José Fernández's death has broken many hearts. His mom and abuela are inconsolable. The Miami Marlins are in deep mourning and his friends, many celebrities among them, are still in disbelief. The more I learn about him, the more I'm convinced that there are some stars that shine so brightly that they came to teach us something and have to go.
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At 24, José Fernández loved being in the water.
Almost as much as being on the baseball field. Sadly, it was in the water where he spent his final minutes. He died in the early hours of Sunday September 25th, 2016, when the boat in which he and two friends were speeding crashed in Miami Beach.
He was a 'balsero' from Cuba who made it after three tries.
Can you imagine? This was all before he turned 15. Once he reached U.S. land in 2008, he attended high school in Tampa, where his dad was located. It was there where he was discovered as a baseball prodigy. Fernández was considered one of the most gifted pitchers of the major leagues.
He was raised by his mom and his abuela.
He called them the loves of his life. The third time he tried to defect Cuba in a raft, he was with his mom. At some point, she fell of the boat. It was dark, he said in an interview, he just saw a body in the water. He jumped to help and couldn't believe once he realized it was her.
He credits his baseball talent to his abuelita Olga, who the Marlins brought from Cuba to the stadium in Miami as a surprise to him. It was one of the most moving things I've seen in my life.
He had many celebrity friends and they are truly devastated.
"I am devastated by the news of the loss of my Bro Jose Fernandez this morning. He was a great light, full of talent and charisma, and made all of us here in Miami so proud. My heart goes out to his family. Thank you for all you gave us. I'm gonna miss you !!!," wrote William Levy. Other stars like the members of Chino and Nacho and Gente de Zona, Giselle Blondet, Elizabeth Gutiérrez and many others have expressed their sadness too.
He was expecting his first child--a girl.
"I'm so glad you came into my life. I'm ready for where this journey is gonna take us together", he wrote five days ago before he died. The woman in the photo is Carla Mendoza, Fernández's girlfriend. I can't imagine how is she feeling right now.
In 2013 he was the Rookie of the year in the MLB.
Just so you have an idea of just how good he was: In his debut in the MLB, he pitched five innings with eight strikeouts! If you have no idea of how hard this is, he was only the 7th person under 21 to do it in 100 years.
He was adored by everybody.
It was heartbreaking to see the owners, managers and players of the Miami Marlins crying when they confirmed the news at a press conference.
The fans mourn him as well.
The sidewalks around the Miami Marlins stadium, in Little Havana, are filled with tributes to his short and bright career.
The police gave already a preliminary report.
According to the report, there are no indications that alcohol or illegal substances were involved. The report also says that he died as a result of the impact, not due to drowning.
There will be many moving homages through the week.
MLB teams have given tributes to Fernández all through out the country. The Miami Marlins will have the most heartfelt tonight. It's going to be their first game since Fernández's death.
