Miami Marlins ace pitcher Jose Fernandez, who was once jailed in his native Cuba for trying to defect, died early on Sunday in a boating accident in Miami Beach, the MLB team announced.
There were moments of silence before every game and tributes of all fashions on Sunday for Fernandez, whose infectious enthusiasm made him immensely popular with teammates, peers and baseball fans.
“When you watch kids play Little League, that’s the joy Jose played with,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said, breaking down in tears during an emotional news conference attended by all of Fernandez’s teammates.
The Marlins’ game against the Atlanta Braves scheduled for Sunday in Miami was canceled.
The 24-year-old was one of the biggest rising stars in the league. He was a Cuban refugee who became a US citizen and achieved his dream of starring for a team in Miami, which is considered the cultural heart of Cuba in the US.
“All of baseball is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said. “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.”
Fernandez was one of three people killed in the accident, in which the vessel had a “severe impact” with a jetty, authorities said. The Coast Guard discovered the overturned boat at about 3:30am.
The boat carrying Fernandez and two others was traveling at a high speed when it slammed into rocks, authorities said.
Fernandez did not drown, but rather was killed as a result of the impact, officials added.
Fernandez announced on Instagram last week that his girlfriend is pregnant.
Fernandez was originally scheduled to start on Sunday, but on Saturday the team announced he would skip that start and pitch yesterday’s opening game of a series against the New York Mets.
He was enjoying his best major league season, posting a 16-8 record with a 2.86 earned run average.
The hard-throwing right-hander set a club record with 253 strikeouts this season and his 12.49 strikeouts per nine innings led the majors.
After three unsuccessful attempts, Fernandez managed to leave Cuba for Florida at the age of 15. He was thrown in jail after getting caught on the third attempt.
On his final attempt he had to dive into the water to rescue his mother after she had fallen overboard.
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