Childhood friend from Cuba honors José Fernández with poignant grand slam

One home run hit by a tearful former teammate in honor of José Fernández was poignant enough Monday night. But a grand slam hit by a childhood friend from Cuba the very next day?

This is getting surreal.

On Monday night, Dee Gordon hit a home run in his first at-bat since Fernández, a beloved Miami Marlins teammate, died. It was Gordon's first homer in 304 at-bats this season and immediately hailed as one of the most dramatic in baseball history.

Then, on Tuesday night, Aledmys Díaz hit the first grand slam of his career. The four-run dinger came in Díaz's first game back with his St. Louis Cardinals team after briefly leaving the club to visit the family of Fernández, a friend since they were both baseball-obsessed kids in Cuba.

Here's a look at Díaz going yard, then we'll dig deeper into the emotional backstory.

Fernández and Díaz both grew up in Santa Clara, where they were friends from a young age, played baseball together and even lived on the same street. Both eventually defected from Cuba and successfully realized their Major League dreams in the United States.

When Fernández died this weekend, Díaz missed the Cardinals' Monday night game after traveling to Miami to be with his old friend's family, according to multiple reports. Tuesday night was his first game back with the Cardinals.

After he rounded the base and reached the dugout, Díaz took off his batting helmet and looked skyward -- but that's not all.

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According to a story from Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a fan named Tami Glock yelled "Hit if for José!" from the outfield seats when Díaz stepped to the plate in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds.

Díaz then hit his grand slam right to where Glock and her husband, Robert, were seated in left-center field. After the game, the Glocks gave Díaz the ball they'd retrieved. Díaz, in return, gave them the bat he'd used to hit the grand slam -- and create an unforgettable baseball moment.

Díaz's grand slam gave the Cardinals the lead in what would eventually be a 12-5 win. But this, as they say, is bigger than baseball.