For St. Louis Cardinals rookie shortstop Aledmys Díaz, Tuesday’s game had to be ridiculously difficult.
On Monday, Díaz was away from his team mourning the loss of fallen Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernandez — who grew up in the same town as Díaz — at a private memorial service. A day later, Díaz was back with the Cardinals and in the lineup for St. Louis.
Despite the tragedy and sorrow, Díaz managed to make the most of the sad situation. He hit his first career grand slam as St. Louis went on to win Tuesday. The moment was bittersweet and one that will be remembered by many for years to come:
I'm not crying, you're crying. #JDF16 https://t.co/rQl0u3z4Er
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 28, 2016
That one was for you, Jose. #JDF16 pic.twitter.com/UHsAQ5tSeJ
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 28, 2016
Though we couldn’t see the tears like we could in Dee Gordon’s homer on Monday, you could still easily see how emotional this moment was. The crowd reacted strongly and the hug between Díaz and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was very telling.
With this being such an emotional night for Díaz, he seemed like the natural choice to be interviewed postgame by the Fox Sports Midwest crew. Díaz was kind enough to talk after the game. His message was worth it for those who waited to watch for his comments:
Aledmys Diaz after hitting a grand slam in first game back from Jose Fernandez' memorial: "I'm thinking of him today." #STLCards pic.twitter.com/pviY1H0dYG
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) September 28, 2016
Days after Fernandez’s death, and you can still feel the sadness. This is truly an emotional moment, and one that will go down in history.
