down his face as he circled the bases and as he was comforted by his teammates upon return to the dugout.
The heartfelt support for Fernández and his family has continued throughout the past few days. Baseball writers have postulated as to whether or not he could win the Cy Young Award this season. Others have started to campaign for the adoption of an award named in his honor.
