Marlins Honor Jose Fernandez

Submitted by Ben Aberg.  The day after learning teammate Jose Fernandez had passed away, the Miami Marlins had the tough task of playing baseball again. Before the game, the Mets and Marlins embraced and held a moment of silence. Each Miami Marlins player wore a Jose Fernandez #16 uniform and each Miami player took some dirt from the mound to rub on his uniform pants, just like Fernandez had done since he had played as a youth in Cuba.

As the game began amid many tears, Dee Gordon led off the bottom of the first inning. Gordon, a left-handed batter, wore the helmet of Jose Fernandez and took the first pitch from the right side. He then switched to his own helmet and side of the plate, and pulled a home run to the right field seats. Overcome with emotion, the Marlins second baseman was greeted by teammates before finding his way to the clubhouse. Dee Gordon had not hit a home run this season and had never hit a baseball that far until that moment. Miami scored four more in the second and two more in the 3^rd to beat the Mets 7-3. The team then formed a circle around the mound after the game, and left their baseball caps all around the mound.

No one will ever wear #16 for the Marlins ever again.