Fernandez’s death hits McCullers hard

HOUSTON — Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. knew Jose Fernandez about as well as anyone in baseball. They were both star high school pitchers in Tampa, Fla., and quickly befriended each other shortly after Fernandez defected from Cuba, and they eventually became workout partners.

McCullers had even talked with Fernandez just a couple of weeks ago about a possible offseason fishing trip. They were two of the game’s young stars on the rise. That’s what made Sunday morning’s news of the death of Fernandez, the Marlins’ ace pitcher, in a Florida boating accident so hard to digest for McCullers, who held back emotions talking about his friend.

“I knew him pretty much right when he came over from Cuba in Tampa,” McCullers said. “We started training together in the summers and offseasons and that kind of developed into a really good friendship that had been kept up with ever since.”

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