What makes the sudden, heartbreaking loss of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez hurt so much isn't that the baseball world is losing an incredible talent, who put up some of the best numbers in baseball. It's that this world is losing a 24-year-old whose passion and joy for life and the game of baseball could be seen every time he was on the field.
If you haven't read the story about Fernandez's journey from defecting from Cuba to the United States, read Jordan Conn's piece just to get an idea of how much Fernandez overcame just to get here.
Even more impactful and the truest example of who Fernandez was as a person, comes from the story of how he saved his mother. Without even knowing who it was that fell into the water, Fernandez risked his life to save who he thought was a stranger in crashing waves, it wasn't until he got to the person that fell overboard and was in danger of drowning, that he realized it was his mother.
That's who Fernandez was as a person, he cared about other people and would do anything for him. He was the definition of a role model, someone people in Cuba, Miami, and really, the whole world could look up to as an example of the type of person to be.
Of course, what so many will remember Fernandez for is that passion he had for the game. The celebrations he would have in the dugout when teammates did well, when he hit his first home run and just took a moment to take in that moment, when Troy Tulowitzki hit a liner right at Fernandez and he just snagged it.
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In this time of loss and heartbreak, the best way we can honor and remember Fernandez is to live life like he would, with passion and a positive energy that impacts everyone around us. The game of baseball, this world, has lost a great one.
Rest In Peace No.16
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