Jose Fernandez, 24, penned an unbelievably sweet tribute to his pregnant girlfriend, Carla Mendoza, just five days before he died tragically in a boating accident in Florida on Sept. 25. “I’m so glad you came into my life,” the late Miami Marlins pitcher captioned a black-and-white Instagram photo of Carla standing on a beach, holding her baby bump. “I’m ready for where this journey is gonna take us together. #familyfirst”
Our hearts are seriously broken. Carla and Jose had been together for a long time. At a September 2015 Marlins game, Carla ran onto the field and embraced Jose to celebrate him becoming the first pitcher to win his first 17 career home decisions. He was also a two-time MLB All-Star and the 2013 Rookie of the Year. It’s so awful to think about how promising Jose’s future looked, both professionally and personally, as he looked forward to becoming a proud father.