Jose Fernandez

Lore & Background

Fernández was born in Santa Clara, Cuba. He made three unsuccessful attempts at defecting to the United States before he finally succeeded 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 National League All-Star Team, 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 was named to his second All-Star Game in 2016. Fernández and two other men were killed in a pre-dawn boating crash into a jetty off the coast of Miami Beach, Florida, on September 25, 2016.

In Their Own Story

The September night in Miami was thick, the kind of humidity that makes the air feel like wet cloth draped over your face. The stadium lights hummed. In the bullpen, a young reliever was stretching, and the sound of a glove snapping shut echoed off the concrete. Then the PA announcer called the names for the pregame ceremony, and when he reached the number—54—something shifted in the crowd. Not a cheer. A breath. A collective inhale from twenty thousand people who all remembered the same Tuesday in April when a fastball had left a pitcher's hand and arrived in the zone before the batter's eyes could track it. A woman in the third row held up a small framed photo, her son's face in it, the boy wearing a Marlins cap two sizes too big. She pressed her lips together. The lights kept humming. The game hadn't started yet. It never really would, not for her. Not that night. Not for a long time.

Reader's Guide

José Fernández was a right-handed pitcher for the Miami Marlins from 2013 to 2016. He debuted on April 7, 2013, and quickly became a star, winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2013 and making two All-Star appearances (2013 and 2016). He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014. His career was cut short by his death in a boating accident on September 25, 2016.

Did You Know?

• Fernández made three unsuccessful attempts to defect from Cuba before succeeding in 2008.
• He was named to the 2013 National League All-Star Team and won the NL Rookie of the Year Award that same season.
• He underwent Tommy John surgery during the 2014 season.
• He was named to his second All-Star Game in 2016.
• Fernández and two other men were killed in a pre-dawn boating crash on September 25, 2016.