MIAMI -- A day after fans said goodbye, family members and friends of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez said their last formal farewell at a private funeral Mass on Thursday at St. Brendan Catholic Church in Miami.Fernandez, 24, and two friends were killed in a boat crash off South Beach early Sunday.I think the most important thing is that he brought this community together around our game in a way that we havent seen with an individual player in a very long time,?MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPNs Pedro Gomez outside the Mass.Obviously, this is a tremendous loss for Joses family, for the Marlins organization, but really for all of baseball. He was that important to the game. He had an infectious way about him ... the way he played the game on the field, and I think people found that enthusiasm to be just really appealing.About 300 mourners attended Thursdays afternoon service, including Manfred, busloads of current and former Marlins players, Marlins executives Tony Perez and Andre Dawson and former Marlins manager Jack McKeon.?We werent supposed to be here today, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said.Its very difficult to understand this, the Rev. Jose Alvarez said. Why so young -- someone with such bright promise?The bilingual service lasted more than two hours, and much of the time was spent celebrating Fernandezs dynamic personality, rather than his exploits as the Marlins precocious ace.The bulletin for the Mass included three photos of Fernandez, and each captured his familiar grin.His magnetic smile could light up a ballpark, Loria said. He set the standard for making baseball fun.Pallbearers wore black Fernandez jerseys as they carried his casket, while Marlins manager Don Mattingly and third baseman Martin Prado read Scripture. The team has grieved in public and offered moving tributes to Fernandez while finishing out the final six games of the season, which ends Sunday.During the passing of the peace, players lined up to hug and console Fernandezs mother and grandmother, seated in the front row. He also left behind a girlfriend, who is pregnant with their child.He was a young man who was larger than life -- a good, kind-hearted, loving young man who loved life, who loved people, Alvarez said in his homily. He was a guy of enormous dimensions. Jose was too good for this league. Hes going to a higher league.Alvarez said Fernandez is already at work in heaven, noting the improbable homer hit by 170-pound Dee Gordon leading off the first inning of the Marlins emotional first game after the boat crash.A skinny little guy like that is not supposed to hit the ball that far, Alvarez said. Jose is busy, I guarantee you. Jose is still pitching. ... Jose, well never forget you. We ask that you never forget us.Fernandez and his mother defected from Cuba by boat on his fourth try when he was 15. He broke into the majors with Miami in 2013 and quickly became a local celebrity, thanks to his rare combination of charisma and talent, along with a backstory that resonated in South Floridas Cuban community.Fernandez was the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, but his proudest moment came when he bought his mother a house, said his agent, Scott Boras.He was crying, said Boras, crying himself. He said, Can you believe it?! I bought my mother a home in the United States!Boras also recalled a conversation with Fernandez after he had reconstructive elbow surgery, which sidelined him for 14 months in 2014-15.His first words in the recovery room to me were, You wait. Im going to be the best there is, Boras recalled.The hard-throwing right-hander went 38-17 in 76 starts over four major league seasons, but glittering statistics werent the reason Loria said Fernandez will never be replaced or forgotten.I prefer not to think of this tragedy as the end of his life, Loria said, but rather as the beginning of the legend.After the service, Marlins players were set to fly to Washington, D.C., to play the Nationals in their final series of the 2016 season.On Wednesday, Loria, Mattingly, hitting coach Barry Bonds and players including Ozuna?and Giancarlo Stanton wore white T-shirts emblazoned with Fernandezs image and the letters RIP as they slowly walked the hearse away from Marlins Park in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood. Many in the crowd of about 1,000 chanted Jose! Jose! and some waved Cuban flags in honor of Fernandezs heritage.Hundreds of fans streamed into St. Brendans Catholic Church later Wednesday for a public viewing, which was scheduled to last into the night. Many said they felt compelled to come, not only because of Fernandezs popularity as a player, but also because he was a hero to many in the Cuban-American community.Inside the church, mourners filed past a closed casket framed by flower arrangements in the shapes of the U.S. and Cuban flags, with a large family photo of Fernandez off to one side. Many touched the casket lightly and crossed themselves.The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In addition to Fernandez, Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and Eduardo Rivero, 25, also died in the crash.On Thursday, officials in Tampa said that a jersey worn by Fernandez in high school was missing after a candlelight vigil at his former high school. Officials at Alonso High School filed a police report, and authorities are asking whoever took the jersey to return it.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.Brad Hand Indians Jersey .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Indians Jerseys China . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/1638u-yu-chang-jersey-indians.html . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. Wholesale Indians Jerseys .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Hunter Wood Jersey . 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The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1.The New Zealand Breakers have avenged last years four-match losing streak to the Illawarra Hawks with a scrappy 100-85 win in Auckland on Friday.The Breakers, who led by as much as 25 midway through the second spell, had to fend off a third-quarter revival from the visitors before they secured their sixth win from 10 starts this season.The victory was anchored by an outstanding first quarter, won 33-16 by the Breakers, and provided an encouraging welcome for new signing David Stockton.The American point guard top-scored for the Breakers with 17 while former Hawks shooting guard Kirk Penney and Tom Abercrombie chipped in with 16 apiece.Corey Webster and Alex Pledger each contributed 14 to a strong all-round New Zealand shooting performance.Rotnei Clarke led the way for Illawarra with 17 points, while Marvelle Harris and Andrew Ogilivy each added 16.The Breakerss dominated the offensive boards, opening out to a 12-0 lead before the Hawks finally found their range.ddddddddddddIllawarra improved their damage control in the second quarter, but the Breakers were still finding plenty of space on the shot and extended their lead to 57-38 at halftime.Illawarra lifted their defensive intensity to launch a spirited comeback in the third stanza, taking the spell 31-23 to reduce the Breakers lead to 80-69 at the three-quarter mark.Harris led the way with an 11-point haul in the third quarter, while Kenny White underlined the Illawarra comeback with an emphatic three-pointer on the buzzer.But the Breakers maintained their composure to outscore the Hawks 20-16 in the closing spell and secure the win. 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