Friend: I Begged Them Not to Go on Fernandez's Boat

Friend of one victim says pitcher was upset after fight with girlfriend
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 27, 2016 11:05 AM CDT
Friend: I Begged Them Not to Go on Fernandez's Boat
Jose Fernandez walks in the Marlins dugout before a baseball game against the New York Mets on July 23, 2016, in Miami.   (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Although Jose Fernandez was often seen heading out with friends to enjoy a day on the water, the night of his death doesn't sound particularly carefree, per USA Today. Shortly before he headed out on a boat early Sunday with friends Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Macias, who also died in the accident that killed Fernandez, the Miami Marlins pitcher was reportedly spotted at a bar in the city's Miami River District after he allegedly had a fight with his pregnant girlfriend, reports the Miami Herald. A rep for the American Social bar tells the Herald that Fernandez was hanging out there, likely at some point after midnight; CBS News has a photo of Fernandez at the bar that may have been the last picture of him. The trio then went out on Fernandez's boat, though it's unclear who was driving.

Will Bernal, a friend of Rivero's, tells the Herald that he believes Fernandez had been upset after a fight with his girlfriend, and that he had tried to convince the men not to go out on the water at night. "I told [Rivero] it was a horrible idea," Bernal tells Yahoo Sports. On Sunday, Bernal posted on Instagram what he says was his last text-message exchange with Rivero, telling his friend to "keep Jose cool" and "try to keep him close to shore if you go out." Rivero replied: "Trust me it's not my time yet." Bernal also implored Rivero to keep his Find My iPhone app turned on. "You died being a great friend," Bernal writes in his post to Rivero. "I feel guilty that I didn't do a better job of trying to convince you [to] not get on that boat." (More Jose Fernandez stories.)

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