This is an awful article to write.
As most of you know by now, Miami Marlins ace and certified youngster Jose Fernandez was tragically lost in a boating accident in the early morning hours of September 25, 2016. The news shocked the baseball world as teams and individuals poured forth with emotional tributes. In Tampa Bay, David Ortiz told the Rays organization to cancel his retirement ceremony out of respect for the passing of Fernandez. The gif of Gio Gonzalez tearing up during the moment of silence will never fail to choke me up… but the baseball world must move on.
I know this is an Indians blog, but this news has sent such profound ripples throughout the baseball world that I feel we at IPL would be remiss if we didn’t honor the career of Jose Fernandez.
As I’m sure many have you have heard on MLB Network and ESPN, Jose was a Cuban defector who made it to American shores at the age of 15 in what was his fifth attempt to defect from Cuba. On that attempt, his mother was washed off the boat by stormy weather and Jose dove into dangerous waters to save her (it is worth noting he didn’t know who was washed overboard, just that someone was pulled from the boat). After arriving in America, Jose led his high school team to back to back state championships in Florida.
After being drafted by the Marlins and making his MLB debut, he revealed that his hero and inspiration was his grandmother, who was still in Cuba and would probably never see him pitch in an MLB game. In an amazing video, we can see him surprised to be reunited with his grandmother… I don’t know about you, but watching him just sit there in shock and say “Oh…” gets me every single time:
Jose Fernandez should have dominated the National League for the next decade. He missed a good chunk of the previous two seasons due to Tommy John surgery but his statistics speak for themselves:
A career 2.58 ERA (2.43 FIP), 11.2 K/9, and someone who was definitely in the discussion for NL Cy Young this year… and he was only 24 — he was supposed to get better.
There simply aren’t words to express what the baseball community lost early Sunday morning. The sport is without one of its best young players and many, many people across South Florida and within MLB are without a great friend. Every time Jose Fernandez put on that uniform he brought an incomparable joy to the game, one that will be truly missed. I don’t have any words to further express the depth of loss that out beloved sport has suffered today, so here are some of the highlights of his career:
For the record, Jose Fernandez made two starts against the Indians. His start in Cleveland wasn’t great, but his start on August 2nd, 2013 in Miami was one for the ages. He went 8 innings, struck out 10, walked only 1, and allowed only 2 hits. He was simply dominant, and that was three years ago when he was only 21. This isn’t fair. I shouldn’t be writing this article and people shouldn’t be mourning this loss all over baseball.
Fernandez’s first home run led to a great deal of drama, but I can’t blame the guy for admiring his shot. I especially love that not-so-subtle spit at the third base bag towards a player (Chris Johnson) who is pretty much reprehensible in every sense of the word.
But the play most casual fans know Fernandez best for is his catch on a scorched line drive by Troy Tulowitzki. The ball was scalded, but Fernandez reached up and caught it like nothing — an amazed Tulo visibly asked “Did you catch that????” and Fernandez could only nod and laugh. Check it out for yourselves:
Baseball suffered a tremendous loss today, but that loss cannot be compared to the loss suffered by his family and loved ones. My heart goes out to his mother, to his grandmother, and to his girlfriend and unborn child. Everyone connected with baseball feels this loss today, but we must move forward. This is a tragedy without a lesson, without an I-told-you-so, or without a justification. This is sadness in its purest form.
Though the Indians play in a different league and have some rivalry with the Marlins franchise, those things are thrown by the wayside in the wake of a tragedy like this.
Rest in Peace, #16.