José D. Fernández (July 31, 1992 – September 25, 2016) was a Cuban-born American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for theMiami Marlins from 2013 until his death in 2016.
Fernández was born in Santa Clara, Cuba. He made three unsuccessful attempts at defectingbefore he was successful in 2008. He enrolled at Braulio Alonso High School in Tampa, Florida, and was selected by the Marlins in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft. Fernández made his MLB debut with the Marlins on April 7, 2013. He was named to the 2013 MLB All-Star Game and won the National League (NL)Rookie of the Month Award in July and August. After the season, he won the NL Rookie of the Year Award and finished third in Cy Young Award balloting. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the 2014 season, and made the MLB All-Star Game again in 2016.
Fernández died in a boating accident off Miami Beach on September 25, 2016. The Marlins announced that they will retire his uniform number to honor him.
Early life
José Fernández grew up in Santa Clara, Cuba. There, he lived on the same street as, and was friends with, future Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop Aledmys Díaz.[1] They played for the same youth baseball team, and Díaz's father and uncle encouraged Fernández's mother to bring him to the ballpark. Fernández commented that had Díaz's uncle not been an influence early in his life, he would not have pursued a professional baseball career.[2][3]
Ramón Jiménez, Fernández's stepfather, defected from Cuba in 2005, settling in Tampa, Florida. Fernández attempted to defect unsuccessfully three times, with each failed defection attempt followed by a prison term. Fernández, along with his mother and sister, defected in 2007. On that successful attempt, José's mother fell overboard when the boat hit turbulent waters, and José had to dive into the water to save her life.[4] They reached Mexico, and then moved to Tampa in 2008.[5]
Knowing Orlando Chinea, a coach who had trained some of Cuba's top pitchers before he defected from Cuba, lived in the area, Jiménez had his son train with Chinea.[6] He attended Braulio Alonso High School in Tampa, Florida.[7] Playing on the high school baseball team, Fernández was part of the Florida Class 6A state champions in his sophomore and senior seasons.[8] Before his senior year in 2011, the Florida High School Athletic Association ruled that Fernández was ineligible, as he entered the ninth gradewhile in Cuba in 2006 and had therefore exhausted his eligibility. MLB's Cincinnati Redswere prepared to sign Fernández as an international free agent to a $1.3 million signing bonus. Fernández won an appeal and was declared eligible for his senior year, ending Cincinnati's pursuit.[9] As a senior, Fernández pitched to a 13–1 win–loss record with a 2.35earned run average (ERA) and 134 strikeouts. He also threw two no-hitters.[8]
Personal life
Fernández considered his grandmother, Olga, the "love of his life".[55] After six years apart, Olga and José were reunited in Miami after the 2013 baseball season.[56][57] On April 24, 2015, Fernández became a citizen of the United States.[58][59]
Fernández announced that his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child on September 20, 2016.[60]
Death
Early on the morning of Sunday September 25, 2016, Fernández was killed in a boating accident off Miami Beach, Florida, that also killed two others.[61] The U.S. Coast Guard found the boat, Kaught Looking, at about 3:00 a.m., overturned on a jetty near Government Cut andSouth Pointe Park, and found three victims.[61][62] A Florida Wildlife Commission official confirmed that Fernández had not been driving the boat and that he had been killed from the impact of the crash.[63]
The Marlins canceled their game against the Atlanta Braves that day.[60] Teams around the major leagues honored Fernández after his death, paying tribute with a league-wide moment of silence and the display of Fernández's jersey.[64] The Miami Dolphins also observed a moment of silence before their Sunday game against the Cleveland Browns.[65]The next day, the Marlins announced that they would retire Fernández's uniform number, No. 16, in his honor, and all players wore his jersey for the final time for Monday's game.[66]The city of Miami and the Marlins held a public memorial and funeral procession for Fernández on September 28.[67]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Fern%C3%A1ndez_(pitcher)
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