He played every game like it was his last and had one every step of the way. He was a boy at hear, but a man on the field. There were times that his energy got him in trouble, but he was never the type that intentionally acted out. He was admired by Cuban’s everywhere as one of their own who made the American dream a reality.
If you weren’t aware Fernandez tried four times to escape Cuba, failing in the first three attempts. In his fourth attempt at 15 he finally made it. On that journey he had to rescue his mother who fell out of the boat an in to the water. Surely an experience like that made a strong bond even stronger. It’s a shame that the water that lead carried him to freedom, also took him from us.
He was beloved by his team, coaches and front office personnel. It has been easy to see what his teammates like Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon, Marcel Ozuna and others thought of him by their tweets, Instagram photos and reactions on the field Monday. He was loved by the entire MLB family.
I’m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare. I lost my brother today and can’t quite… https://t.co/1wD0h3IBaG
— Giancarlo Stanton (@Giancarlo818) September 25, 2016
Dee Gordon paid tribute to Jose Fernandez by batting from the right side of the plate, then he homered https://t.co/03SGZide7o via @Cut4
— Patrick Braun (@patrickbraun1) September 27, 2016
We never will know what he could have been, a Cy Young winner, hall of famer, greatest pitcher we ever saw. But the memories we do have were impressive and won’t soon be forgotten.
Rest in peace Jose, we won’t soon forget you.
