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Jose Fernandez mourned at Marlins Park memorial in Miami

By The Sports Xchange
Miami Marlins fans wait on line to view and pay their respects to pitcher Jose Fernandez at Brendan Catholic Church in Miami, Florida, September 28, 2016. Jose Fernanedez, 24, died in a boating accident off of the South Beach jetty on Sunday September 25, 2016. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UP1
1 of 19 | Miami Marlins fans wait on line to view and pay their respects to pitcher Jose Fernandez at Brendan Catholic Church in Miami, Florida, September 28, 2016. Jose Fernanedez, 24, died in a boating accident off of the South Beach jetty on Sunday September 25, 2016. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UP1 | License Photo

A public memorial was held Wednesday in Miami to honor Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, who died early Sunday morning in a boating accident.

Teammates, Marlins personnel and hundreds of fans gathered at Marlins Park on Wednesday as a hearse carrying the pitcher's body waited until 2:16 p.m. - matching Fernandez's jersey number - to begin a slow crawl to St. Brendan Catholic Church. There will be a public viewing at the church from 5-11 p.m. on Wednesday.

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Fans lined the street and Marlins executives walked alongside the motorcade.

"I've never been involved in anything like that, and it's just -- I don't know how to describe it," Miami manager Don Mattingly told reporters. "Honestly, you're just going through it. You see the casket and things like that -- I don't know if that really hits home, but what's real is his mom, and I always go back to his mom over and over. It's hard to just see that. I can't even imagine that."

Fernandez, 24, was one of the bright young stars in Major League Baseball and was immensely popular in South Florida, where his tale of escaping Cuba with his family as a boy and growing up in United States was familiar to many.

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The Marlins canceled Sunday's contest after learning of Fernandez's death, and games on Monday and Tuesday proved to be emotional experiences for players around the game.

Pictured is the rocky jetty off of South Beach, Florida as Miami Fire Rescue checks the boat upside down that Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez was in when he died in a boat crash Sunday, September 26, 2016. File/UPI
"We're all coming together, giving support the way we can, whether it's chanting, clapping, saying his name, just being there, silent, having your own thoughts," Miami right fielder Giancarlo Stanton said at the memorial. "It's all helping the cause."

Fans and teammates stood in line to sign a pillar outside the stadium that has been painted with Fernandez's number.

Fernandez's family will hold a private funeral service on Thursday along with teammates and staff.

Martin Prado and Marcell Ozuna, who declined an invitation to join Fernandez on the fateful boat ride, were chosen to give readings at the service.

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