Marlins executives travel to Cuba to remember Fernandez

The Miami Marlins organization, still reeling from the tragic death of Jose Fernandez, is continuing to find new ways to honor his memory.

Marlins president David Samson and president of baseball operations Michael Hill traveled to Fernandez's native Cuba this week to take part in a memorial Mass for the pitcher, who died in a boating accident in the early hours of Sept. 25 at age 24. The service took place in the town of Santa Clara, where Fernandez spent his childhood years before defecting to the United States as a teenager.

"We've said he was family and always will be, and we meant it," Samson told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. "Mike and I didn't give it a thought. We felt it was definitely appropriate to go there."

Samson added that the Mass itself was an "emotional" experience.

During their two-day trip, Samson and Hill also visited the home of Fernandez's grandmother, and met with Fernandez's childhood baseball coaches who shared stories of the young pitcher learning the game as a kid. The visits not only gave the executives a firsthand glimpse into Fernandez's life in the communist country, but also shed some light on the late right-hander's magnetic personality and love of his sport.

"The most amazing part of it was we heard he was the same vibrant personality as a 7-year-old," Samson said. "At seven, he was talking about how he was going to be one of the best pitchers in the world.

"They (his coaches) would pitch him in a Little League game, and then he'd say he was going home and (instead) go to another Little League field and pitch again."

The Marlins retired Fernandez's No. 16 immediately following his death.