Jose Fernandez’s improbable journey inspires, saddens baseball community

MIAMI - As the news of the death of 24-year-old ace pitcher Jose Fernandez spread through the baseball community over the weekend, the tears started flow.

Fernandez, killed in a boating accident with two others off Miami Beach, was an electrifying talent with a joyful personality that coaches, fellow players, and fans gravitated towards.

In remembering Fernandez, many called on those indelible traits as reasons for considering him an important person to be remembered, despite being so young. Many others still recalled the incredible journey that brought him to Major League Baseball, and made him an important figure for Cuban-Americans.

CBSSports.com’s Mike Axisa reports that Fernandez risked his life to make it to America.  He was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, and was jailed three times after failed defection attempts. “Being a traitor to Fidel Castro” was the charge each time. One prison stint lasted several months.

It wasn’t until his fourth defection attempt in 2008, when he was 15, that Fernandez succeeded. While on a boat with others in the Gulf of Mexico, Fernandez jumped into the water in the darkness of night to save someone who had fallen overboard. He did not know that someone was his mother, but he jumped in anyway.

That’s the kind of person Fernandez was. He was obviously a great baseball player, but he also put others first and did a lot of work in the community. 

After defecting, Fernandez and his mother joined his father — Jose’s father defected in 2005 — and put down roots in Tampa. His baseball career began at Braulio Alonso High School after making the team following a tryout. Four years later he was a first round pick worthy of a $2 million bonus.  

As great as he was on the field, Fernandez’s greatest accomplishments came off the field. He was an icon in the Cuban community and an inspiration to countless others. For many, Fernandez’s baseball career will be a footnote in his legacy. He’ll be remembered as someone who went out of his way to help others, even if it meant risking his life.  

The Marlins’ Sunday afternoon game against Atlanta was canceled, but there were pregame tributes and moments of silence for him throughout both leagues. Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz asked the Tampa Bay Rays to cancel a pregame tribute they scheduled in his honor before his final game in their ballpark Sunday.

“I don’t have the words to describe the pain I feel,” Ortiz said. “Jose was one of the special cases. The story behind him and his family and the way everything happened. You know how remarkable his career was going. But the most important thing was his kindness and the kind of person he was. It’s hard, man.”

A jersey with Fernandez’s name and number hung in the Mets’ dugout as they played Philadelphia at Citi Field. Mets manager Terry Collins reminisced about Fernandez’s debut against his team three years ago.

“When the first pitch left his hand, the first thought is, oh, wow, this is something special,” Collins said. “This was not only one of the greatest pitchers in the modern game, but one of the finest young men you’d ever meet, who played the game with passion and fun and enjoyed being out there.”

Marlins players and team officials gathered at the ballpark to grieve together.

“All I can do is scream in disbelief,” said Hall of Famer Tony Perez, a Marlins executive and native of Cuba. “Jose won the love of all. I feel as if I had lost a son.”

An emotional news conference was attended by every player on the Marlins, except their ace. The players wore team jerseys — black ones. 

Manager Don Mattingly and president of baseball operations Michael Hill flanked team president David Samson and unsuccessfully fought back tears. Slugger Giancarlo Stanton didn’t speak but later posted a tribute on Instagram.

“I’m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare,” Stanton said. “I lost my brother today and can’t quite comprehend it. The shock is overwhelming. What he meant to me, our team, the city of Miami, Cuba & everyone else in the world that his enthusiasm/heart has touched can never be replaced. I can’t fathom what his family is going through because We, as his extended Family are a wreck.”

When the Marlins returned to the field for a game against the Mets Monday night, the whole team wore black jerseys with Fernandez’s name and number 16 on the back. An emotional ceremony before the game left players on both teams in tears. 

Then, in storybook fashion, the Marlins’ Dee Gordon led off the game with a home run. The Marlins went on to a 7-3 victory.

Fernandez was on a vessel that hit a jetty near a harbor entrance, said Lorenzo Veloz of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The boat remained in the water for several hours, its engines partially submerged as its nose pointed skyward, as debris from the crash was scattered over some of the large jagged rocks.

Veloz described the condition of the boat as “horrible.”

There was no immediate indication that alcohol or drugs were a cause in the crash, Veloz said.

The Marlins drafted him in 2011, and Fernandez was in the majors two years later at 20. He went 38-17 in his four seasons with Miami, winning the NL’s Rookie of the Year award in 2013, and was twice an All-Star.

Last week Fernandez posted a photo of his girlfriend sporting a “baby bump” on his Instagram page, announcing that the couple was expecting its first child.

Fernandez became a U.S. citizen last year and was enormously popular in Miami thanks to his success and exuberant flair. When he wasn’t pitching, he would hang over the dugout railing as the team’s lead cheerleader.

“When I think about Josie, it’s going to be thinking about a little kid,” Mattingly said, pausing repeatedly to compose himself. “I see such a little boy in him ... the way he played. ... Kids play Little League, that’s the joy Jose played with.”

Mattingly then wiped away tears, and he wasn’t alone.