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5-year Marliniversary: José Fernández dies in boating accident

Heartbreak and hard-fought losses are part of baseball.

Perhaps the saddest day in the history of the Miami Marlins had nothing to do with anything that happened on the diamond. It occurred on this day five years ago.

In the early hours of Sept. 25, 2016, Marlins’ pitcher José Fernández was confirmed by the U.S. Coast Guard to be one of three men dead in a boating accident at Miami Beach. He was 24 years old.

The three men were had been boating in a 32-foot vessel after dark. It ultimately struck a jetty and flipped over.