Jose Fernandez reportedly had fight with girlfriend as details emerge on pitcher’s last night
By
USA TodaySeptember 27, 2016 | updated 10 years ago
Miami Marlins ball caps left by the players sit on the pitching mound with the number 16 in honor of pitcher Jose Fernandez after a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in Miami. The Marlins defeated the Mets 7-3. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky)
Jose Fernandez was upset following an argument with his girlfriend and summoned two friends for the late-night boating expedition that ended in the death of the 24-year-old Miami Marlins pitcher and his companions, according to reports that detailed the final evening of his life.
Eddy Rivero and Emilio Macias were killed along with Fernandez when a 32-foot fishing boat – which authorities said Monday was owned by Fernandez – crashed into a jetty sometime before 3 a.m. Sunday morning as it traveled southbound back toward Miami Beach.
Will Bernal, a close friend of Rivero’s, exchanged text messages with Rivero after midnight urging him not to go on the boat and posted the exchange on his Instagram account Monday.
“Yo, please be careful bro,” Bernal told Rivero, 25. “Try to keep him close to shore.”
“Trust me it’s not my time yet,” Rivero responded.
Miami Marlins ball caps left by the players sit on the pitching mound with the number 16 in honor of pitcher Jose Fernandez after a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in Miami. The Marlins defeated the Mets 7-3. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky)Miami Marlins wear #16 jerseys as they stand around the pitching mound during a pre-game ceremony honoring pitcher Jose Fernandez before a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in Miami. Fernandez died in a boating accident Sunday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky)Miami Marlins’ Martin Prado, left, walks off the field with manager Don Mattingly, right, after a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in Miami. The Marlins defeated the Mets 7-3. The Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez was honored during the game. Fernandez was killed in a boating accident early Sunday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky)Miami Marlins Dee Gordon, right, shakes hands with third base coach Lenny Harris, left, after he hit a solo home run during the first inning in a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky)Miami Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds, left, hugs Dee Gordon, right, after he hit a solo home run during the first inning in a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky)Miami Marlins’ Dee Gordon points to the sky after hitting a single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Lynne Sladky)FILE – In this Monday, June 1, 2015, file photo, Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez replaces his cap after the singing of the national anthem before the start of a baseball game between the Miami Marlins and the Chicago Cubs, in Miami. The Marlins announced Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, that ace right-hander Fernandez has died. The U.S. Coast Guard says Fernandez was one of three people killed in a boat crash off Miami Beach early Sunday. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) (Wilfredo Lee)FILE – In this Friday, Sept. 9, 2016, file photo, Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez smiles as he leaves the mound after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig to end the seventh inning of a baseball game, in Miami. The Marlins announced Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, that ace right-hander Fernandez has died. The U.S. Coast Guard says Fernandez was one of three people killed in a boat crash off Miami Beach early Sunday. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) (Wilfredo Lee)Investigators look at a boat overturned on a jetty, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, off Miami Beach, Fla. Authorities said that Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez was one of three people killed in the boat crash early Sunday morning. Fernandez was 24. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP) (Joe Cavaretta)
