Jose Fernandez dead: Miami Marlins team break down in tears at press conference

The Miami Marlins have been thrust into a state of shock since the death of their star pitcher Jose Fernandez in a boating accident. The promising young hopeful was tragically killed on Sunday near Miami Beach at the age of just 24.

The teammates, coaches, and the manager of the Miami Marlins broke down in tears as they shared fond memories of Fernandez at a solemn press conference. The team were forced to cancelled a match between the Marlins and the Atlanta Braves yesterday which Fernandez had been due to feature in.

Named All-Star player in both 2013 and 2016, the Cuban native, who risked his life to escape to America, was the first pitcher in the modern era to win his first 17 career home decisions.

President David Samson opened the conference with a statement from the Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, lamenting Fernandez’ tragic passing.

"It is with the deepest sorrow that I, together with my family and the entire Marlins organisation, mourn the tragic loss of Jose,” he said. “Sadly, the brightest lights are often the ones that extinguish the fastest.”

"Jose left us far too soon, but his memory will endure in all of us. At this difficult time, our prayers are with his mother, grandmother, family and friends."

"As you see around you, no words to describe how this organization feels," he continued while players and managers surrounding him wiped away tears. "Jose was someone who we've known since he was a drafted young man. When you talk about a tragedy like this, there are no words that come to mind, there's no playbook, there's no words of consolation."

Becoming increasingly emotional as he later spoke, Marlins manager Don Mattingly had to pause a number of times as he fought back tears and his voice shook with emotion.

"When I think about Jose, I'll be thinking about that little kid," he said. "When I think of Jose, I see such a little boy, the way he played. There's just joy with him when he played, and when he pitched. And I think that's what the guys will say, too."

Born in Santa Clara in Central Cuba, he left the country at the age of 15 after three unsuccessful attempts at defecting. He was imprisoned several times before leaving.

On his final and his successful attempt at leaving, he was forced to dive into the water and rescue his mother after she fell overboard when the boat hit stormy seas.

Speaking about his childhood growing up in Cuba in an interview with MLB.com, he explained it was there that his love for baseball was first born. “In Cuba, the streets are made of dirt and I was always pitching rocks and I carried a wooden stick all the time with me, hitting stones.”