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The Miami Herald spoke to Marlins infielder Chris Johnson about the game in which Fernández hit his first career homerun back in September 2013. Upset with José's bat flip, Johnson sprinted towards him as he crossed home plate, which led to both benches clearing. Johnson spoke to the Herald about his eventual friendship with the late Marlins superstar.
On Thursday afternoon, José's closest friends and family members gathered for a private funeral. This was a day after the Marlins provided a chance for Marlins fans to say their goodbye to Fernández in a public procession that started at Marlins Park.
After losing to the Mets 5-2, Miami was officially eliminated from the 2016 playoffs. More detailed comments (from the team) regarding the season as a whole will probably have to wait, given the sadness of the past several days. But in essence, a plethora of injuries combined with a poor second half from the offense this year are probably the main factors that contributed to the elimination.
Prospect Braxton Garrett has served to draw the most interest out of any Miami player participating in the fall instructional league. Garrett finally signed with the team back in July after the team realized they needed to sign the righthander before he made good on his commitment to Vanderbilt University. Garrett has already displayed why the Marlins again chose to use their first round pick on a high school player.
As the Marlins try their best to finish off a season marred by sudden tragedy, manager Don Mattingly will send out Andrew Cashner to open up the series against the Nationals after today's day off. Cashner's numbers this season are a far cry from his career ERA of 3.86, as he has given up 17 earned runs in September through five starts. Check our game thread later today for more details on his matchup with Washington's A.J. Cole.
Around the League
Despite losing to a walk-off home run at the hands of Mark Teixeira, the Red Sox clinched the AL East last night. Thanks to Baltimore's Hyun Soo Kim, the Sox assumed the AL east crown due to the Blue Jays falling to the Orioles 3-2. Boston's playoff run should be filled with excitement as it is going to be David Ortiz' last ride through October, and possibly November. It should also be noted that as of tonight, the Yankees are officially eliminated from the playoffs.
The Houston Astros have been eliminated from postseason contention, which occurred through the Orioles beating the Blue Jays again tonight 4-0. The American League wild card now features the Blue Jays and Orioles occupying the two slots, as they are tied with just three games to go.
Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback recently signed by the Mets, went yard in his first professional at-bat yesterday. Swinging at the first pitch he saw, Tebow took a high fastball deep over the centerfield fence. Tebow also played in another game today, going 2-4 with one RBI, two runs and a walk.
As they are trying to secure home-field advantage for the playoffs, the Nationals beat the D-Backs 5-3 which brings them one game closer to that goal. The Nationals will need every type of advantage they can get during their October run. Washington recently lost Wilson Ramos for the season due to a torn ACL and they will be without Stephen Strasburg for at least the NLDS.
A game being played earlier between the Cubs and Pirates has been officially declared as a tie due to inclement weather. Apparently, this is the first tie in an MLB game since a 2005 game between the Astros and Royals that ended with a score of 2-2.