Dee Gordon honors José Fernández with one of the most dramatic home runs in baseball history
Dee Gordon was the first Miami Marlins player to step up to the plate since the death of teammate José Fernández shocked the baseball world Sunday.
Gordon, who normally bats left-handed, took his first pitch Monday night against the New York Mets right-handed in honor of his fallen teammate. Then he went back lefty -- and smacked a home run on the very next pitch. Here's a look at Monday night's magic moment.
Gordon had previously gone 303 at-bats this season without hitting a homer.
You May Also Like
A sobbing Gordon was mobbed by teammates -- all of them wearing Fernández's number 16 -- upon rounding the bases and reaching the Marlins dugout.
You couldn't dream up a more perfect tribute. It's a moment that instantly goes down as one of the best in baseball history.
Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.
