Diaz on Fernandez: ‘He loved this game’

ST. LOUIS — After spending much of Monday in Miami, where he mourned the loss of Jose Fernandez alongside family and close friends, Aledmys Diaz returned to St. Louis ready to pay tribute to the childhood friend who died early Sunday in a boating accident.

That tribute began with Diaz hanging a No. 16 jersey in the Cardinals’ dugout before Tuesday’s game against the Reds, and it continued when he launched a grand slam in the fourth inning. Diaz insisted that the most appropriate way to honor Fernandez is to forever play the game as he did.

“I think the best way to honor him is to come here every day and play this game 100 percent,” said Diaz, who grew up a few houses down from Fernandez in the Cuban neighborhood of Santa Clara. “That’s what he would want. I will go out there and play 100 percent every day and give my team a chance to win, like he did.

“He reminded us how fun this game is. He loved this game. He liked to compete. Going forward, I have to love the game even more. Every chance I have to put on the uniform, I have to give everything I have today. That’s the legacy he gives us.”

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