Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, left, was emotional after learning about the death of star Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, 24, on Sunday.
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Reaction quickly poured in from around the game. “At this hard time, our prayers are with his mother, grandmother, family and friends”. The Braves, along with several other teams, quickly offered condolences.
David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox: “It’s a tragedy for baseball”.
Fernandez was killed as a result of the impact of the crash, and did not drown, Lorenzo Veloz, an official with the Florida Wildlife Commission, confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
“I’ve never met anyone who extracted more joy, more passion out of what he did than Jose Fernandez”, baseball analyst Buster Olney said on ESPN.
The young player had been earmarked as one to watch thanks to a 100mph fast ball.
Jose Fernandez did not work for the Miami Marlins.
However, during his brief major league career, Fernandez touched many as was evident in the Twitter tributes that poured in on Sunday, including some from the Arizona Diamondbacks. They were taken to the medical examiner’s office. “They did do an initial search and they found three victims – two on top of the water, one underneath the boat and they had unfortunately passed away”. The names of other two persons were withheld until their relatives are notified about this.
Their boat was traveling southbound toward Government Cut when it struck the north end of the jetty at, Veloz said, “what appeared to be full speed”. He said drugs or alcohol were not believed to be a factor.
None of the three were wearing life jackets. “We just talked at the field”.
He was drafted by the Marlins in 2011 at 20 years old and named National League Rookie of the Year in 2013.
Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, Fernandez became a United States citizen previous year.
At a tearful press conference Sunday, Marlins manager Don Mattingly added, “I see such a little boy in the way he played”.
The world of baseball is at a standstill as one of its great young stars has lost his life.
Fernandez’s heroic backstory made his death that much more heart-wrenching. Fernandez was a passenger on the boat.
Fernandez posted a photo of his pregnant girlfriend on his Instagram page last week, announcing that the couple was expecting its first child.
“I’m so glad you came into my life”, Fernandez wrote in that post. You don’t want to take this for granted and I don’t think he did.
Jose Fernandez will be dearly missed.
The Marlins’ game Sunday at home against the Atlanta Braves has been cancelled.
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Every account from the shocked baseball community said his God-given ability couldn’t compare with his love for the game. He called his loss “tragic” and reflected on how it would affect Major League Baseball. “An already famous youth, he had a promising future”.
