Miami Marlins ace hurler José Fernandez survived three prison stints in Cuba for trying to flee his Communist homeland before finally making a perilous sail to freedom — and stardom — in the US, only to be killed Sunday in a boating accident.
The 24-year-old All-Star pitcher — who Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Sunday brought a kid’s enthusiasm to the game — died with two male buddies when their 32-foot luxury power boat crashed into a rocky jetty off Miami Beach in the wee hours, authorities said.
There is no evidence that booze or drugs played a role in the deadly crash, officials said.
Instead, investigators blamed speed and poor visibility, noting the time of night the accident occurred and lack of lights in the area.
“It does appear to be that they were coming at full speed when they encountered the jetty . . . due to the impact and the severity of [the crash],” said Lorenzo Veloz, a spokesman for Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Veloz said he was puzzled by the tragedy because he knew the boat and its owner, “a friend of José who is very well-connected with several Marlins players’’ — and the man would have been familiar with the spot.
“I have stopped that boat before for safety inspections with other Marlins players on board,” Veloz said. “We know that this boat knows the area.”
In an eerie twist, Fernandez had uploaded an online photo of himself going out on a fishing boat with a bunch of friends three months ago.
“Be careful . . . We need the #cubanmissile healthy for the playoff run we gonna make!!” one fan commented.
He would have normally pitched Sunday against the Atlanta Braves — and likely not been aboard the doomed boat — but was given an extra day’s rest so he could start Monday against the Mets.
Just five days ago, Fernandez happily announced that his girlfriend was pregnant by sharing a photo of her showing off her baby bump in a bikini.
“I’m so glad you came into my life. I’m ready for where this journey is gonna take us together. #familyfirst,” he wrote on his Instagram with the beach picture.
A US Coast Guard crew on routine patrol came upon the overturned SeaVee craft around 3:15 a.m., authorities said.
Two bodies were found under the boat and one on the jetty. None of the victims were wearing life vests. Authorities said Fernandez died from trauma and not drowning.
Major League Baseball canceled Sunday’s game.
Inside an empty Marlins Park, the scoreboard simply displayed Fernandez’s No. 16 and his name. A bouquet of roses sat on the pitcher’s mound with the No. 16 painted into it.
Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes paid tribute to his fellow Cuban exile by taping an Amazin’s jersey, with the No. 16 and “Fernandez” stitched on its back, onto a wall of the home dugout at Citi Field in Queens.
Fernandez’s final game was Tuesday, when he tossed eight shutout innings and struck out 12 against the NL East-leading Washington Nationals.
“He told one of his teammates that the last game he pitched against the Nationals was the best game he ever pitched,” teammate Martin Prado said, his voice shaking with emotion.
‘When I think about José, it’s going to be thinking about a little kid. I see such a little boy in him.’
- Marlins manager, Don Mattingly
Marlins President David Samson, GM Michael Hill and manager and former Yankee great Don Mattingly openly wept as they told reporters about Fernandez’s glowing personality and immense popularity among teammates.
“When I think about José, it’s going to be thinking about a little kid,” said Mattingly, barely able to speak at times. “I see such a little boy in him.”
Fernandez’s death on a boat brought a cruel end to his remarkable life, which embodied the American dream and desperate hope of Cubans yearning for freedom.
He had been jailed three times before age 15 for trying to escape Cuba with his family. He, his mother and his sister finally successfully defected in 2005.
But that last boat trip nearly ended in tragedy — when Fernandez’s mom fell out of the boat and he jumped into the Yucatan Channel to save her.
Fernandez’s grandmother only got out of Cuba three years ago and cameras captured the dramatic reunion between her and her famous grandson. The pitcher broke down in tears and hugged his grandmother, refusing to let go.