MLB teams
Mark Saxon, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Aledmys Diaz on childhood friend Jose Fernandez: 'He was living the American dream'

MLB, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins

ST. LOUIS -- Two days after losing his childhood friend, Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, in a boating accident, Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz hit the first grand slam of his career Tuesday in his team's crucial 12-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

"It's amazing, you know," Diaz said. "To come back and hit that grand slam, I can't explain that. I'm very grateful."

After getting the ritual splash of water to the face from Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez, Diaz emerged to acknowledge a curtain call from the relatively small crowd -- announced as 34,286 -- at Busch Stadium that nonetheless was roaring its approval. Diaz doffed his batting helmet, then jabbed it at the sky and looked up at the stars.

"Every time I put on a uniform, I want to think of him and the way he played baseball. He gave everything every day," Diaz said. "I think that's his legacy for every MLB player, especially for the Cuban players. He was living the American dream. He made it, so every time I come here to this clubhouse and put on the uniform, I want to think of him."

The Cardinals trail the New York Mets by 1½ games for the first wild card and the Giants by one game for the second. 

Diaz, 25, grew up just a few houses down from Fernandez in Santa Clara, Cuba. Fernandez defected to the United States when he was 15, eight years before Diaz left the island in 2014.

Diaz spent Monday back in Florida with his family and Fernandez's mother and grandmother. Fernandez told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2015 that Diaz's father, Rigoberto, was the reason he became a baseball player.

The Cardinals were hesitant to use Diaz in the preceding games, in part due to his grief. He was due to pinch hit in Sunday night's game in Chicago but never got the chance because Aroldis Chapman struck out Jose Martinez and stranded Diaz in the on-deck circle as the game ended.

Tuesday's blast off Reds right-hander Robert Stephenson came in Diaz's second at-bat since Fernandez's death. Diaz said he feels he can best honor Fernandez by playing the game with passion and joy and competing as fiercely as Fernandez did.

"Even now, I can't believe it," Diaz said.

Stephenson was aware of Diaz's relationship with Fernandez.

"I thought that was real unfortunate timing for me," Stephenson said. "But really, a special moment for him."

"Watching him cross the plate and watching his reaction as he [shook hands] with the guys, [it] really hit me on how much that meant to him,'' St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "You can never understand what each person's going through when they suffer a loss like that. The show goes on, and so does life. But it's a tough thing for anyone to go through."

Diaz and Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena, a fellow Cuban, taped a No. 16 Fernandez jersey to the Cardinals dugout wall before the game. Pena predicted Diaz would hit a home run in Tuesday's game. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright compared it to Monday's home run by Marlins leadoff batter Dee Gordon, who cried after going deep against Bartolo Colon in the team's first game since Fernandez's death.

"I felt some serious goose bumps when he hit that, you know," Wainwright said. "I almost got choked up. I know he was and we were all excited for him, and he wanted to make some good swings for Jose, I'm sure. I don't know if there's a spot all year we needed that more than we did tonight."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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