EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE
They pay tribute to Fernandez a day after his death, then go out and beat the Mets.
Miami Marlins players and coaches wear Jose Fernandez’s No. 16 jersey and gather around the mound in honor of the pitcher, who died Sunday.
MIAMI — Dee Gordon and the Miami Marlins wore their emotions on the sleeves of their No. 16 jerseys.
Gordon homered leading off the first inning for the Marlins, who finished with 14 hits in a 7-3 victory over the New York Mets on Monday night, their first game since the death of ace pitcher Jose Fernandez.
“We were hitting balls underwater pretty much,” slugger Giancarlo Stanton said. “Our eyes were full of water.”
Fernandez, who was 24, and two friends died Sunday in a boating accident off Miami Beach. The righthander wore No. 16 and every Marlins member in uniform wore black jerseys with his number and name.
Paying tribute to Fernandez, the left-handed-hitting Gordon stepped to the plate as a right-hander in the first inning. After one pitch, Gordon switched to the left side and pulled a 2-and-0 pitch from Bartolo Colon into the upper deck for his first home run this season.
After crossing the plate, Gordon tapped his chest and waved toward the sky. He sobbed as teammates hugged him in the dugout.
“It seemed like it took forever,” Gordon said. “I was trying to get back to my teammates as fast as possible. I was just wondering why Jose wasn’t there standing on the top step cheering for me.”
Stanton said the home run from the 170-pound Gordon was unbelievable but easy to explain.
“Pure emotion,” Stanton said. “There's no other way it could be scripted, unless you’re in a movie rewriting everything that just happened.”
Even the Mets appreciated what Gordon’s homer meant.
“I saw him crying when he rounded first base,” Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “I was crying too.”
Before the game, Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich tweeted a photo of Fernandez’s locker accompanied by the message: “Tonight this one’s for you buddy. Watch over us.”
The pregame ceremony included a moment of silence, a video tribute to Fernandez and a solemn solo trumpet rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
After the national anthem, Manager Terry Collins led the Mets across the field to share hugs with the Marlins.
The Marlins clustered around the mound and scratched out Fernandez’s number or a message of affection in the dirt, and Stanton delivered an emotional speech to the team.
When A.J. Ramos retired Curtis Granderson to end the game, the Marlins gathered around the edge of the mound and bowed their heads, and tossed their caps onto the dirt and kneeled, tears flowing again.
“It’s his spot,” Manager Don Mattingly said. “Just kind of saying bye.”