Jose Fernandez's incredible trip to America and the mlb

Jose Fernandez would've turned 31 years old today. The star pitcher was cut down in his prime, at the end of the best season of his career. After just one season in the majors, Jose won the Rookie Of the Year award. In the following years, he would also make the All-Star team twice for the National League. He provided life to a Marlin's team that desperately needed it. He captivated people with not only his skills on the field, but also the excitement and energy he brought to the game. Anyone watching Jose play could immediately tell that he loved the game of baseball. His career though short, was just incredible. What's even more incredible though, is his story. 
Fernandez was born in Cuba and since his arrival in America, he's spoken openly about his insane trip to get there. Jordan Ritter Conn detailed Jose's journey back in 2013. When he was 13, Jose's stepfather left for the United States. Though it took him 14 tries, he eventually made it. Two years later, Jose and his mother decided to join his stepfather. And so they were off. 
On their first attempt, Jose and his mother got within ten miles of Miami, Florida, but were both caught and sent back to Cuba. As a result, Jose and his mother were put in jail. His mother lost her job; Jose was suspended from playing baseball and was kicked out of school. At this point, Jose felt that he had lost everything, and had no option but to keep trying to defect from Cuba. 
On the second attempt, the boat never came. 
On his third attempt, his boat ran aground, and he was stranded at sea for seven days before being rescued and returned to Cuba. Since Jose was caught before, his punishment was extremely harsh; being a traitor to Fidel Castro, and was sent to prison, even though he was only fourteen years old. His cellmate was a mass killer. Jose spent almost a month in prison before he was finally released, and when he was released, he was closely monitored by Cuban officials. 
His fourth attempt was not only the most successful, but it was also the most eventful, most dangerous attempt. Jose and a friend put on baseball gloves and headed to a baseball field to make it look like they were going to practice. Instead, however, Jose, his mother, and his sister got onto a boat and began their journey to freedom. For this particular trip, the waves were extremely dangerous, and this scared Jose. As they left Cuba, they were spotted by a Cuban coast guard, who unbelievably opened fire on the group's boat, as they escaped to sea. This was the beginning of a seven-day journey in extremely dangerous waters. Jose said he remembers the entire boat having seasickness and having to get up to throw up multiple times throughout the trip. Jose's sister reported that he even passed out for a full 24 hours straight at one point, though Jose has no recollection of this ever happening. 
On one particular night, Jose was up talking to the captain, when a series of large waves knocked a woman into the water. Jose immediately jumped into the water but didn't even know who it was. When he got to the woman, he discovered that it was his mother. It was pitch black and the waves were extremely violent but after 15 minutes, 15-year-old Jose was able to return to the boat, saving his mother from drowning. The boldness this used was the same boldness he pitched with, and it's part of the reason he was so likable. After about seven days at sea, the boat arrived in Mexico, but the journey was far from over. Unlike in America, a Cuban defector is not immediately free upon stepping onto Mexican land, and if they are discovered, they will be sent back to Cuba. Jose and dozens of Cuban defectors waited in the head of the traffic rings mansion for over a week to be picked up and brought to Texas. During a 36-hour bus ride to their destination, the bus was pulled over by police. However, the police stole all of the defectors' jewelry and let them continue. Soon after Jose made it to Texas and boarded a plane to Tampa, Florida. During his attempts at freedom, he'd been a traitor, a hero, and had experienced more traumatic events than any young person should. 
Upon arriving in America, Jose didn't know English, didn't know how to turn on a computer, and couldn't name a single MLB player. He was effectively going through a major culture shock. This would last until his time in the majors.
Jose was drafted 14th overall in the 2011 MLB draft. Before him, rookies didn't act like Jose. His behavior was looked down upon by other players. There's no telling what level Jose would be at had he lived.

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