Miami Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez was one of three people who died in a boating accident in Miami Beach early Sunday morning.
He was 24.
“The Miami Marlins organization is devastated by
the tragic loss of Jose Fernandez,” the team said in a statement. “Our thoughts
and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time.”
Sunday’s Marlins-Braves game at Marlins
Stadium was canceled following the news, the team statement announced.
Fernandez was originally scheduled to pitch on Sunday, but had his start pushed
back to Monday.
Multiple sources reported and confirmed the news on
Sunday morning including Ken Rosenthal, and Marlins beat writer
Clark Spencer. According to WFOR-TV in Miami, authorities were notified of the
accident at about 3 a.m.:
Upon
arrival, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Fireboat found the boat upside down and
crashed into rocks. Three victims were found dead and rescuers continued
searching for more people. The boat involved in the crash is approximately
thirty feet long.
At a press conference Sunday, Florida Fire and
Wildlife Commission said drugs and alcohol were not found on the boat, but
they will perform a full toxicology report. They believe speed was a likely
factor in the crash. Two of the victims were found under the boat and one was
under water. The other two victims weren’t athletes, rather personal friends of
Fernandez. They weren’t identified publicly. None of them were wearing life
jackets.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred
issued the following statement Sunday:
“All of
Baseball is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Miami Marlins pitcher
José Fernández. 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.”
Fernandez had been one of the MLB’s most
captivating young pitchers since his debut in 2013, when he won the NL Rookie
of the Year. His 2014 and 2015 seasons were cut short because of Tommy John
surgery, but Fernandez returned to his ace form this year. His 16-8 record,
2.86 ERA and 253 strikeouts (second in baseball) made him one of the candidates
for NL Cy Young. In what will be his final MLB performance, Fernandez threw eight
shutout innings on Tuesday night, striking out 12 and allowing just three hits
against the first-place Washington Nationals.
Also captivating was his story. Fernandez was born
in Cuba and successfully defected when he was 15, his fourth attempt to leave the
country. That, too, was also tragic. In their escape from Cuba, his mother had
fallen off the boat they were on and young Jose swam 60 feet in chopping waves
to save her. He carried her to the boat on his back.
Fernandez eventually took up residence in Florida,
where he became a baseball star at Braulio Alonso High School in Tampa and
an eventual first-round pick by the Marlins in the 2011 draft. He became a U.S.
citizen in 2015.