Posted on 09/25/2016 7:21:40 AM PDT by Hojczyk
MIAMI, Sept. 25 (UPI) — Miami Marlin’s 24-year-old ace pitcher, Jose Fernandez, was killed early Sunday in a boating accident.
The team confirmed his death in a statement. “The Miami Marlins organization is devastated by the tragic loss of Jose Fernández. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time.”
The team cancelled Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Braves.
ESPN reported that, according to multiple reports, police got a call of a possible boating accident about 3 a.m.
Law enforcement officials found a 30-foot boat that had crashed in to the rocks off Miami Beach and overturned. Three people, including the promising left-hander, were found dead and authorities were looking for survivors.
Fernandez, a star young pitcher who was initially scheduled to start in the Sunday game, had that start pushed back to Monday so Adam Conley, returning from the disabled list, could start.
A Cuban defecter, Fernandez played baseball at a Tampa high school before being drafted as the Marlin’s first-round pick in 2011, the Sun Sentinel reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
He's a righty. Sad news, prayers for his family.
We don’t boat at night. When it’s dark we are safely at a guest dock or anchorage.
Nothing good ever comes at 3:00 AM on the water or roads.
Ojeda's bad posture saved his life. He was slouched in his seat when the boat hit a dock. The other two suffered catastrophic injuries (probably decapitated).
I’m not familiar with Miami, but it sure looks they have a lot of channel markers and other hardware out on the water. Looks like a lot of boating goes on, and even large ships are common in the area.
Plenty of times I’ve been reef fishing or night diving, especially during lobster season, and haven’t touched a drop until sunrise and we were heading back in.
That said, hard to imagine what a starting pitcher is doing out on a boat at 3 a.m. 10 hours before a start.
Thinking the same thing Vinnie
I think his start had been pushed back until Monday against the Mets.
Still, 3 am and high speed (possibly) boating. Not good at all. But these are high-spirited young men, having the time of their lives and with the horizon seemingly endless in front of them. Tragically, maturity can sometimes arrive too late.
Boating is not an activity you partake in at 3:00 am in the morning... Unless one of you is loaded drunk.
You are obviously not a fisherman or a sailor.
The navigation electronics and GPS map should’ve been very visible at night. I guess nobody was paying attention.
... And Fernandez was a pro-pitcher, not a sailor or a fisherman. If he were, he’d probably be alive.
Yeah, just saw the pic.
Red entrance marker clearly visible. He cut inside the channel marker.
Pier pressure killed those guys.
He must’ve got his righty red mixed up. Red on the right not go to the right.
Used to sail at night on Biscayne Bay and surrounding. Loved it.
In many ways better than daylight.
Power boating ? Maybe not.
Most likely did what most novices do with their GPS. They set waypoints inside the channel or at the dock.
Later, at night while drinking they steer directly to waypoint
Seems like every year a newbie boater parks his rig on a breaker wall returning to port late at night on Lake Michigan.
Sad. RIP.
Government Cut is where the cruise ships run in and is the entrance to the Port of Miami.
If you have a house on Star or Fisher Island that would be your home port as well.
Except in countries where it is Red Right Reaving:)
(Lateral A systems)
From what I have read Jose and two buddies were boating in the dark waters of Government Cut last night when for some unknown reason so far,their boat crashed into the deadly rocks of the jetty.
The boat was an open fisherman,a 32 foot See Vee.It offers little protection should the hull overturn. Only the Tee Top offers very little protection.
Navigating Government Cut is dangerous in the daytime.At night it's a crap shoot at best.
There are always the possibilities of rogue waves,currents that tend to pull a boat one way of the other, boater error especially at night and most likely an unknown factor such as the steering that could go out at high speed leaving little options for the captain. Drugs and alcohol are always a possibility but its foolish to speculate at this point.
You didn't have to know Jose to realize what a rock star he the was. He had a 100 mph fast ball,a smile that lit up the entire stadium and charisma to go along with it.
Fernandez will be missed by all who knew him and many more who knew of him.
As one of the commentators on local Channel 6 replied: he was the face of major league baseball in South Florida.
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