Five of the most meaningful images of José Fernández's career

1. The Debut

Strangely enough, José's career began against the same team he was supposed to be facing today. On April 7th, 2013, Fernández made his MLB debut against the New York Mets at Citi Field. He would end up surrendering just one run over five innings while striking out eight batters.

2. A Family Reunited

Fernández grandmother, who instilled in him a deep passion for baseball, would listen to his games on the radio back in Cuba. Unfortunately, she did not make the trip with him and his mother and sister when they successfully defected from Cuba back in 2007. After having listened to his games on the radio back in Cuba, Olga finally got to see her beloved grandson pitch in the major leagues.

3. The Return

On July 2nd of 2015, Fernández made his long-awaited return from Tommy John Surgery. While it wasn't exactly a surprise that he gave the Marlins a quality start that day, the game became even more special when José hit a home run off of Giants pitcher Matt Cain.

4. The Catch

Back in August of his rookie season, Fernández was pitching against the Colorado Rockies at Marlins Park. When veteran Troy Tulowitzki hit a rocket back at the mound, José showcased two of the best traits he embodied as a player: sheer athleticism and an unbridled joy whilst playing the game he loved.

Tulowitzki: "Did you catch that?"

José: "Yes, Yes I did."

5. One Final Pitch

At the time of José's outing against the Nationals on September 20th, nobody knew it would be the last game this young man would ever pitch. José had what was perhaps his best game of the 2016 seaon, throwing eight innings of shutout baseball while collecting 12 strikeouts. Facing one of the best hitters in the MLB this season while protecting a one-run lead, Fernández coaxed a groundout from Daniel Murphy to complete a dominant performance.

José Fernández threw his final pitch with his family there to cheer him on.

— MLB (@MLB) September 25, 2016