WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 SPORTS Emotion, tears as Marlins pay tribute to Fernandez MIAMI: Miami Marlins players wearing want to honor that, and what we’ve No. 16 jerseys in honor of Jose learned from him and that joy that he Fernandez paid a tearful tribute to their played with.” fallen team-mate on Monday, a day after Marlins president David Samson said the star pitcher was killed in a boating Fernandez, a Cuban refugee who accident. A night of wrenching emotion became a US citizen and achieved his saw several of the Cuban-born player’s dream of starring for a team in Miami, team-mates choke back tears as they had been a role model beyond baseball. gathered on the pitcher’s mound at “This was a loss not just in the base- Marlins Park ahead of their game against ball world, but a loss in the community,” the New York Mets. Samson said. “Jose Fernandez represent- Many players touched a large “16” ed the possibility of freedom and the which had been painted on the mound possibility of what America can mean to in tribute to the 24-year-old pitching the Cuban people.” ace, before hanging their heads in a moment of silence. TOXICOLOGY TESTS Tributes followed throughout the Fans created a makeshift memorial game, eventually won 7-3 by the for the pitcher at the Florida baseball Marlins, with Dee Gordon breaking stadium, leaving flowers and handwrit- down in sobs after hitting his first home ten notes in his honor. run of the season, before being The tributes come a day after embraced by team-mates. Fernandez’s body was found, along with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said earli- two deceased boating companions, in er Monday that the club would perma- an overturned vessel off Miami Beach. nently retire Fernandez’s “16” jersey The Marlins canceled Sunday’s game number. “Nobody’s going to wear it. I against the Atlanta Braves as his team- can tell you that now, nobody will wear mates absorbed the shock of his loss. that number again,” Loria told the Sun- Authorities said Fernandez and the Sentinel newspaper. other two victims were killed when the MIAMI: Miami Marlins players hats are left on the pitching mound to honor the late Jose Fernandez after the game Marlins coach Don Mattingly said the 32-foot (10-meter) vessel crashed into a against the New York Mets at Marlins Park on Monday in Miami, Florida. —AFP shattered organization were “not trying jetty. The Coast Guard discovered the to do anything other than just get overturned boat around 3:30 am (0730 spokesman Darren Caprara said, adding 16-8 record with a 2.86 earned run aver- leagues and was National League Rookie through the day.” GMT) on Sunday. that it can “take several days or can take age. The hard-throwing right-hander set of the Year in 2013. Fernandez’s final “We’re just handling it the best we Officials said Fernandez was killed as up to several months,” for the accident a club record with 253 strikeouts this start last Tuesday was one of the best of can, whatever way that is, for each guy,” a result of the impact. A Coast Guard investigation to be completed. season, and his 12.49 strikeouts per nine the two-time All-Star’s career. said Mattingly shortly before Monday’s spokesman told AFP on Monday the The investigation is being led by the innings led the majors. He came to the He tossed a season-high eight game. “We have a love for Jose, the way other two victims have been identified Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation United States from Cuba at age 15, after innings and struck out 12 in a 1-0 he played, his passion for the game, and as Emilio Macias, 27, and Eduardo Rivero, Commission. Fernandez was enjoying three failed attempts. shutout win over the Washington his energy for it. And I think our guys 25. “We are awaiting toxicology results,” his best major league season, posting a At 20, he broke into the major Nationals. —AFP Gordon hits emotional HR as mourning Marlins beat Mets MIAMI: Dee Gordon and the Miami Marlins wore their emotions on the sleeves of their No. 16 jer- seys. Jose Fernandez would have loved it. Gordon homered leading off the first inning for the Marlins, who totaled 14 hits and mixed cheers with the tears of the past two days by beating the New York Mets 7-3 on Monday night in their first game since Fernandez died in a boating accident. Adam Conley pitched three scoreless innings subbing for Fernandez, who had been scheduled to make his final start of the year. Justin Bour went 3 for 3 and Gordon had four hits, including one that will go down in Marlins lore. Paying tribute to their charismatic ace, the left-handed-hitting Gordon stepped to the plate as a righty leading off the first. After one pitch, Gordon switched to his customary left side - and pulled a 2-0 delivery into the upper deck for his first homer of the season. New York’s Bartolo Colon (14-8) allowed a season-high sev- en runs in 2 1/3 innings. Mike Dunn (5-1) pitched a perfect fourth for the win. New York still leads the NL wild-card race with five games to go. INDIANS 7, TIGERS 4 Cleveland clinched the AL Central title, over- BENONI: Australia’s David Warner hits a four during the One Day International (ODI) coming an injury to ace right-hander Corey cricket match between Australia and Ireland Monday, at Willowmoore cricket ground Kluber in a victory over Detroit. Kluber left after in Benoni, South Africa. —AFP four innings with right groin tightness, joining Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar in a group of talented Cleveland pitchers dealing with injuries. Khawaja and Smith But even those concerns were secondary when the Indians poured onto the field to celebrate peerless in Ireland rout their first division title since 2007. Buck Farmer (0-1) allowed four runs in five innings for the Tigers, who fell two games behind Baltimore for BENONI: Usman Khawaja and captain “It was difficult to come back from that.” the second AL wild card. Andrew Miller (10-1) Steve Smith shared an unbeaten 126-run Leg-spinner Adam Zampa was Australia’s HOUSTON: Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners hits a home run in the eleventh inning won in relief, and Cody Allen pitched the ninth partnership as Australia romped to a nine- most successful bowler, taking three for as catcher Jason Castro #15 of the Houston Astros watches it leave the park at Minute Maid for his 30th save in 33 chances. wicket win in a one-day international 37. He made good use of his variations, Park on Monday in Houston, Texas. —AFP against Ireland at Willowmoore Park yester- taking two wickets with googlies and one MARINERS 4, ASTROS 3, 11 INNINGS YANKEES 7, BLUE JAYS 5 REDS 15, CARDINALS 2 day. Khawaja made 82 not out and Smith with a flipper. Robinson Cano hit his second homer of the Mark Teixeira hit a tying homer in the Joey Votto and Adam Duvall hit two of an unbeaten 59 as Australia chased down a Zampa apart, a largely inexperienced game with two outs in the 11th inning, lifting ninth inning and Aaron Hicks added a win- Cincinnati’s four homers in a rout of St. Louis. Reds modest target of 199 with 19.5 overs to Australian bowling attack looked in need of Seattle over Houston. Houston scored two runs ning blast as New York avoided a four-game starter Tim Adleman (3-4) retired the first 10 spare. It was a second heavy defeat in a row more work ahead of the series against in the ninth, but then Cano sent a slider from sweep.Leading 3-2 heading to the ninth, Cardinals he faced and went a career-long seven for Ireland, who lost by 206 runs against South Africa. They sent down 13 wides, Luke Gregerson (4-3) into the second deck in Blue Jays manager John Gibbons called on innings. It was his first win since Aug. 19. Jaime South Africa at the same venue on Sunday, costing a total of 19 runs. right field to win.The victory moves Seattle two Jason Grilli (7 6) to close it out because Garcia (10-13) lasted just one inning in the short- but set the scene for what Smith expects to “It was a pretty good performance in games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild Roberto Osuna was unavailable after pitch- est outing of his career. be a tough five-match one-day series the end,” said Smith. “We need to work on card and drops Houston, which has lost four of ing the previous two days. Teixeira tied it between South Africa and Australia, start- the way we started with the ball but we five, to 3 1/2 games back in the race Drew Storen 3-all with a one-out drive into the second WHITE SOX 7, RAYS 1 ing at Centurion on Friday. came back nicely to bowl them out. We (4-3) pitched a perfect 10th for the win. Nick deck drive in right. Didi Gregorius singled James Shields pitched six effective innings for Ireland let slip a promising start, collaps- gave them too many freebies and we Vincent allowed consecutive singles to Jose and Hicks followed with a two-run homer.