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Dee Gordon Hit A Historic Home Run To Honor Late Teammate José Fernández

by Hope Schreiber
Reuters

On Sunday, baseball fans mourned the tragic loss of one of the game's most promising players, José Fernández.

The pitcher for the MLB's Miami Marlins died in a boating accident. He was only 24 years old.

Instantly, a wave of support came from teams and fans. Fernández was a player no one could speak more highly of, and he just looked like he loved the game he was playing.

The team has decided to retire the number 16, but before that the Marlins played their first game since his death on Monday night where they all wore his jersey.

The Miami Marlins second baseman, Dee Gordon, was obviously emotional during batting practice. He wore shades to hide his tears during the warmups.

Under his jersey, Gordon wore a shirt that read, "RIP."

Gordon was also first at-bat on Monday against the New York Mets. To honor his teammate, the normally left-handed batter took his first swing right-handed.

Then, he switched his helmet, which is believed to have been Fernandez's, and took his regular left-handed stance.

He hit his first home run of the season. He was 303 at-bats this season without hitting a home run before this moment.

Obviously moved, Gordon ran the bases and started to tear up.

He pounded his heart, pointed at the sky and was embraced by his teammates, all of whom were wearing the number 16.

Reuters

Team president David Samson said,

I know everyone always says this, but Jose would not want us sitting around. The fact is, we have to play today, and we're going out there and doing the best we can as an organization with heavy hearts and an eye towards what matters most. And that's honoring Jose, not just for today. Win or lose, it's moving forward that matters.

Gordon's home run tonight will easily go down as one of the most iconic in baseball history.

Citations: Dee Gordon hits home run in Marlins' first at-bat since death of José Fernández (Mashable)