Jose Fernandez name will live on throughout the Miami-Dade area.
A street outside Marlins Park will now be known as Jose Fernandez Avenue after Miami-Dade commissioners agreed to honor the recently deceased Miami Marlins pitcher. Fernandez and two others were tragically killed in a boat crash last month. A toxicology report indicated Fernandez was well over the legal alcohol consumption limit and had traces of cocaine in his system.
Despite recent developments, Miami-Dade continued on with renaming the avenue after Fernandez. Sponsor Bruno Barreiro perfectly addressed the situation to the Miami Herald.
“There was a tragic incident in the end, but he paid with his life.”
“This naming is for the life … he led as a baseball player,” Barreiro said. “He reached heights that very few have reached.”
Fernandez’s toxicology report shouldn’t be used against him to belittle his name. The former Marlins pitcher was one of MLB’s most spirited personalities. Fernandez also happened to be an incredible pitcher with an extremely bright future ahead of him. A single mistake cost him his life, and now’s not the time to drag his name through the mud.
Fernandez was extremely important to the Marlins organization and the Miami community. It’s both fitting and appropriate his name lives on in the community. It’s a shame we’ll never see him pitch again, but at least, his legacy won’t be forgotten.
