Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez got his start playing at Tampa's Alonso High School. In 2009, he helped take the team to the state championships.

  • Jose Fernandez was killed in a Miami boat crash Sunday
  • Fernandez, 24, took Alonso High to the state championships in 2009
  • Assistant Coach Pedro Toledo said he was 'a star'

“It was our first chance ever and he got us there,” Assistant Coach Pedro Toledo said. Fernandez, 24, died Sunday. Officials say he was boating with friends in Miami when the crash occurred.

Fernandez was 15 years old when he landed in Tampa on his fourth attempt to flee Cuba. He spoke no English and didn’t own any baseball gear.

“He didn’t have equipment,” Toeldo said. “He didn’t have anything. I gave him a bat that my son Tommy had. I gave him a shirt, a pair of slacks, shoes --  because I wanted him to feel like he’s here and welcome."

When Toledo watched Fernandez pitch, he said he was blown away.

"I went to the coach and said whatever you do, do not let this kid go,” Toledo said. “This kid is going to be a star for us."

Toledo said Fernandez had a fire for the game and always put his big personality on display. He said it was his hard work that defined him.

"If we had a 40 pitch bullpen, he would want to throw 50,” Toledo said.

That hard work brought him right to the major leagues. He was drafted after high school by the Miami Marlins.

"He was born to play baseball and he knew what he wanted and he worked his butt off to get there,” Toledo said.

He and two other people died when their 32-foot vessel slammed into a jetty off Miami Beach, authorities said.