Eighteen months after his death, the Miami Marlins are reportedly planning to honor Jose Fernandez with a plaque outside Marlins Park, reports David Lang of ABC 10. Broadcaster Felo Ramirez will also be honored with a plaque.
Here are some more details from Lang:
The Miami Marlins are planning to place a plaque outside Marlins Park to honor Jose Fernandez.
According to a team source, the team is currently painting the wall outside Marlins Park that served as a makeshift memorial to the pitcher, who was killed in a boating accident on Sept. 25, 2016.
Fernandez and two others were killed on September 25, 2016, when a boat he was piloting crashed into a jetty off the coast of Miami Beach. An investigation determined Fernandez had alcohol in his system at the time of his crash.
Former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria was planning to erect a statue in Fernandez's honor outside Marlins Park, though some in Miami protested the statue given the fact Fernandez died -- and two others were killed -- while driving the boat intoxicated.
Loria sold the Marlins to a group led by billionaire Bruce Sherman and future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter last year. The Sherman/Jeter group presumably decided a plaque was a more appropriate way to honor Fernandez.
Fernandez's No. 16 was retired last year. It was the first retired number in team history aside from Jackie Robinson's universally retired No. 42.
