On night heavy with grief, Gordon produces magic

Dee Gordon was holding the bat. We know that.

But the forces that swung it through the strike zone?

Those are impossible to know, to quantify, to attribute.

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Carl Sagan says that “if you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” Maybe Sagan could explain the dynamics that were at work at Marlins Park on Monday night, but it’s a fool’s mission to even try.

Let’s just say that the magic Gordon delivered with a leadoff home run was a lot bigger than any one player, especially the smallest one on the field.

“We had some help,” Gordon said.

On Sunday, when the news of Jose Fernandez’s death was as fresh as it was heartbreaking, Martin Prado admitted it would be tough to go on.

“We’re not robots,” said Prado, the Marlins’ third baseman. “We’re humans. And we feel. … I understand the fact we have to play games, and we have to be professional. But deep in our hearts, there is a lot of pain.”

There was something almost superhuman about everything that the Marlins did on the ultimate Jose Day, when they returned to the field while profoundly grieving the horrific death of their …

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