As we all woke up on Sunday morning, we were struck with news that Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez had tragically passed away at the age of 24. Fernandez and two others died in a boating accident early Sunday morning. This news sent shock waves to everyone in the baseball community. How could this happen? The Marlins had just announced Fernandez would be pitching Monday against the Mets. Fernandez was also just at the ballpark with his team celebrating a win over the Braves. And then, not even five hours later, it was all over.
His story is unlike many others. At the age of 14 Fernandez was arrested and spent an entire year in jail for trying to escape Cuba. When he got out of jail he tried to escape again, for the fourth time, this one successful. But on the boat ride to America someone fell overboard into the ocean and a 15-year-old Fernandez jumped into the water to save them. That person turned out to be his own mother. Fernandez didn’t know this until he got into the ocean, jumping even though he thought it was just a random person.
Hernandez with his abuela.
When you start talking about Fernandez on the baseball field, so much comes to mind. You can talk about what a dominant pitcher he was. Ever since he burst on to the scene in 2013 he has been one of the best pitchers in the game. You can also talk about how much fun Fernandez had playing the game. Whether he was pitching that day or not, Fernandez always acted like he was just a fan of the game while sitting on the bench watching. While on the mound he showed so much emotion. Marlins manager Don Mattingly put it best, saying, “He had the joy of a little leaguer.”
Fernandez had a smile that could light up an entire room, and in his case an entire ballpark. His personality was infectious to anyone that had the pleasure of knowing him. And being a Cuban star in Miami, he was so important for that community. We always talked about Fernandez and how good he was, and how fun it was to watch him pitch. And we will still always talk about that when we talk about him. But now, unfortunately, when we talk about Fernandez we will always talk about a tragedy, and what could have been. Because what could have been was a Hall of Fame career.