The Miami Marlins will effectively retire the jersey number of 16 worn by Jose Fernandez in the wake of the pitcher’s tragic death on Sunday.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said on Monday that nobody will ever wear No. 16 again.
Loria: no one else will ever wear 16.
— Hal Habib (@gunnerhal) September 26, 2016
All Marlins players will wear the jersey No. 16 for the team’s game on Monday as a tribute to Fernandez. Sunday’s game was cancelled in the wake of the pitcher’s death.
The Cuban-born pitcher was in his fourth season in the bigs. Just 24, Fernandez was among the best pitchers in the game. He posted a 38-17 record and 2.58 career ERA, with an incredible 589 strikeouts in 471.1 innings.
Fernandez was one of three people who died on Sunday when the boat they were riding in crashed into a jetty at a high speed off the coast in South Florida. Fernandez was an avid boater who frequently went fishing. He recently had revealed on social media that his girlfriend was pregnant and expecting their first child.
