September 26, 2016
With heavy hearts, the Miami Marlins got back to baseball at home tonight against the New York Mets. It was the team’s first game since 24-year-old star pitcher Jose Fernandez was found dead Sunday morning along with two others after a boating accident off Miami Beach.
Prior to the game, the Marlins put on an emotional tribute to Fernandez that included a video tribute, the players tracing Fernandez’s number 16 on the mound, and an embrace with the visiting Mets players in the infield:
All of the Marlins wore Fernandez’s jersey. And after starter Adam Conley threw a scoreless top of the first inning, Dee Gordon channeled Bo Kimble for an iconic moment that we’re going to be seeing for years.
First, the left-handed hitting Gordon stepped into the right-handed batter’s box with Fernandez’s helmet on and took a pitch. Then he switched over to the left side, led off with his first homer of the season, and broke down while circling the bases:
There isn’t anything you can possibly add to that scene. Chills, absolute chills.
