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Dee Gordon paid tribute to Jose Fernandez by batting from the right side of the plate, then he homered

By Michael Clair

There was not a dry eye in the stadium before the Marlins' 7-4 victory against the Mets on Monday. Just a day after José Fernández passed away in a tragic boating accident, and after the Marlins had postponed their game against the Braves, the team was back to play a game. 
During a beautiful pregame tribute, the Marlins took the field in Fernandez's No. 16 jersey: 

And drew his number into the dirt around home plate and the mound: 

The two teams even came together in embrace: 

When it was the Marlins turn to come to bat in the bottom of the first, the left-handed-hitting Dee Gordon stepped into the right-handed side of the box -- the one that Fernandez swung from. After taking the first pitch from Bartolo Colon and switching helmets -- presumably he was wearing Fernandez's helmet -- Gordon hit his first home run of the season. 

That's a touching and heartbreaking tribute you could never plan for. 
When the game was over, the Marlins again joined around the mound that Fernandez was so dominant on. They kneeled down and left their caps to remember their teammate and friend. 

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