José Fernández was one of the brightest young stars in baseball, and after two seasons filled with injuries, this season was finally the breakout campaign with the Miami Marlins that everyone had been anticipating. Fernández was truly on his way to becoming one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. But while out boating at 3 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25, Fernández and two others were killed when their boat crashed into a jetty.
The tragic accident ended the 24 year old’s outstanding season and the career of someone who was touted as a potential Hall of Famer. Fernández was leading the Major Leagues in strikeouts per nine innings this year, and was in contention for the National League Cy Young Award.
Fernández was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, on July 31, 1992. He grew up playing baseball with fellow Major Leaguer Aledmys Díaz, who would constantly encourage Fernández to keep playing. After Fernández’s stepfather defected in 2005, Fernández and his mother and sister attempted to defect three times without success, and he had to serve prison terms after each unsuccessful attempt.
In 2007 Fernández and his family finally succeeded, and moved to Tampa, Florida in 2008 to be with Fernández’s stepfather. There Fernández attended Braulio Alonso High School, where he won the baseball state championship his sophomore and senior years.
After his senior year, Fernández was drafted 14th overall in the 2011 MLB Draft. He made quick work of the minor leagues, taking only a year and a half before being promoted to the majors at the beginning of the 2013 season. His first major league start came on April 7. As a Miami Marlin, he pitched five innings and only gave up one run and three hits while striking out eight New York Mets.
It was an impressive start for someone so young, and it was only a small taste of what was to come. In July, he was named to the National League All Star Team, and at the end of the year he had a 2.19 earned run average and 187 strikeouts. This outstanding performance would earn him the National League Rookie of the Year Award. He also came in third place in the Cy Young Award voting, an unprecedented accomplishment for someone so new to the MLB.
In 2014, he picked up right where he left off, dominating hitters and striking them out at an even greater rate, but after eight starts he went on the disabled list with elbow pain, and he ended up needing Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The surgery and recovery ended his 2014 season prematurely and also left him out for the first half of the 2015 season.
When Fernández returned, he returned with a bang. In his first start back, he was brilliant not only on the mound, but also at the plate. He stepped to the plate and hit the first of his two career home runs, a truly rare occurrence for a pitcher. He finished off his 2015 season strongly, and seemed poised to return to his rookie season form in 2016.
Fernández’s 2016 season was his best yet, by some metrics, since he was in the top 10 in all of baseball in terms of wins (16), strikeouts (253) and earned run average (2.86). Again he was named an All-Star and led his team toward contention for a playoff spot. In his final game, he faced the hard-hitting Washington Nationals and absolutely dominated. Pitching eight innings and giving up only three hits with no runs or walks and striking out 12. It was a fitting showing for what would unfortunately be his final outing.
What Fernández will be remembered for more than his outstanding skill is the joy and passion he played with every day. He impacted so many people across the majors; the day after his tragic death, many teams hung up Fernández jerseys in their dugouts. The Marlins cancelled their Sunday game, and everyone on the team wore Fernández jerseys for their Monday game after an emotional pregame ceremony.
In the Marlins first at bat of the game, Dee Gordon, who had not hit a home run all year, delivered. Overcome with emotions while rounding the bases, Gordon was embraced by his teammates when he reached home base.
In another magical baseball moment, in Aledmys Díaz’s first at bat back from mourning his childhood friend’s death, he hit a grand slam. Both of these home runs honor a man who loved the game and made it fun for many people across the country.
