José Fernandez Killed in Boating Accident

[stevejrogers]

Marlin pitcher Jose Fernandez dies in a boating accident

https://mobile.twitter.com/i/web/status/780033846188380160

[metsmarathon]

Holy shit that's terrible

[Guest themetfairy]

Horrible

[nymr83]

Today's game against the Braves cancelled.

Who do the Mets face this week - a dispirited Marlins team ready to end the season, or a newly motivated team?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

omg

[TransMonk]

Breaks my heart.

[Lefty Specialist]

Just awful. He was going to be a star. Very sad.

[Frayed Knot]

Holy shit!!

Already was a star obviously, but also seemed like one of the good guys in the sport. A bit aggressive for some tastes but mostly just highly competitive and would have been one of the faces in the sport for the next decade or so.

[Edgy MD]

He was a star. Probably the most likely pitcher to replace to Clayton Kershaw as the top pitcher in baseball by the middle of the next year. He led the National League in Strikeouts/9 this season and it wasn't even close. Led by more than a full strikeout.

1. Fernandez (MIA) 12.488
2. Ray (ARI) 11.405
3. Scherzer (WSN) 11.057
4. Syndergaard (NYM) 10.638
5. Bumgarner (SFG) 10.094
6. Gray (COL) 10.070
7. Maeda (LAD) 9.107
8. Arrieta (CHC) 8.704
9. Lackey (CHC) 8.689
10. Lester (CHC) 8.670

[HahnSolo]

Just devastating.

[Edgy MD]

[metirish]

Woke up to go to the gym,saw a Harper column about how the Mets WC chances got harder with Fernandez starting MOnday, got to the gym and my friend NIck told me what happened......it didn't register, just absolutely awful news.

MLB Network had the Marlins TV announcer on , obviously broke down talking about him . Coast Guard news conference on now

[Centerfield]

Terrible. No words. Defected from Cuba and was living the dream. How does that happen. He was just a kid.

Saw him at Citi this year face off against Noah. It was a work event and we had great seats behind the plate. His stuff looked unhittable. Even better than Thor.

Condolences to his family and inner circle. What can you say.

[metirish]

From Press conference

Jose and three friends were killed , none were wearing life vests, alcohol and other illicit stuff not found on boat. Boat known to coastguards as it had been topped a few times before for safety checks.. Boar owned by person "well connected " to Marlins org, often had players out on it.

EDIT - two other men

Edited September 25, 2016 by Guest

[Benjamin Grimm]

It happened at 3:15 a.m., according to the Washington Post. Boat was going at full speed when it hit some rocks. Two other people dead as well.

Fernandez apparently left behind a pregnant wife/girlfriend.

Also, this:

The Marlins had no immediate announcement as to whether they would resume their schedule with Monday’s home game against the New York Mets. They are due to finish the season next weekend in Washington.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Jesus Christ, this is awful.

He was electric, and full of verve and joy (though the Chris Johnsons of the world may have seen it differently), even at the plate. Hadn't touched his potential yet as a player or person, one suspects, and that's with having lived a life and a half already in his 24 years.

Teared up a little reporting the news to BetterHalfer. I cried over a Marlin, man.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

All that. What a competitor.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I can't help but wonder if the Marlins switching his start from Sunday to Monday cost him his life. If he was starting a day game on Sunday would he have been out on a boat at 3 am Saturday night?

[Zvon]

omg. RIP

[smg58]

Absolutely horrified. Obviously the sky was the limit where his talent was concerned, but he was a husband, father (at least father-to-be), friend, and teammate. "Sad" and even "tragic" are not strong enough words.

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Also, this: The Marlins had no immediate announcement as to whether they would resume their schedule with Monday’s home game against the New York Mets. They are due to finish the season next weekend in Washington.

Cruel and meaningless as it may seem, they'll have to finish out the season both for their own season and for those scheduled against them.
Now today's Atlanta game can probably be skipped (assuming no miracle Marlin finish that puts them in the WC mix) and both the Mets & Marlins have an open day on Thursday so it's possible that our series vs them gets slid back one day, but skipping a game outright could cause more problems than it seemingly saves.

[Lefty Specialist]

Wow, Keith lost it in the opening and Gary was pretty close.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I can't help but wonder if the Marlins switching his start from Sunday to Monday cost him his life. If he was starting a day game on Sunday would he have been out on a boat at 3 am Saturday night?

I wondered if that had anything to do with anything, but I think not. Pitching Monday instead of Sunday, if anything, makes it less likely he'd hang out on a boat late Sunday night/early Monday AM, IMO. He was prob going on that boat anyway.

Aside from the obvious reasons this is terrible, it's also huge gut-punch to baseball because his electric personality really was helping nudge baseball away from the staid, boring, play-the-white, er... right way. When was the last time baseball (or any sport) lost an elite player just starting to ride the wave of his prime?? Really bummed over this.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Wow, Keith lost it in the opening and Gary was pretty close.

Yeah, that was something, wasn't it.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Jeez, I almost cried a little.

[Zvon]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Wow, Keith lost it in the opening and Gary was pretty close.

I had to wait for a clip to surface (blacked out) and that really brought it home. Beautifully spoken tribute by Keith. The best words he's ever strung together.
Extremely bummed over here.

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Jeez, I almost cried a little.

When Keith teared up I couldn't help doing the same myself.



Having a problem getting into this game.

[Zvon]

[fimg=400:343d04x2]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GrJc3OWLo4WT-gNh7-8JdZ8LI9uy0lemviz8oZZlejQySgejjKxdz5QLcSO1gcD5n0BGwquZxTC3FPyagkDZsO3BPilI51Q3ZJd75oVgaK4SBSpuXqaci7zyH3BSN1zZJ5h-j1pezhhrn8YSCXRy4y2kQX7ZW0LcDRVSIz5lGlkbOyX3N1MwhegRuGwDQsauWnEtTLAhD9w8fIpaWgeX-twwTP-nYfA_fM8Z3AJnkdD--3jJifdqo8DT-P7cPuW6TJ-BKHb0SQtBXhTDzfCLjq2Ra2RxopFNBTj6fGTrDv8gg4bI7yZK77SPbD5cP7zirxWbgTstkQeVE__W2bQ_QKbnYVSdNDLpdwLDXkBEyki-DHeDrQKNf1Q6nYSid4R3-OOVQMvRzrDdGj7MhErWwQJO525zQbhr7i30D4yW6OPZbV2y4tMPOgiOe3peSzIsQjVGv2u7lxa_krMxoPINWkBhUrBHGHQSwU6LbW8OyPVDKSEUUFzKHslPC6hJX8DcWQoE8-1yQX5k-EuKZ-4oFHvmCBGcoUELA0F3SAzdLfjic23KWtkZQYN2fvtdREd-VxbR1v8wbqyxxTFeTpv1nCWBEmjhLHJY6p0sjRKo2DMYKUGjEg=w910-h1260-no[/fimg:343d04x2]

[Chad ochoseis]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: When was the last time baseball (or any sport) lost an elite player just starting to ride the wave of his prime?? Really bummed over this.

First one that comes to mind is Lyman Bostock.

This royally sucks. Sympathies to the family, the Marlins, their fans, and anyone else connected with him.

[Elster88]

Sad. Reminds me of the tragic boat ride that Bobby O survived.