Miami Marlins Pitcher José Fernández Dies In Boating Accident
Fernandez pitching at Marlins Stadium on Tuesday.
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Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernández was found dead Sunday in a boating accident, the US Coast Guard announced. He was 24 years old.
“The Miami Marlins organization is devastated by the tragic loss of José Fernández,” the team said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time.”
US Coast Guard workers in Miami found the pitcher's body and those of two others in overturned boat early Sunday morning, according to a statement.
“A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Miami was heading out on a law enforcement patrol at approximately 3:30 a.m. Sunday when they passed a jetty along Government Cut and discovered an overturned 33-foot center console boat on the jetty with three deceased aboard,” officials said in a statement.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Todd Garofalo told local station WSVN the boat was found up against jetties.
Wilfredo Lee / AP
“They did do an initial search and they found three victims — two on top of the water, one underneath the boat and they had unfortunately passed away,” he said.
The identities of the two others killed in the accident are being withheld pending notification of family members, officials said.
Miami-Dade police officers responded to the scene, as did personnel with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the cause of the accident.
Born July 31, 1992, in Santa Clara, Cuba, Fernández moved to the US in 2008, attending high school in Tampa, Florida.
He made his Major League Baseball debut in 2013, winning the NL Rookie of the Year award.
Fernández became a US citizen last year and was presented with a US flag that had flown over Marlins Stadium by his team. “This is a dream that I've had since I was little, and actually achieving it is really amazing,” he said at the time. “Having my family here and so much support from this amazing country, it's really fantastic.”
Just this week, he posted an Instagram photo celebrating that he was going to become a father.
“Im so glad you came into my life,” he wrote. “I'm ready for where this journey is gonna take us together. #familyfirst”
“We are stunned and devastated,” Major League Baseball officials wrote on Twitter.
Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said all of baseball was shocked and saddened by the death of Fernández.
“He was one of our game's great young stars who made a dramatic impact on and off the field since his debut in 2013,” he said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, the Miami Marlins organization, and all of the people he touched in his life.”
Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Braves at Marlins Stadium has been canceled, the Marlins said in their statement.
This is a developing news story. Check back for updates or follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.
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