After honoring Jose Fernandez, Dee Gordon hits home run
MIAMI – Dee Gordon, a lefty hitter, saw the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning as a right-handed hitter, which was his way of paying tribute to the late Jose Fernandez.
Gordon, who weighs just 160 pounds and will never be confused with a power hitter, then switched to his normal left side and, on a 2-0 count, launched his first homer of the year.
This was no wall-scraper. It was an upper-deck shot.
“I ain’t never hit a ball that far, even in BP,” said Gordon, who finished with a season-high four hits. “I told the boys, ‘If you all don’t believe in God, you better start.’ For that to happen today, we had some help.”
How else to explain the Marlins 7-3 win over the New York Mets (83-74), who badly needed the win as they are locked in an NL wild-card playoff race with the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.
The Marlins (78-78) are all but out of the race. But for one night at least, they played with apparent supernatural strength.
Miami’s motivation was clearly Fernandez, who died late Saturday night / early Sunday morning in a boating accident in which speed was a factor, according to authorities.
Although he was only 24, Fernandez was already a two-time All-Star, and only elbow surgery kept him from doing even more.
But, even as it was, he will go down as perhaps the most dominant home-stadium pitcher in baseball history with a 29-2 record and a 1.49 ERA in 42 starts.
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Beyond his pitching, Fernandez was known for his charismatic, fun-loving personality. He not only loved to pitch, but he clearly enjoyed taking his hacks at the plate, too, and he was good at both.
When he wasn’t pitching, he was all about the team, giving a pretty fair impersonation of a cheerleader.
“That guy would have been on the mound,” Gordon said of Fernandez, who had originally been scheduled to start Monday’s game. “And if he wouldn’t have been on the mound, he would have been on the top step, screaming for us.”
When Gordon went up to bat in the bottom of the first, he had “No. 16” written on his batting helmet.
“I tried to impersonate (Fernandez’s) batting stance as best as possible,” Gordon said. “I just hope he’s happy. I hope he’s good because we love him so much.”
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Gordon’s homer was just the ninth of his six-year major-league career.
When Gordon reached home plate, it was obvious that he was sobbing, and he was embraced by his teammates in a highly emotional moment.
“I saw him crying right when he rounded first base,” Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “I was crying, too. I had my head down. When he crossed home plate, tears were coming down his face, and they were coming down mine, too.
“The whole world felt that emotion in that moment, whether you were here or watching on television. For (Gordon) to honor (Fernandez) with his batting stance and then hit a homer, it was unbelievable.”
Every Marlins player wore No. 16 on Monday, in honor of Fernandez. Marlins players also gathered around the mound and prayed just before the start of the game.
In addition, Mets and Marlins players and coaches exchanged hugs.
“I want to say ‘thank you’ to the Mets – they are first class,” Gordon said. “Coming in and showing their gratitude to us, being there for us in a time of need. That was just amazing.”
There were a lot of amazing things that happened on Monday. In addition to Gordon’s power show, there was also slow-footed Marlins first baseman Justin Bour legging out his first career triple.
The 6-3, 265-pound Bour completed the play by belly-flopping into third base as fans roared.
Perhaps Monday’s game was cathartic for the Marlins, although Gordon isn’t quite sure.
“I don’t know how any of us played this game today,” Gordon said. “I don’t know.”
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