The Marlins organization has confirmed that pitcher Jose Fernandez and two others were killed in a boating accident in Florida earlier this morning. He was 24 years old.
The organization has announced that Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Braves has been cancelled, along with a statement, “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.”
Fernandez was well-known as one of the up-and-coming pitchers in the MLB, but he was also known around the League for his outgoing personality. Our thoughts at The Game Haus are with his family, including his girlfriend who he announced as pregnant last week on Instagram, friends and teammates at this time.
The Miami Dolphins held a moment of silence before today’s game against the Cleveland Browns in memory of Fernandez.
After attempting to defect from Cuba three times, Fernandez and his family finally made it to the United States in 2008. He was drafted 14th overall in 2011 from Alonso High School. He became a citizen of the United States in 2015.
In 2016, Fernandez was 16-8 with a 2.86 ERA and had 253 strikeouts over 182.1 innings. In his career, he was a two-time All-Star and won NL Rookie of the Year in 2013. He had compiled a 38-17 record alongside a 2.58 ERA with 589 strikeouts in 471.1 innings.
Fernandez is not the first pitcher to die on a boating accident. Steve Olin, 27, and Tim Crews, 31, who were both pitching for the Indians, died in a similar accident in 1993.
