MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Third baseman Martin Prado (from left), shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria and left fielder Marcell Ozuna look at a video during a pregame ceremony honoring pitcher Jose Fernandez before Miam’s game game against the New York Mets on Monday. The Marlins players all wore No. 16 in remembrance of Fernandez, who died in a boating accident Sunday.
MIAMI — In tribute to Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins left-handed hitter Dee Gordon stepped to the plate as a right-handed batter to lead off the first inning of Monday’s mournful game.
Gordon came into the game with eight career home runs in six major-league seasons, but none this season.
The first pitch was taken for a ball, then Gordon switched to his customary left side to continue the first at-bat for Miami since the death of Fernandez in a boating accident Sunday.
Gordon took another pitch from New York Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon, then pulled a 2-0 pitch over the wall in right field.
He tapped his chest after crossing the plate and waved toward the sky, embraced batting coach Barry Bonds and then sobbed as teammates hugged him in the dugout.
It was another emotional moment in a succession of them over the past two days. The Marlins went on to a 7-3 victory.
The atmosphere was mournful at Marlins Park three hours before the first pitch, with players going through their pregame stretching in silence.
Then someone cranked up the sound system, and bouncy reggaeton reverberated throughout the ballpark. It was a nudge toward a return to nor- mal, as the Marlins and baseball began to move on without Fernandez.
“This is shallow, but the show goes on,” Marlins president David Samson said. “There has been a lot of talking and a lot of crying and a lot of praying and a lot of trying to make sense of something you can’t make sense of. There is no sense to a life ended like that, in a way that is so meaningless.
“It’s our job to make his life matter, so we’re going to do that forever, and
forever starts today.”
Fernandez made his major league debut against the Mets in 2013 and was scheduled to face them again Monday night in his final start of the season. Instead, Miami and the Marlins mourned the loss of the 24-yearold pitcher, whose talent and captivating personality were a combination unmatched in the sport.
Fernandez and two other men were killed when his 32-foot SeaVee slammed into a rock jetty that extends off the southern tip of Miami Beach at about 3:15 a.m. Sunday, a medical examiner said.
Fernandez was originally scheduled to pitch Sunday before his start was moved back a day. The change may be the reason he decided to go on the late-night boat outing.
“If he had pitched [Sunday], maybe fate would be different,” Samson said. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot.”
Manager Don Mattingly said, “Obviously it crosses your mind.”
The players all wore Fernandez’s No. 16, with hastily made uniforms flown in. His number was also stenciled on the back of the mound.
The pregame ceremony included a slow, solemn solo trumpet rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Following the national anthem, New York Manager Terry Collins led his Mets across the field to share hugs with the Marlins, and fans briefly chanted “Jose, Jose.”
The situation was emotional even for the Mets, who are in the thick of the chase for an NL wild card with one week left in the season. On their dugout wall hung a Mets jerseys with Fernandez’s name and number.
Plans for a public funeral had not been finalized, but it was expected to be Thursday, the Marlins’ final off day of the season.
Fernandez defected from Cuba at age 15, won the NL Rookie of the Year award and became a two-time All-Star. His enormous popularity in South Florida bridged the divide between the franchise and fans antagonized by too much losing and too many payroll purges.
The entire team took two buses to Fernandez’s family home and met for 45 minutes with his mother, grandmother and other relatives and friends.