Watch Jose Fernandez's historic MLB debut and see just how incredible he was
"The only thing I'm scared of are roller coasters and snakes."
Jose Fernandez broke into the big leagues in New York on April 7, 2013, and uttered those words when asked whether he was nervous to pitch in his first MLB game on the road against the Mets.
At 20 years old, he was the youngest Marlins pitcher to ever make his MLB debut, and he did so as a Cuban defector who fled to America with a vision of something better. He was, in every definition, the American Dream.
Fernandez died early Sunday morning in a boating accident in Miami at 24 years old. His death has rocked the baseball world.
Anyone who loves baseball vividly remembers the first time we saw Fernandez pitch. He snapped off vicious breaking balls (via MLB):
He fired fastballs with so much life they seemingly could carry their flight forever:
He made Mets hitters feel utterly helpless:
And, yes, he even froze David Wright:
Fernandez struck out eight batters that day, a Marlins record for a pitcher making his debut. He allowed one run on three hits over five innings. Miami lost the game, 4-3, in the ninth.
None of that matters, of course. The only thing we'll remember is how incredible he was, and the fearlessness and joy with which he played.
