MIAMI -- Dee Gordon and the Miami Marlins wore their emotions on the sleeves of their No. 16 jerseys.Jose Fernandez would have loved it.Gordon homered leading off the first inning for the Marlins, who totaled 14 hits and mixed cheers with the tears of the past two days by beating the New York Mets 7-3 on Monday night in their first game since Fernandez died in a boating accident.We were hitting balls underwater pretty much, slugger Giancarlo Stanton said. Our eyes were full of water.Adam Conley pitched three scoreless innings subbing for Fernandez, who had been scheduled to make his final start of the year. Justin Bour went 3 for 3 and Gordon had four hits, including one that will go down in Marlins lore.Paying tribute to their charismatic ace, the left-handed-hitting Gordon stepped to the plate as a righty leading off the first. After one pitch, Gordon switched to his customary left side, and pulled a 2-0 delivery from Bartolo Colon into the upper deck for his first homer of the season.The improbable clout brought tears, even from Gordon. He began crying as he circled the bases.It seemed like it took forever, he said. I was trying to get back to my teammates as fast as possible. I was just wondering why Jose wasnt there standing on the top step cheering for me.After crossing the plate Gordon tapped his chest and waved toward the sky, and sobbed as teammates hugged him in the dugout.Stanton said the homer from the 170-pound Gordon was unbelievable but easy to explain.Pure emotion, Stanton said. Theres no other way it could be scripted, unless youre in a movie rewriting everything that just happened.Even the Mets appreciated what Gordons homer meant.I saw him crying when he rounded first base, Mets catcher Travis dArnaud said. I was crying too.Each of the Marlins wore black jerseys bearing Fernandezs No. 16 and name, a tribute they had suggested. Stanton delivered an emotional speech as the entire team gathered at the mound moments before the game, and then contributed a hit, a run and a running, lunging backhanded catch in right field to rob Jay Bruce.The portly Bour hit his first career triple, which he capped with a belly flop into third before rising to strike a muscleman pose that had his teammates and the crowd of 26,933 smiling.Anytime JB slides headfirst, its kind of funny, Miami manager Don Mattingly said.Conley returned from finger tendinitis that had sidelined him since Aug. 13, and was followed by eight relievers. Mike Dunn (5-1) pitched a perfect fourth, and Scott McGowan retired pinch-hitter Kelly Johnson with the bases loaded to end the sixth.A.J. Ramos pitched a hitless ninth. When he retired Curtis Granderson to end the game, the Marlins gathered once more around the edge of the mound and bowed their heads, and then tossed their caps onto the dirt and kneeled, tears flowing yet again for Fernandez.Its his spot, Mattingly said. Just kind of saying bye.An hour after the game, with the ballpark empty, the players again gathered at the mound for several minutes. Twice there was the sound of laughter.TURNAROUND FOR METSColon (14-8), mourning Fernandezs death himself, allowed a season-high seven runs in 2 1/3 innings.It was very difficult for everything theyre going through, Colon said through an interpreter. Its very difficult for me, too, because it was someone that I had some sort of relationship with. Jose looked up to me, and we got along well.The blowout was a big change for the Mets, who began the week on a stretch of outscoring opponents 25-0 over a two-game span.New York still leads the NL wild-card race with five games to go.PREGAMEBefore the game, Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich tweeted a photo of Fernandezs locker accompanied by the message: Tonight this ones for you buddy. Watch over us.The pregame ceremony included a slow, solemn solo trumpet rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Following the national anthem, New York manager Terry Collins led his Mets across the field to share hugs with the Marlins. The mood was such that Miami batting coach Barry Bonds even hugged each of the umpires.The Marlins then clustered around the mound and scratched out Joses number or a message of affection in the dirt.Its a tough game on the Mets too, Mattingly said. They handled that with such class.TRAINERS ROOMMets: RHP Noah Syndergaard, who missed Saturdays start with strep throat, was cleared to pitch Tuesday. ... LHP Steven Matz (shoulder) was examined by a doctor Monday and isnt expected to pitch this week, making it unlikely hell be available in the postseason.UP NEXTSyndergaard (13-9, 2.63 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday against RHP Tom Koehler (9-12, 4.02 ERA). Syndergaard lasted only 3 2/3 innings in his most recent start. Ryan Zimmerman Nationals Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Fake Nationals Jerseys . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. https://www.cheapnationals.com/707r-sean-doolittle-jersey-nationals.html . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Fernando Rodney Nationals Jersey . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Anibal Sanchez Jersey . LOUIS -- St. Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR.Turn 1: What did you think of the new Bristol?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: The New Bristol was a success. Each event was entertaining, each race had drama, and the facility appeared well attended on Saturday night before the rain began. It also appears that this magic Racing Glue will add value at other tracks, perhaps New Hampshire, Phoenix, or any flat race track that needs help establishing a legitimate second groove.John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: Some of the drivers seem to think that putting down resin on the inside line helped the racing. But this kind of managed competition goes against my purist instincts and it shows how far NASCAR (and other sanctioning bodies) will sometimes go to create the perception of a better show. I suppose the Bristol precedent could open up additional opportunities for the future. Why not wet down the corners in the Brickyard 400 to spice things up? Or build a chicane on the Long Pond straight at Pocono if that will possibly help things? The moral of the story: Be careful what you wish for from a resurfaced track.Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: Liked it, and it certainly is something to build on. Two grooves make for good racing. Pure Bristol fans might prefer a faster lower groove where drivers would need to do more a bump-and-run, but this marked a good first step. The key: Dont make changes until they get some idea on how the cars should race there with the proposed 2017 package that reduces downforce and sideforce.Marty Smith, ESPN.com: Just fantastic. The awesomeness of a legitimate bottom groove at Bristol lived in a remote nostalgic corner of my mind. I wondered if wed ever see it again. And suddenly, boom! It was back! And gracious was it awesome. It also sold about 30,000 tickets to the race next spring. Attendance this spring was downright depressing, and in that market -- especially with the Battle at Bristol added to the 2016 schedule -- folks had to choose wisely where to spend their ancillary dollars. The spring race lost out. Even despite the rain, the return of the bottom groove harkened some old school chrome bumper lovin. Hallelujah.Turn 2: Chris Buescher has had some impressive runs. Could he do something in the Chase?Craven: The fact Chris and his small underfunded team won, and will likely make the Chase is amazing enough. All sports enthusiasts live for the underdog story, its so easy to become engaged with. But I cant see this group getting beyond the second round, at best. Not this year.?Oreovicz: It would certainly be a cool story, but I dont see it happening. Stringing together a series of top-10s might advance a driver into the second round, but youve got to run in the top five and contend for wins to make it to Homestead. Bueschers competitiveness is on an upward arc, but I dont see him reaching the Elite Eight or Final Four this year.Pockrass: Doubtful. He might get out of the first round if other drivers have problems, but getting to the final eight requires more consistency than what this team has shown.Smith: Really talented young ddriver -- doing a lot with a little.dddddddddddd Hell be out of the Chase after Round 1. Haves and have-nots, man.Turn 3: Jeff Gordon is out in the No. 88 this week due to a prior commitment. If Dale Earnhardt Jr. has to miss the rest of the season, whats the best plan for a replacement driver?Craven: Perhaps a consortium of drivers from JR Motorsports along with William Byron. This would help bridge the gap until more clarity exists for Dale Jr.s future, but this wont go a long way in helping the team. Gordon, even at 45, is the greatest choice for the team. He is dependable, predictable, and very wise. Gordon mentoring Hendricks (JR Motorsports) young drivers would be extremely valuable. If Gordon would be willing to do it is another story.Oreovicz: Tough one. Its probably time to end the Gordon experiment; hes already run more races than originally expected and it doesnt look like theres a miracle win in the making. Unless Gordon is toying with a semi-regular comeback, he should probably get back to the business of being retired. Alex Bowman isnt a bad choice, and Hendrick also has the opportunity to try out other young drivers the team might have an eye on in terms of developing for the future. Too bad William Byron isnt quite ready to make his Cup debut ...Pockrass: Bowmans performance at New Hampshire shows he deserves at least a few more chances in the car. If it is the rest of the season, putting Elliott Sadler in for Talladega wouldnt be a bad idea.Smith: Probably Gordon, though its clear hes only participating now because Rick Hendrick needs him, not because hes especially having the time of his life. I thought maybe Carlton Banks would be a good choice. He won that Toyota Celebrity Race. Or Jamie Little. She can wheel. McDreamy is available. All kidding aside, I just want Dale Jr. healthy and happy and fulfilled.Turn 4: Which team and driver gives the Toyota camp a run for their money in the Chase?Craven: Kevin Harvick, With Brad K a close second.Oreovicz: Another tough one, because I see four drivers in two teams as the strongest non-Toyota championship contenders: The Penske duo of Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, and Harvick and Kurt Busch of Stewart-Haas. Busch is a risky pick; he could win five races and the title, or he could drop out in the first round. That leaves Harvick as the more logical SHR choice, and he should be there at the end if the No. 4 team performs like they did at Bristol. It would certainly be amazing if the Penske Racing 50th anniversary celebration ended with a championship at Homestead, and I like Keselowski as the man most capable of making it happen against very formidable opposition from Toyota.Pockrass: Stewart-Haas Racings Harvick appears as the main challenger. No other driver than him and those in the Toyota camp have led more than six percent of the laps this year. Keselowski and Logano? Maybe if NASCAR used the 2017 rules package in the Chase, but its not.Smith: Kevin Harvick.? ' ' '
