Marlins Honor Jose Fernandez With Victory

     The Miami Marlins played their first game since the passing of pitcher Jose Fernandez and defeated the New York Mets 7-3 at Marlins Park on Monday night. The game started 15 minutes later than usual due to the pregame ceremony tribute to Jose Fernandez. All Marlins players and coaches wore Jose Fernandez number 16 black jerseys for the contest. Marlins management announced that nobody would ever wear the number 16 uniform again for the franchise.
     In the bottom of the first inning, Dee Gordon was the first Marlin to the plate and honored Fernandez by wearing his batting helmet and hitting right-handed on the first pitch. He changed batting helmets and switched to batting left-handed. Two pitches later he smashed a solo homer to right against Bartolo Colon for a Miami 1-0 lead. It was the first home run this season for Gordon.
     Miami(78-78) compiled a rally and added four more runs during the second inning. Giancarlo Stanton singled to center and Justin Bour hit a double off the top of the center-field fence. Stanton crossed the plate on an infield single to deep short by J.T, Realmuto. Adeiny Hechavarria drove in Bour with a ground-rule double to center to make it 3-0. Realmuto scored on a sacrifice by Adam Conley to the left side of the infield Gordon finished the rally with a base hit to center for Hechavarria to score.
     New York(83-74) surrendered another two runs in the bottom of the third. Christian Yelich led off with an infield hit and two batters later Bour followed with his first career triple to score Yelich. Hechavarria would eventually knock in Bour with a two-out single to center field when he faced Mets relief pitcher Gabriel Ynoa.
     The Mets broke the shutout during the fifth inning with two runs off Brian Ellington. Lucas Duda walked and Brandon Nimmo got a one-out hit. Two batters later, Asdrubal Cabrera doubled into right field to score Duda and Nimmo.