In stunning and tragic news, one of baseball’s preeminent young stars, Marlins right-hander Jose Fernandez, died in a boating accident early Sunday morning, the team has confirmed. Fernandez was 24.
“The Miami Marlins organization is devastated by the tragic loss of Jose Fernandez. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at a very difficult time,” the club said in a statement.
As a result of Fernandez’s death, the Marlins have canceled their game against the Braves on Sunday.
Fernandez was among three men who were found dead after a Coast Guard Patrol spotted an overturned boat off Miami Beach at 3:30 a.m. ET. The 32-foot boat the group was on had a “severe impact” with a jetty, Lorenzo Veloz of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the Associated Press. There’s “no indication of alcohol or illegal drugs involved,” though the high rate of speed at which the boat was traveling factored into the crash, the Coast Guard said (via ESPN.com and Adam Kuperstein of NBC 6).
In Fernandez, baseball has lost one of its most charismatic and talented performers, which commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged in a statement.
“All of Baseball is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez. 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,” said Manfred.
Before his career began, Fernandez endured a harrowing experience during his 2008 emigration from Cuba as he sought to realize his dream of pitching in the majors. He and his party dodged bullets from Cuban Coast Guard boats as they journeyed to Mexico. Along the way, Fernandez’s mother, Maritza, fell in the ocean, and he saved her from drowning.
“I dove to help a person not thinking who that person was,” said Fernandez. “Imagine when I realized it was my own mother. If that does not leave a mark on you for the rest of your life, I don’t know what will.”
Fernandez’s successful defection from Cuba came after three failed attempts, all of which occurred before he turned 15. Each of those three instances resulted in jail time for Fernandez, who became a United States citizen in 2015.
Three years after Fernandez departed his homeland, the Marlins selected him with the 14th pick of the 2011 draft. Two years later, he debuted with the Marlins and immediately emerged as one of the majors’ most electrifying arms. In 172 2/3 innings in 2013, Fernandez registered a sterling 2.19 ERA to go with 9.75 K/9 against 3.02 BB/9 en route to National League Rookie of the Year honors.
Fernandez underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2014, which limited him to 51 2/3 innings that year and 64 2/3 frames last season. He returned in earnest this year and dominated the opposition, logging a 2.86 ERA, 12.49 K/9 and 2.71 BB/9 across a personal-best 182 1/3 innings. Overall, the ace amassed 471 1/3 career major league innings, recorded a 2.58 ERA, 11.25 K/9 and 2.67 BB/9, and earned two All-Star nods.
“He was the heartbeat of our team,” a Marlins official told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Prior to his death, Fernandez was set to become a father. His girlfriend, Carla Mendoza, has a baby on the way. The MLBTR staff joins the rest of the sports world in offering our condolences to Fernandez’s family and the Marlins organization.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AidanVega123
Oh. My. God…
baseballfan22_
woke up in complete shock. Reminds me of nick adenhart
jmdjr1966
Very sad and sickening!
He was a true success story and had the world ahead of him.
My prayers are for him and his family today.
If the Marlins organization had kept him on schedule to pitch Sunday, He would have had a curfew Saturday and been home sleeping.
amishthunderak
Wow. Tragic.
dforte87
Omg I’m speechless
BoldyMinnesota
Rip Jose. Terrible news for baseball, terrible news in general. Rest easy big guy
partyatnapolis
what a loss. one of the best young talents i’ve ever seen. RIP jose
cdub1123
Whoa… That’s horrible. Prayers for his family and the Marlins organization…
alexv1303
Rob L. 2
Holy crap. This gave me this chills. RIP Jose. 🙁
tim815
Ugh.
greenmonsternews
This is so sad. Thought and prayers to his family. He will be missed.
greenmonsternews
REST IN PEACE, JOSE.
Yankee4Life27
I’m in total shock… RIP Jose Fernandez.
yanks02026
RIP… He had a lot of talent.
GoPackGo23
Not too often am I speechless. After reading this I was. Thoughts and prayers to his friends and family. Makes you remember how short and precious life truly is. Rest in peace
SydneyRedSox
That’s just awful. RIP Jose.
MiddleIn
Horrible news.
kmh878s
Such stunning, sad news. Seemed to be a great guy and always showed love for the game and had fun on the field. This is a true loss for the game and the world.
MySoxAreRed
Always a pleasure to watch
RIP you will be missed
jbaker3170
Does it matter?? Show respect and not be a douche
metseventually 2
He’s not being a douche- I think all of us want to know what happened on the boat too.
Sid Bream
I am not a Miami Marlins fan, but I am a baseball fan, and this is just gut wrenching, horrendous, and extremely sad. Sometimes life is just so fragile and so short. That’s two young lives within 2 years. Oscar Taveras RIP, Jose Fernandez RIP. Sadness is not an adequate word for this.
Philliesfan4life
This is a sad day for the marlins, Fernandez was one of the best young pitchers in the game, He had cy young written on him in the future.
Mikel Grady
Prayers to family and organization.
Big Ed 59
prayers for you and your family GOD BLESS
bmas13
WOW! What a tragedy. Truly heartbreaking. When one the best pitchers in baseball and also one of the fun fun and energetic players in MLB. His enthusiasm for the game was a joy to watch.
On the Marlins note, this sets the franchise back SOOOO much. Gone is a top flight #1 starter. Whether the Marlins kept him or traded him for a Kings ransom, this sets them back years. A truly sad day.
DavidLee69
I was thinking that too. Terribly tragic
Thegreatandpowerfulsimba
STFU HE WAS NOT A COMMODITY THAT JUST UNEXPECTEDLY RUINED- forget your “marlins note”. God rest this young mans soul and prayers to his entire family especially his unborn son.
jcscott
@simba I hate to nitpick you, but in a few days time as the shock begins to wear off, the severe damage done to the Marlins franchise will be assessed and widely discussed everywhere. This does not strike me as so callous on a blog devoted entirely to that kind of analysis. Obviously, the human element and coming to terms with this as human beings is WAY more important right now. But virtually every Marlins-related post here for the next 12-18 months will be–directly or indirectly–addressing the question of how the Marlins fill that void. HUGE setback. His life is the most important thing, but that doesn’t mean there arent practical, more business end matters to consider as well.
moozimir
In an age where people are either quite ignorant or have this overwhelming sense of being politically/socially correct, everyone’s gotta chill. I agree with the guy @jcscott, the original poster said nothing wrong. He paid his respects then gave his opinion on the impact of the club. Totally fair and valid.
Jose was by all accounts a great guy, a top top tier talent, and pitched with enthusiasm and fire that we have not seen since maybe the 90’s. All those factors combined are enough to devastate any baseball fan, but on top of that he was so good, so young, and along with the sadness we will continue to feel, will be left with feelings of “what could’ve been”. This is similar to when Munson died, though Munson had more of a career; this is similar to Doc Gooden, but Gooden didn’t die, his career tanked because of drug abuse. This is all so tragic because as a baseball fan, you wanted to see this kid do well; you wanted to see him dominate; you wanted to be along for the ride. Man, we’re all devastated, I’m not sure in sports if we’ve seen a death this tragic (free to debate, but that statement is really a sentiment to what Jose meant to Miami, the game, and the fans).
brood550
Similar to Oscar Taveras, in the damage done to the franchise. Sad to see players that young gone in an instant.
august34
What the absolutely hell just happened. I’m in complete and utter shock right now. I wake up and an scrolling in my Instagram feed and I see oh Jose Fernandez died..wtf Please rest in peace to him. Such a great guy and an amazing talent
wmurphy24
Shocking, awful, tragic
rivera42
Wow. Terrible news. Way too young. RIP Jose.
DEK59
Terrible news, my thoughts and prayers to his family. RIP…
southi
Sad day for baseball. Tragic news. My prayers go out to all connected and especially the Fernandez family.
DeadliestCatch
Was never a big fan of his, but nobody deserves this. Horrible news. Will you be updating as to how it happened when more info comes available?
Ironman_4life
Im sick to my stomach. Bless his family as he reats in peace ……
plyons
MLB AtBat and Facebook (trending) have yet to run with this story. I pray that the Miami Herald and MLB Trade Rumors have made an utter mistake. Please be wrong this time.
Vedder80
ESPN is reporting it and the Marlins made a statement. While that would be pleasant news, it is highly unlikely.
DavidLee69
MLB on Fox has it now
cubs13
Ya please be wrong
Connorsoxfan
Wow. I am totally shocked. Saw a social media post about it, figured it was a mean joke or something, so I came on here just to make sure, and wow. Thoughts and prayers to his family. RIP.
rugrat907
echoing the sentiments of others…so tragic…
MeowMeow
I figured I’d be watching him chase records for 15+ years. Sad day all around baseball :c
ScottC
Simply horrible news, gone far too son, RIP, thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends, plus the Miami Marlins organization…
munsonmanor
I hate to hear this, not just for baseball, but this is WAY too young to die. Reminds me of the deaths of Indians players Tim Crews and Steve Olin back in 1993. I hope it’s not under similar circumstances. RIP young man!
MatthewBaltimore23
I’m shocked and speechless. RIP Jose.
smrtbusnisman04a
Terrible. All hearts of baseball are with Jose’s family and the Miami Marlins today.
Jose was such an amazing pitching talent. RIP
swaskito
News like this makes baseball comes second
start_wearing_purple
A surprising reminder of mortality. Thoughts and prayers to his family.
chieftoto
Absolutely horrible. Will be missed greatly.
JamieMoyer 4
RIP Jose. Not even a Marlins fan but I feel sick to my stomach reading this. Such a tragic loss of a truly special player and man.
suddendepth
RIP, dude. You were a pleasure to watch. My condolences to the Fernandez family.
jose carlos
Baseball has lost one its most potential pitcher and future HOF. Just unbelievable how Baseball Nation has been affected with this tragic news. Baseball will not be the same until we get over it. So sad.
“Descansa en paz, Tocayo.”
Posey28
that is so horrible rip Jose you will always be remembered as one of the best pitchers in the mlb
armsiderun14
In disbelief and shock at this news. Jose was one of my favorite players to watch, with his electric arm and charismatic attitude. He was a gem to the game of baseball. RIP, Jose. You will be missed by many
triberulz
Sad day for Marlins fans, reminds me when the Indians lost Steve Olin & Tim Crews in their Spring Training boating accident. Thoughts & prayers to Jose’s family today.
anonymoususer
Reading about his background…wow. That was very moving. Rest in peace.
fundaysunday
To have endured all he did to get to this country. To have realized a dream of being a major league baseball player. To have been one of the very best at his position. A young man with nothing but greatness in front of him. A tragedy indeed. Thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and teammates. Certainly a reminder of how fragile life really is.
BlueSkyLA
+1
deadmanonleave
RIP from England. Tragic, shocking news.
krillin
Rest in peace Jose. Terrible loss not only to the Marlins but to Baseball. Prayers for his family during this time
halos101
one of the most tragic, sad, and stunning days i’ve ever seen in sports. Jose was just a joy to watch. RIP jose fernandez
cardfan2011
Oh my gosh! How tragic, first Taveras, then Tommy Hanson, now this? RIP Jose Fernandez 🙁
mike127
Please, until we know the details do not put this in the same category of Taveras and Hanson. May they rest in peace, but Taveras and Hanson were both self induced. Prayers to all families connected to all of these.
A'sfaninUK
He meant in terms of dying young. There’s no difference, its a tragedy no matter how. Please dont turn this into an argument.
cardfan2011
Sigh why do you do that Mike? The fact that he died, especially at a young age was tragic, is my point.
mike127
Cardfan,
You have my direct apology. I did offer my prayers to all the families connected to Taveras, Hanson, and Jose. My knee jerk reaction to Taveras is that he was drunk and killed his girlfriend as well. To Hanson, it was drugs. Those were both tragedies, but avoidable. I wished to avoid that connection to the Jose story. Though it will change nothing, I am hoping this is a case of speed and they we just too close to the shore and hit that rock formation.
Again, my apology for not considering that you were inferring age. I certainly did not intend to create any form of controversy and that is sometimes difficult in text. Apologies also to anyone that was offended.
Again, prayers to all suffering.
teufelshunde4
Guess you have never done anything dumb have you Mike? Doesnt matter if your rich, pretty, talented, beloved or anything else…. A simple mistake driving a car, driving a boat, crossing a street can cost you your life.
We dont know all the details on this. And it simply doesnt matter if they were speeding or drunk or what ever… Dead is dead…
Heck my mom had a brother who on his first day home from the Korean War was crossing the highway to say hi to his brother and got hit by a truck and killed..
He choose to cross the road was that self induced too?
22222pete
The early reports on Taveras were that it was not self induced. Testing later proved it was. Both were tragic, young guys, high speed in the wee hours of the morning. Sad.
thekid9
Reports are they were at a bar. Testing to follow
braves fan 138
RIP Jose it was a privilege to watch you pitch
RaysFan2021
That is horrible. That is devastating.
trentonm11
Wow, unbelievable. One of the best pitchers in baseball. Truly shocking news. RIP
AddisonStreet
Wow. craziness.
fighterflea
A tragic loss to all and a great write-up on short notice.
jleve618
I did a double take when I saw this on tv. Came here to make sure I wasn’t crazy. So damn sad.
vinscully16
A great fellow and supreme talent taken so young. Truly sad.
A'sfaninUK
Horrific. Apparently the boat flipped 30 feet in the air and landed on rocks. RIP to Jose and the two others who died. Massive loss for the game being that he was obviously one of the games top 5 pitchers. Sad sad day.
ryanh48
I don’t know what to say
padreforlife
Sad
marlins1993
The worst end to any career..
I wonder if Fernandez even knew of the Crews/Olin/Ojeda accident. It was so long ago and history is a horrible thing, repeating itself, it seems to want to until we learn.
Let’s teach our children history today.
AddisonStreet
What are you going to do? Not boat? Of course things are dangerous, doesn’t mean people should just stop doing them.
guinnesspelican
What outcomes of this tragic event can we take from looking at Jose’s life?
I feel that he was driven to make the best of his horrible situations and make his time count every day he was here.
His example should never leave us.
0428April
I’m so stunned I just keep staring at my phone……we never know what tomorrow holds for any of us or our family/friends. Not to get sappy, but hug someone you love today and tell them they are important to you. I will.
dbacksrs
Good piece..
conquerbeard
I feel sick. This is awful.
Crownontherocks 3
Wow still in shock. Unreal. Cant play the what if game. But this might have not happened if miami had not push back his start till mon instead of sunday. I know anyone can go on anyday just i dunno just still in shock rip
Blueclaw_7
He was so young
zack0035
RIP Jose. You were one of greatest young pitchers I’ve seen over the years. I am completely devastated by this and I didn’t even like the Marlins.
jljr222
If there was ever a time for crying in baseball, this would be the time. Just doesn’t seem right…
fmfish12
5 days ago, he found out his wife was pregnant. Things like this just aren’t suppose to happen to people, let alone a good person like José Fernández.
Josh Hambilly
Did a friend have a death-wish? How ITH do you run right into a friggin jetty?
A'sfaninUK
Bad weather was involved.
The worst thing is that it’s an accident, they are going to happen no matter what, and our first instinct is to try and give reasons how it could have been avoided and what we could do to try and prevent it, but we can’t tell all athletes they aren’t allowed to ever be on a boat, that is insane. These are just the times when baseball continues to prove to be the best mirror for life in America – we all know someone who was a incredible person who died way too young in an accident, and while none of us on here knew Jose, we all felt that same pain in hearing about the end of his life. Tell your loved ones how you feel about them today. RIP Jose Fernandez.
Josh Hambilly
Thanks – that helps…i guess. No doubt on land or water, ‘speed kills’.
Sid Bream
@Justanotherfan Sorry, but this is not about being on a boat, this is about how that boat was being skippered. If you are out in the dark you have to be doubly cautious. This is just a waste & senseless loss of life for all three occupants of the boat because commonsense was not used, and anyone skippering a boat at that hour of the night should be halving their speed if visibility was poor. This accident was avoidable,, and it’s just too tragic and devastating for no good reason.
ib6ub9
Why are they out on a boat at 3:00 am. Just Don’t understand. RIP he was awesome to watch pitch!
BaseballAndTrees
It’s so easy to forget that these men, who become heroes and legends to us by playing a child’s game, are also mere mortals. Today is truly a sad day for the entire baseball community and Jose’s passion and incredible talent will be greatly missed. Condolences and well wishes to his family and the Marlins organization. All of baseball mourns for you Jose. RIP.
Bruin1012
Wow stunning and tragic news
Thronson5
I’m in shock right now. Can’t even believe what I am reading. This is terrible news. My prayers go out to his family, friends and teammates. Rest In Peace Jose! I always hated going against this guy but I will miss watching him pitch. We really lost a special one today.
pirates937
Can’t believe my eyes
RiverCatsFilms
Ok so is it wrong that the first thing I think is “I hope it’s Jose Miguel Fernandez” and the second thing is that brawl after he hit that HOMERUN
A'sfaninUK
Yes.
FieldOfCandles
We lit a digital candle for Jose Fernandez. You’re all kindly invited to pray for his family and light a candle in his memory, too.
fieldofcandles.com/Candle/Profile/54702
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
How terribly sad!!! This is not supposed to happen to anyone including budding superstars.
Oscar Taveras in 2104 ( I thought it was last year) and now this.
I don’t know what else to say except may Jose Fernandez Rest In Peace.
He is gone way too soon.
Megadro2000
WTF
Megadro2000
Bro I can’t even handle this. So sad….. Too young
Ravens_Last_Place
Sad, horrible tragedy. RIP. He was destined to become a great ace for a long time.
puigpower
This hurts so bad. I’ll miss you so much Jose.
pustule bosey
that is crazy, all of baseball will be a little less talented with his absence
tylerall5
Totally shocking news. Feel bad for his teammates, family, and baseball
SixFlagsMagicPadres
Wow, what a crazy thing to wake up to. Rest in peace Jose.
mp9
I cant believe this.. wow just sad to see R.I.P José Fernandez
A'sfaninUK
Would anyone be against putting him in the Hall of Fame? Short career but outstanding at every point of it, along with the saving his mother from drowning, going to jail just for a chance at freedom, along all the other stories coming out about his incredible life, he was an exemplary, special human being and the kind of people professional athletes should aspire to be. He was, in a way the heart and soul of the game for the short time he was here. I think the HOF should make a special case for him and elect him in the next round.
Drank
I doubt he will get voted in officially but it would surprise me if Cooperstown didn’t honor him in the Hall in some way.
Jose was an amazing talent. A tragic loss of talent. But this is something deeper than baseball. An unborn child lost his father before he/she was even born. A woman lost the man she loved. A mother lost a son that battled for years with her to get out of Cuba and saved her life when she was about to drown while escaping Cuba. Men and women lost a close friend. Some of those friends probably referred to him as a brother even though they shared no blood. The death of an athlete goes so much deeper than the sport they play.
Prayers to his family and friends.
BoldyMinnesota
He should. His career fip is the lowest all time among pitchers who’ve thrown more than 400 innings. He was only getting better, he defiantly should be in the hof. I don’t think he even needs the asterisks
RunDMC
Jose was definitely a special talent, and I am shocked and saddened by his loss. That being said, it would definitely be an interesting situation by the Hall. Satchel Paige has the least IP (476 IP) of all HOF pitchers, with the next highest being Bruce Sutter at 1042 IP, compared to Fernandez’s 471.1 IP. Hernandez’s FIP is substantially lower at 2.43 than Paige’s 3.28. Paige’s body of work also included pitching for 20 years in the Negro Leagues where their stats were not tabulated like they were in MLB. There’s no record of an ERA, but W/L, to my knowledge. Fernandez didn’t have that, though he has better numbers during that.
One Fan
Satchel Paige may have only had 476 innings or so but he made the hall of fame as they also considered the Negro League
One Fan
Its shocking and sad. He was on a hall of fame track but he pitched two seasons basically so he is not going into the hall of fame
bsteady powers
RIP Jose. Prayers to friends and family. And a special prayer to his girlfriend and their unborn child
kehoet83
So sad and sickened by this news. RIP Jose.
chesteraarthur
This just sucks.
East Coast Bias
I’m still in shock. This is crazy. RIP to Jose. He had such a marvelous and brilliant career ahead of him. This is truly tragic.
rmullig2
Let’s hope this helps raise awareness of the dangers in boating. Too many people are careless on the water and think nothing bad could ever happen out there.
Knox Christopher
I am a braves fan, but I don’t care what team you cheer for or if you liked Jose or not. This is truly tragic. Jose was always so genuinely happy. He always kept a smile on his face. He charisma will be missed by all. Love you Jose. RIP
gmflores27
RIP jose
stoi
Just a horrible tragedy. Just stunned.
No Soup For Yu!
This is absolutely horrible. The sport of baseball hasn’t just lost an incredible player, but the world has lost an incredible young man. Rest in peace Jose.
sportsjunkie24
Give him the cy young this year he deserves it
sportsjunkie24
Please resign him
gogoblue
Was your comment a really poor attempt at humor or have you just awaken from yearlong coma? Either way, your comment doesn’t belong here. Not right now.
chuckn9ne
Actually whatever his comment was gave me an idea. I think it would be a nice honor to his family if they signed him to an honorary contract that provided benefits of some sort like the Padres do for that minor leaguer.
sportsjunkie24
This teaches us that we should always wear life jackets when boating and it seems fernandez was not
start_wearing_purple
Buddy, this is not a time to preach but a time to mourn the loss of a young life and young talent. We should be respectful for the sake of his family and unborn child.
kent814
I doubt he died by drowning you shitbag
One Fan
Life Jacket would not have mattered. He did not drown. Killed on impact was the report
tommyLA
Horrible, so young, so much life and success was ahead of him. God works in mysterious ways, RIP José.
ronnyalton
As a Braves fan i enjoyed disliking him in the best way. He was ultra good and id hoped when he hit free agency the Braves would swoop in and sign him. The baseball world took a huge hit with this one. A sad day today.
Pncpanic
Terrible news. Such a great guy and really gave some joy to the game. Just thinking of the smiles he and Ortiz swapped during the all star game.
jd396
Wow…… wow. We’ve lost a young man with a huge future ahead of him.
kent814
Two boat related deaths in two yearz
B_MAC
I understand that this is a baseball site. But under circumstances like this, baseball is secondary. Jose was a special talent on the field and the baseball world lost a generational talent. From what i saw of him, he was full of life, joy and happiness. There were 3 on the boat and 3 families are hurting. Out of the 3 who lost their life, Jose will be the only one remembered and mourned universally. It is a sad day indeed but there is joy to be had from this tradgedy. He may be gone too soon, but what he accomplished in such a short time should be celebrated. He got to live his dream.
BlueSkyLA
Just occurred to me, this tragic event happened on the very day Vin Scully calls his last home game after 67 years. We are sure seeing the long and short of baseball, all in one day.
Cam
Very good point. As we wave goodbye to someone who has been the embodiment of all that is wonderful about Baseball for an entire lifetime, we lose someone who barely scratched the surface of his career, and his life in general.
Incredibly sad, in many ways.
marmaduke
Praying for you, Carla
RiverCatsFilms
Anyone else find it ironic that he died while playing against a team that he is most know for getting into a brawl?
One Fan
He did not die playing against any team and no I do not think anyone but you us thinking about a brawl the team got into. Wow.
BoldyMinnesota
I shouldn’t be engaging this on a day like today, but I will. Jose isn’t best known for that brawl, he’s best known for being a top 10 pitcher in the league, and for the remarkable things he overcame. Defecting from Cuba, being in prison for attempting to escape, unknowingly saving his mother in the middle of the ocean, coming back strong from tommy John. And if you remember him because of a brawl, at least know it was a douche like McCann who started it, not Fernandez
RiverCatsFilms
Listin his team was playing against the team he became well known to fans that had no idea who he was at the time since they were in a place that is not the east coast or central area… ok happy?!
Also found that a golf legend also died, and Vin Scully will no longer commentate at Dodger Stadium it’s a sad day for all sports fans ok?
RiverCatsFilms
And I’m not saying he started it and McCann didn’t either. He was telling Jose that they don’t look at signs. Johnson ran in and started yelling and then the benches cleared. Johnson started it not Fernandez or McCann
lifelongchopper
Since when is Atlanta not considered an east coast team? And Braves fans have known Fernandez since he made his debut because the team’s are in the same division and play 18 teams per year, we certainly didn’t need a brawl to know who the kid is. Also, McCann didn’t start that incident, he was simply talking to Jose and explaining how certain things are handled, Jose said so himself afterward. Regardless, Jose was a bright young talent with a genuine love and passion for the game, and he’ll be sorely missed by fans of all teams.
lifelongchopper
*18 times per year.
Ry.the.Stunner
It’s only ironic to people who have no idea what the word “ironic” actually means.. His team playing against the Braves during the weekend he died has zero correlation to anything related to his death. At best, it’s a very broad coincidence.
If you want actual irony, then here’s irony: it’s ironic that Jose Fernandez realized new life by getting on a boat, and also lost that same life on a boat as well.
everlastingdave
So shocked and saddened by this. Jose wasn’t just one of the best pitchers we’ve ever seen; you could tell just from his interviews that this was a young man who loved life and was grateful for the privileges and opportunities MLB afforded him. RIP Jose. We will never see another one like you.
crazysull
I don’t want to be that guy. But all I can think about is the fact that if his start didn’t get pushed back tomorrow he would probably still be alive. But i am still sad to see him gone so soon.
kent814
Kinda like Taveras where the Cardinals had they advanced just one more series in the postseason he would still be alive. Also think about if the Marlins had traded him last offseason or this trading deadline, he also wouldne be dead. Its hard to think about, and im not saying they shouldve traded him either
RiverCatsFilms
Or he could have not been on the boat just saying.
start_wearing_purple
It’s actually a very natural thought. Was he always going to die today or if a variable had changed then would everything change. The truth is I don’t think anyone doesn’t have that thought in the back of their mind. So don’t worry about it. It’s a natural part of the grieving process. We may not have known the man but the loss of someone so young and full of potential leaves us all asking questions.
24TheKid
100% agree with that, it’s natural to think about the what if’s. There will always be those thoughts and there’s no way to change that.
daniel h. 2
not necessarily
mack22 2
So easy to forget how precious life really is. RIP kid
daniel h. 2
that is true
metsoptimist
There are some really well-written comments here. As for me, I’ll say, with all affection now, that he was a pain to play against. Shocking and very sad news.
24TheKid
You played against him?
jd396
Can you suspend your smarm a little bit today
24TheKid
What?
crazysull
I just am going to miss watching him go out there and dominate, the Marlins have 3 holes right now, a huge hole in their hart a huge hole in their gut and a huge hole atop their rotation. I just feel like this just set the team back like 10 years and have no real ace so I feel sorry for both those things. When I woke up and read this I thought It was a dream/nightmare. But unfortunately as the day went on I sadly realized that it was no dream
daniel h. 2
The baseball world will never forget Jose Fernandez. So sad to see this happen. I would like to send my condolences to the Miami Marlins organization, his friends, and family. It is hard to imagine one of the finest young MLB pitchers die in such a sad way. I do not usually follow the Miami Marlins, but seeing this all over the Internet and how young he was is just too hard to not comment on this
Joeybats 2
That’s just sad
Halofan97
This is so sad, I woke up and read my notification “Mike Trout reacts to Jose Fernandez passing” and I’m like oh ok, then I read it again and fall back to sleep and the I make my self wake up cause I thought I was dreaming and read it and then I’m like OMFG this is real, I got the chills and right away was in disbelief. Now as an Angels fan and even more a mlb fan, we will never get to see what would of been. This is all so sad. Sorry. We angels fans have gone thru this before and recently with trout also but thank goodness he was ok on that car crash, God bless JF and the other 2 people involved. Man this sucks so bad.
Halofan97
Wow
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
There is no way to ever make this tragedy undone. He and his friends lost there lives because they wanted to go fishing. They will all be missed no matter what. Deaths at such a young age are just tragic. It makes it even worse that he had a child on the way. I hope with such circumstances involved the MLB supports his GF and future child. I also hope that they recognize his off the field endeavors and creates and contribute to his humanitarian efforts. He was a special talent, but regardless of his on the field accomplishments you could recognize his love for the community even if he didn’t publicize it. This isn’t the first and won’t be the last, but there are no words. RIP. Mi más sentido pésame
bk awesome
This s terrible he had a future hall of fame career great young man I feel sorry because his girlfriend is pregnant
jleve618
PIPPIN: I didn’t think it would end this way.
GANDALF: End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.
PIPPIN: What? Gandalf? See what?
GANDALF: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
PIPPIN: Well, that isn’t so bad.
GANDALF: No. No, it isn’t.
chuckymorris
When I got up yesterday I was in complete shock about this
Michael Macaulay-Birks
Rest in peace Jose’ and hopefully your family can find a way to make it through this, this reminds me of that morning I woke up in fifth grade to find out Thurman Munson died
Soxman81
I loved watching Jose pitch. He was the guy I wanted my Red Sox to acquire more than any other pitcher. I thought he was going to be the next Pedro or Kershaw. Absolutely filthy stuff on the mound, and seemed like a good guy too.
Sad day for baseball lovers like me. R.I.P. Jose. You will not be soon forgotten.
jmdjr1966
In retrospect the Mets looked like they had to play crappy to give the Marlins a win on a very emotional night to cap the night positively for the Marlins.
The calls Marlins pitchers were getting early on were ridiculous. The strike zone was as wide as small Jetta for them and Colon looked like he was throwing batting practice.
crazysull
Hey stop hating, even if this is the case, why should you care? The Marlins had some extra motivation and passion. They all gave their best. It isn’t like the Mets weren’t trying. And I bet this isn’t the first time a strike zone was more favorable towards one team. And Colon just isn’t a flame thrower anymore. Just look at Gordon he hit his HR and was crying around the bases, if that doesn’t show what they are going through, I don’t know what does. I am in high school and I lost one of my teammates in a car crash last year and his best friend who never got a single touchdown and he went out that next game and caught 3 touchdowns(and it isn’t like they didn’t cover him) that just shows what people are capable of doing when they are fueled by something so tragic like this. They just couldn’t live with themselves if they let him down.
dtipres
‘I’m not making any judgements, but you have to wonder what Fernandez was doing out on a boat at 3:30 am, Didn’t he have to get to the ballpark for a game that Sunday, whether he was scheduled to pitch or not?
crazysull
He was probably just out to clear his mind. They said that no alcohol or drugs were found so it isn’t like they were doing anything bad. Do I agree that it was strange for him to be out at that time but it shouldn’t be what we remember him for. Everyone makes mistakes even if it doesn’t cost you your life.
strostro
RIP Jose. It’s been some time but I still miss you as a person, player and inspiration.