The baseball world went to bed Saturday night watching the Washington Nationals celebrate clinching their third National League East division title in five years – champagne spraying throughout the visitor’s locker room at PNC Park. It seemed important.
A little more than 12 hours later, those same Nationals players took part in a moment of silence on the field at the Pittsburgh ballpark to remember the joyous life of Jose Fernandez – and a reminder of what is truly important.
Fernandez, 24, the great Miami Marlins starting pitcher, was killed early Sunday morning in a boating accident in Miami. The Coast Guard reportedly found a 32-foot boat upside down on a jetty off Miami Beach. Two victims were found dead under the boat, one was found dead in the water.
One of them was identified as Fernandez – a terribly painful ironic death. Born in Cuba, Fernandez reportedly made three failed attempts to defect from the island, where he was locked up in Cuban prisons as a young boy. He finally made an escape by boat in 2007, with his mother and sister, and the story goes that his mother fell overboard in rough waters during the trip and Fernandez went into the water to save her.
A young life with those kind of challenges can make you appreciate the small things that we all take for granted in this country. Jose Fernandez pitched as if he never took any of it for granted, and appreciated all of it.
The news hit home throughout baseball. The Marlins game against the Atlanta Braves Sunday was cancelled. “The Miami Marlins organization is devastated by the tragic loss of José Fernández. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time,” the team said in a statement.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, in a statement, said Fernandez “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.”
Tony Clark, the head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, issued a statement as well that, like Manfred, spoke to Fernandez’s impact in a short time. “Jose was a remarkable young man and a tremendously gifted athlete who, at just 24, established himself as one of the game’s biggest and brightest stars. Our thought and prayers go out to Jose’s family, friends, teammates, the Miami Marlins organization and the legions of fans in the United States and Latin America.”
Former Washington National Ian Desmond, who competed against Fernandez in the NL East during his time in Washington, expressed his sorrow on Twitter and also wrote, “Live. You can’t wait for status, money, approval, whatever’s holding you back. Live! With love and joy. Push people around you to do the same.”
Fernandez had a future ahead of him with all the trappings of a great athlete in this country – status, money, approval. Yet he played with the joy of a young boy on the sandlots of Cuba. And he was fun to watch because of that combination of talent and passion that yes, sometimes angered opponents, but was embraced by fans.
The theatrics on the mound never seemed like part of a bigger marketing agenda with Fernandez. It seemed to come naturally to him.
“Absolutely crushed and shocked at the news about Jo-Fez,” Nationals star Bryce Harper wrote on his Twitter account. “My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and the Marlins org.!”
You knew Fernandez was something special as a rookie with the Marlins in 2013, going 12-6 in 28 starts with a 2.19 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 172 2/3 innings pitched. He was named National League Rookie of the Year and finished third in the Cy Young voting, behind Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright.
Then came the dreaded plague of pitchers – the torn elbow ligament and Tommy John surgery in 2014. When he came back in the middle of the 2015 season, Fernandez picked up right where he left off, going 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA in 11 starts.
This year Fernandez was one of the most dominant pitchers in the league, going 16-8 with a 2.86 ERA and 253 strikeouts in 182 1/3 innings. His last start? Against Tanner Roark and the Nationals, a 1-0 Fernandez masterpiece in which he struck out 12 in eight innings. “Fernandez was outstanding tonight,” manager Dusty Baker told reporters after the game.
As Nationals fans know, Fernandez was always particularly outstanding against division rival Washington – a 7-0 record. Nationals fans had a grudging admiration for him. They knew he was the last pitcher they wanted their team to face, but they also knew they were watching something special when he took the mound.
And now – not long after he learned he was about to be a father – that special player is gone.
“We are heartbroken by the news of Jose Fernandez’s passing,” the Washington Nationals said in a statement issued by the team. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family & the entire Marlins organization.”
They will need those thoughts and prayers.
Washington sports fans know all too well about heartbreak and athletes who a community identifies with taken too soon. Nearly nine years ago, Redskins safety Sean Taylor was killed by intruders in his Miami home.
He was 24 years old.
It feels like Washington has never gotten over that loss.
Thom Loverro hosts his weekly podcast “Cigars & Curveballs” Wednesdays available on iTunes and Google Play.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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