Tony Fernandez

• Born: June 30, 1962
• Birthplace: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
• Died: February 16, 2020
• Place of death: Weston, Florida

Dominican-born baseball player

Fernandez, a Dominican-born professional baseball player, is considered one of the best shortstops to have ever played Major League Baseball. Fernandez played in the major leagues for seventeen seasons, twelve of which were with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Early Life

Octavio Antonio Fernández Castro, better known as Tony Fernandez, was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, on June 30, 1962. He grew up playing baseball, a highly popular sport in the Dominican Republic. When Fernandez was a teenager he attracted the attention of scouts from Major League Baseball (MLB) thanks to his strong play. The Toronto Blue Jays ultimately signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1979 and assigned him to their Syracuse, New York, AAA-level minor league team when he was nineteen years old.

Fernandez made his major league debut playing for the Blue Jays on September 2, 1983, at the age of twenty-one. During his first three seasons with the team, from 1983 to 1985, Fernandez played better each year and proved to be a solid hitter and an outstanding defensive specialist. By the 1985 season, he was the starting shortstop for the Blue Jays, playing in 161 games. Much of the Blue Jays’ success in the mid-1980s was attributed to the achievements of Fernandez and other Latin American players. Fernandez was known as a fitness fanatic, and his teammates gave him the nickname “Professor Gadget” because of his attempts to turn objects near the baseball clubhouse into fitness training gear.

Life’s Work

Fernandez quickly became one of baseball’s most exciting players. During his fourth season, at the age of twenty-four, he was voted a major league All-Star and won a Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence in the infield. He followed this in the 1987 season by setting franchise records with 200 hits in a season and a .322 batting average. Fernandez developed a reputation for being an outstanding switch hitter, who could hit equally well from the left or right side. He won three more Gold Glove Awards in 1987, 1988, and 1989.

Fernandez was part of a trade in 1991 that sent him to the San Diego Padres, and he remained on this team for two seasons and played in the All-Star game in 1992. In 1993 he began the season playing for the New York Mets, but he had a slow start and was traded back to the Toronto Blue Jays after forty-eight games. Playing the remainder of the season for the Blue Jays, Fernandez was instrumental in helping the team capture the American League pennant and win the 1993 World Series, in which he set a record for a shortstop by driving in nine runs.

In 1994, he played for the Cincinnati Reds and then the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians in 1995 before returning to the Blue Jays in 1998. In the 1997 season, while playing for the Indians in the World Series, Fernandez committed a rare fielding error that allowed the series-winning runner to get on base. This error was one haunting memory in an otherwise remarkable baseball career. His return to the Blue Jays in 1998 and 1999 saw him have two good seasons, batting over .300 in both years. In 2000, Fernandez played in Japan. He began the 2001 season playing for the Milwaukee Brewers and ended it by returning to the Blue Jays, retiring at the conclusion of the season. At the time of his retirement, he was the Blue Jays’ all-time leader in games played, at-bats, hits, and triples. He ranked second in Blue Jays’ history for doubles and third in batting average and total bases.

A dedicated Christian, Fernandez's religion created some challenges for him while playing baseball. In 1988, he outspokenly criticized his team manager for suspending road-trip chapel sessions, which his manager believed distracted the team from focusing on baseball. After retiring in 2001, Fernandez spent his time working for the Tony Fernandez Foundation, which provided aid to unprivileged children who want to play baseball. The foundation began helping children in the Dominican Republic and expanded its work to Canada and the United States. In 2003 Fernandez created a baseball camp for children in the Dominican Republic seeking to pursue their dreams of playing Major League Baseball.

Fernandez received the Toronto Blue Jays’ Level of Excellence, an award that recognizes his accomplishments as one of the greatest players in the team’s history. In addition, his name is proudly displayed on the outfield of the Blue Jays’ stadium.

In 2017 Fernandez revealed that he had been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. His health subsequently declined as he awaited a kidney replacement. In early February 2020 he was reported to be in critical condition at a hospital in Florida and was placed in a medically induced coma. His condition continued to worsen, and after being taken off life support he died on February 16, 2020. He was fifty-seven years old.

Significance

Tony Fernandez played the game of baseball with passion. He demonstrated exceptional defensive skills and achieved All-Star status, especially while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. In retirement he gave back to the Dominican Republic, the country of his birth, by providing financial aid for children playing baseball. A four-time Gold Glove winner and five-time All-Star, Fernandez is frequently listed as one of the top Blue Jays players and most iconic shortstops of all time.

Bibliography

Billheimer, John. Baseball and the Blame Game: Scapegoating in the Major Leagues. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2007.

Bjarkman, Peter. The Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto: B Mitchell, 1990.

Neyer, Bob. Big Book of Baseball Lineups. New York: Fireside Books, 2003.

Stewart, Mark, with Mike Kennedy. Latino Baseball’s Finest Infielders. Brookfield, Conn.: Millbrook Press. 2002.

"Tony Fernández." Baseball Reference, 2020, www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fernato01.shtml. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

"Tony Fernandez, Stylish All-Star Shortstop, Is Dead at 57." The New York Times, 16 Feb. 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/16/obituaries/tony-fernandez-dead-at-57.html. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.