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Marlins bid farewell to tragic pitcher Fernandez

Agence France-Presse

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Marlins bid farewell to tragic pitcher Fernandez
All the Miami Marlins gather around a funeral hearse carrying the body of the late pitcher Jose Fernandez

MIAMI, USA – Miami Marlins players bade an emotional farewell to pitcher Jose Fernandez on Wednesday, September 28 (Thursday morning, Manila time) as the city paid tribute to the Cuban-born star at an emotion-filled memorial service.

The entire Marlins team gathered around a funeral hearse carrying Fernandez’s body for a funeral procession which began at Marlins Park before winding its way to church.

The procession left the stadium at 2:16 pm local time – a tribute to Fernandez’s number 16 jersey that is to be retired by the franchise following the player’s death on Sunday in a boating accident.

Many Marlins players – wearing RIP shirts – placed their hands on the hearse, with heads bowed as it set off.

Chants of “Jose, Jose” could be heard from thousands of fans gathered to mark the start of the procession for the 24-year-old.

“It’s a deep wound for the whole team,” Marlins player Martin Prado told reporters.

“It has been devastating for his mother, his grandmother, the entire city.”

“We’re all coming together, giving support the way we can, whether it’s chanting, clapping, saying his name, (or) just being there, silent, having your own thoughts,” said another teammate, Giancarlo Stanton.

“It’s all helping the cause,” Stanton told the Marlins official website.

A private funeral for Fernandez will be held on Thursday.

Fernandez died after the boat he was traveling on crashed into a jetty on Sunday. Two friends also on board the 32-foot (10-meter) vessel also died.

An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is under way.

Fernandez was enjoying his best major league season, posting a 16-8 record with a 2.86 earned run average.

The hard-throwing right-hander set a club record with 253 strikeouts this season, and his 12.49 strikeouts per 9 innings led the majors.

He came to the United States from Cuba at age 15, after 3 failed attempts.

Team officials and fans have hailed Fernandez as a role model beyond baseball, and a hero to Cuban-Americans.

“This has been like one of my family has passed away,” Rafael Olivo, who moved to the United States from Cuba in 1960 at the age of 7, said on the Marlins website.

“I grew up all my life here in Miami. He was the new generation of people trying to escape Cuba. A brave kid, wanted to make a better living in the United States.”

Fernandez broke into the major leagues at the age of 20 and was National League Rookie of the Year in 2013. – Rappler.com 

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