Star Pitcher Jose Fernandez Killed in Boating Accident

The Marlins issued a statement Sunday morning saying the organization is “devastated by the tragic loss of Jose Fernandez”. He was one of three men killed when a 30-foot boat they were riding in overturned off Miami Beach.

Fernandez was on a vessel that hit a jetty near a harbor entrance, said Lorenzo Veloz of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Jose shockingly died along with two other unnamed individuals in a boating accident around 3:30am on September 25.

Fernandez, one of baseball’s most exciting young pitchers, was selected in the first round of the 2011 first-year player draft (14th overall) by the Florida Marlins.

HollywoodLifers, our thoughts are with Carla and the rest of Jose’s family during this hard time. In 2013, he was voted the National League rookie of the year, and placed third in Cy Young Award voting.

Fernandez became a USA citizen past year and was enormously popular in Miami thanks to his success and exuberant flair.

He tried to defect from Cuba at least three times – landing in jail after one of those unsuccessful tries – before eventually getting to the USA and going to high school in Tampa, Florida.

Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez died in a boating accident, the team announced Sunday morning, per Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald.

-New York Yankees: “On behalf of Hal Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees, we offer our deepest condolences to Jose Fernandez’s family and loved ones, and to the entire Miami Marlins organization he so joyfully and proudly represented”. “I feel as if I had lost a son”.

Fernandez first faced the Indians on August 2, 2013, when the Marlins topped the Tribe, 10-0, in Miami.

“When the first pitch left his hand, the first thought was ‘Oh, wow, this is something special, ‘” Collins said. Five days prior to his death, Fernandez put a photo on Instagram with the caption, “I’m ready for where this journey is gonna take us togetherr”. “I’m so glad you came into my life”, he captioned a black-and-white image of his girlfriend cradling her baby bump.

The team’s home game against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday has been cancelled.

“He told one of his teammates that the last game he pitched, against the Nationals, was the best game he ever pitched”, Prado said, his voice breaking.

For star power, this is probably the biggest in-career death of an Major League Baseball player since Yankees catcher Thurman Munson died in a plane crash in 1979. A few fans milled about, even though the game was canceled.