Jose Fernandez Had Memorable Moments Against Atlanta Braves

MIAMI, FL — Jose Fernandez, the Miami Marlins pitcher who had been one of the brightest young stars in all of baseball, has died in a boating accident, the team announced. He was 24.

The Marlins were set to play the Atlanta Braves on Sunday when the team canceled the game.

"The Atlanta Braves organization sends our deepest condolences to the family of Jose Fernandez and to the Marlins organization," read a message on the Braves' Twitter account.

Outpourings of sympathy and grief came via social media from other Atlanta Braves fan groups and outlets.

Fernandez made what would become his last Atlanta appearance on Sept. 14 at Turner Field. In the fifth inning, Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran buzzed Fernandez at the plate. Teheran then went on to hit former Brave Martin Prado in the sixth.

Then, in the seventh, Fernandez squared up for a bunt against Braves reliever Jose Ramirez when Ramirez threw a pitch just behind Fernandez's head. That set off a bench-clearing argument that led to Ramirez'a ejection.

Fernandez also hit the first home run of his career in 2013 against the Braves in Miami.

Three people were killed in the crash off Miami Beach Sunday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed in a press conference. Officials have confirmed Fernandez is among the dead, but have not yet released the names of the other two on board the boat.

The capsized 32-foot SeaVee center console boat was first spotted by the U.S. Coast Guard around 3:15 a.m. Sunday, officials said. When first responders arrived on the scene, they found two victims under the boat and one in the water nearby, Lorenzo Veloz, FWC spokesman said.

Many details related to the crash remain under investigation. Veloz said speed is believed to have been a factor. Alcohol and drugs, however, do not appear to have played a role, he added. A final determination will be made by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office.

The names of the other two people killed have not been released, pending next of kin notification. Veloz said the other two people were friends of Fernandez and are not professional athletes. The oldest person on board was only 27. None of the three were wearing life jackets, Veloz said.

The vessel did not belong to Fernandez or to another Marlins player but to someone closely associated with the team, Veloz said. It had previously been stopped for safety inspections and knew the area well, he said.

Patch Editor Tim Darnell contributed to this report.

Image courtesy Arturo Pardavila III via Flickr Creative Commons