CLEVELAND: The baseball world was dealt a tragic blow Sunday morning with the sudden, devastating news that Miami Marlins All-Star pitcher Jose Fernandez died in a boating accident. He was only 24 years old.
Fernandez was one of the bright, young stars in the game and one who was said to exhibit the kind of light-hearted spirit with which the game was meant to be played. Dozens of videos were posted online of Fernandez laughing with teammates, celebrating a win or grabbing a chair to watch fireworks after a game. Five days prior, Fernandez posted on Instagram that his girlfriend was pregnant.
“It’s a tragic day,” Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said. “It’s awful news. He was one of the better guys in the entire league, not only as a pitcher. I didn’t really know him off the field, but I always heard good things about him. You just feel sorry for his family and friends. You feel sorry for their organization. And you feel sorry for the game of baseball, because it lost one of the better pitchers today.”
The Marlins canceled their game on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves. All around the league — Progressive Field included — teams held a moment of silence.
“We get so consumed with baseball, but on a personal level, man it just kind of feels like you get punched in the stomach a little bit,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I can’t imagine how they feel. From afar, I know how we feel. You just hope that the family and the players and the friends, that they can gather some strength wherever they can get it, because [it is] hard to figure.”
Fernandez’s story was one of inspiration. Born in Cuba, he was jailed three separate times after failed defection attempts. On his fourth attempt, the successful one, a 15-year-old Fernandez jumped out of the boat to save his mother, who had fallen overboard.
“It doesn’t matter what the story was, you know what I mean?” Francona said. “Man, it’s a kid. Somebody’s mom is heartbroken. That’s a tough one. And I’m sure it’s going to be tough. … I don’t know how [the Marlins] finish their season.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ.