Fans grieve: 'José Fernández was all of the reasons why we love watching baseball'
Fans took to social media Sunday to mourn the death of José Fernández, with many noting that his skill and demeanor symbolized the best parts of baseball.
He was the reason why they loved the game, so many said; his joy was infectious. All across Twitter, fans remembered Fernández for his athletic gifts and his courageous journey to the U.S. from Cuba as a teen.
The 24-year-old pitcher died early Sunday morning in a boating accident. A Coast Guard crew found Fernández on a 33-foot boat overturned on a jetty around 3:30 a.m.
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Fernández had already won 16 games this season, striking out 253 batters. He was known for his legendary fastball, warm vibrant personality, and nearly unbelievable life story. He overcame Tommy John surgery in 2014 and came back in winning form, striking out 11 batters in nine of his 29 starts this season.
More than 170,000 tweets and counting, all of them expressing grief and shock, were posted by early Sunday.
Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
