Miami Marlins will all wear number 16 in tribute to Jose Fernandez

On Sunday morning, we all got the extremely sad news that Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez was tragically killed in a boating accident at the tender age of 24. It’s an incredibly profound loss for the sport of baseball, as the game has lost one of its most charismatic stars. Miami lost a player who was well on his way to becoming a cultural icon in the community there, and most importantly, a family lost a loving son. Yesterday was a dark day for baseball, and that was evidenced by the multitude of tributes that were paid to Fernandez in the wake of his passing.

The tributes will continue today, as Fernandez’s teammates will all don the number 16 for tonight’s game against the New York Mets.

It’s a fitting tribute for a player who was loved dearly by his teammates, as evidenced by the fact that the entire team attended the press conference to announce his passing, and also the fact that we haven’t heard one negative thing about the man since he died. It’s a sad moment, sure, but it’s lovely to see that everyone is paying tribute to a player who had such a deep love for the game and visibly showed his love for the game at every chance he got.

I’d imagine that this won’t be the last time that the Marlins will be paying tribute to Jose Fernandez, and it may not even be the last time that MLB itself pays tribute to him. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with next in an effort to continue honoring the great pitcher’s memory.