Marlins at Tearful Press Event Speak of Jose Fernandez' 'Joy' in Playing Baseball

The Miami Marlins held an emotional press conference early this afternoon on news of the death of star pitcher Jose Fernandez in a boating accident.

Don Mattingly, the team's manager, wept as he spoke of the joy with which Fernandez played the game of baseball.

"I see such a little boy in him --," Mattingly said, pausing to compose himself. "The way he played. It was just joy with him, when he played. When you watch little kids play Little League, that's the joy that Jose had when he was playing."

Team president David Samson, fighting back tears, spoke of how the Fernandez, who emigrated from Cuban, was a beloved figure in Miami who was intimately involved with the community.

Veteran third-baseman Martin Prado spoke on behalf of the team's players, describing Fernandez as a fierce competitor on the baseball diamond.

"Just to see him go up there every time," Prado said. "He didn't care who he faced or who we were playing."He placed an emphasis on his battle to play American baseball, coming from Cuba. A 2013 story in Grantland described the perilous journey he took to reach American shores.

Fernandez, widely considered to be among the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, was killed when a boat that had apparently been speeding crashed into a jetty outside Miami Harbor, authorities said.

Fernandez was one of three males killed, authorities said. Two were found in the 32-foot boat and one in the water, the Miami-Dade County Sheriff Lorenzo Velos said at a press conference Sunday morning. None of the three were wearing life vests, Velos said.

The other victims appear to be friends of the pitcher and were not teammates, the sheriff said, adding that Fernandez was not the boat's owner and had not been driving it. He said the boat's owner has been stopped before for safety violations.

The sheriff said there was no obvious indication that alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident but that autopsies could help to determine that.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Capt. Meagan Dean said the wrecked boat was discovered early morning Sunday on a routine search of the area.

The Marlins announced that Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves has been canceled as a result of the sudden death of one of the team's stars.

Fernandez, just 24 years old at the time of his death, amassed several eye-popping seasons in his short career on the professional baseball diamond, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2013.

He had a career earned-run average of just 2.58 over four seasons. He led baseball this season in strikeouts per nine innings with 12.49 among starting pitchers.

He was particularly dominant while playing at home in Miami's Marlins Park, becoming the first pitcher in the modern era to win his first 17 career home decisions. He eventually went on to go 24-1 in his first 25 home decisions.

Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, Fernandez defected to America in 2008 and became one of the most prominent faces among a wave of Cuban stars breaking into professional baseball at that time.

Fernandez posted a photo on Instagram of his pregnant girlfriend, Carla Mendoza, last week. The team mentioned during the press conference that she is expecting his daughter.

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