Jose Fernandez-Signed Baseballs Found on Miami Beach

Just a day after the tragic death of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez on Sunday, a bag of baseballs he signed were found on a Miami beach.

The lore of Jose Fernandez will forever be ingrained in the history of the Miami Marlins and the city of Miami, and he won’t soon be forgotten.  ESPN reported that a bag of baseballs signed by Fernandez were found on a beach on Monday after washing ashore.

Fernandez, 24, died Sunday morning along with Emilio Macias, 27 and Eduardo Rivero, 25, when his 32-foot boat slammed into a jetty off Miami Beach, according to authorities.

The bag was turned into a lifeguard approximately one mile from where the boat was found upside down, and contained four signed baseballs and Fernandez’s checkbook, per Rosh Lowe of WSVN.

The baseballs were discovered on the day when the Marlins all wore black uniforms with Fernandez’s name and number 16 on the back.  Fernandez was honored by the team pregame, and fans created a memorial near a plaza outside of the stadium.  Flowers, balloons and photos among other things were left to honor the beloved Miami star.

During the game, Dee Gordon hit his first home run of the season in the first inning and held back tears as he crossed home plate.

It was announced that Fernandez’s public memorial will take place Wednesday, and a private service will be held on Thursday.

The procession will begin at the West Plaza at Marlins Park at 2:16 p.m. ET and will then travel to Ermita de la Caridad in Miami for a blessing.  Following that, the procession will go to Saint Brendan Catholic Church, where a public viewing will be open from 4 p.m. to midnight.

“It’s our job to make his life matter, so we’re going to do that forever, and forever starts today,” Marlins president David Samson said Monday.

He continued by saying that there’s no proper way to make sense of Fernandez’s death.

Next: Marlins Retire Fernandez's Number 16

“This is shallow, but the show goes on,” Samson said via USA Today. “There has been a lot of talking and a lot of crying and a lot of praying and a lot of trying to make sense of something you can’t make sense of. There is no sense to a life ended like that, in a way that is so meaningless.”