José Fernández: Marlins Player Allegedly Argued With Pregnant Girlfriend The Night Of Death

On Sunday, September 25, the Major League Baseball and the Latin community were shocked by the death of Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernández. The 24-year-old’s life was cut short in a tragic boating accident with two of his closest friends, Emilio Macías and Eddy Rivero. The Cuban pitcher entered the league in 2013, and quickly ascended baseball’s hierarchy of pitchers. He shattered expectations with his mind-blowing velocity, and sheer confidence on the mound. His smile and exuberance made him a teammate everyone wanted. Although his career was short, it definitely made an impact in the baseball community.

After the accident that took away his life, many were wondering what had happened, and People en Español spoke with Will Bernal, good friends with Eddy Rivero who also passed away in the boat crash, to shed more light into the events that led to the three young men’s demise. “Eddy told me that [Fernández] and his girlfriend were having some sort of discussion, but he wasn’t sure the extent of it,” Bernal told the magazine. He added that the pitcher was stressed, but Eddy didn’t know if it was a combination of a lot of things happening for Fernández at the time.

Bernal could’ve been on that boat too, but he declined an invitation. “I was home with my wife when I got a text from Eddy right before midnight,” he said, pointing out that he didn’t feel comfortable leaving the house at such hours on a boat. He later posted the grim conversation he had with Rivero, which would turn out to be their last.

It is suspected that one of the things that had José Fernández all stressed out was the fact that his current girlfriend, María Arias is expecting their first child, a daughter. The Marlins pitcher had just revealed the news a week ago, posting a photo of Arias at the beach showing her baby bump and captioning it: “I’m so glad you came into my life. I’m ready for where this journey is gonna take us together.”

Meanwhile, José’s ex-girlfriend of three years, Carla Mendoza, expressed her sympathies to his family, including María and the unborn baby in a lengthy Instagram post. “The heartbreak is unbearable. There was so much more to him than anyone could even begin to understand. I'm fortunate enough to have loved and be loved by José, and his family, for over 3 crazy beautiful years,” Mendoza wrote. “ My heart goes out to María, as she is expecting his child. Please honor José’s memory by respecting his daughter and her mother as I'm sure this is all too painful for her as well.”