Toronto Blue Jays Great Tony Fernandez in Critical Condition
Some scary news in the world of baseball greats as longtime Toronto Blue Jays legend Tony Fernandez is in critical condition.
Per sources, the five-time All-Star is in critical condition due to a kidney issue. This is the second time the now 57-year-old has made a hospital stay since 2017. It’s also the second time a hospital trip has envolved kidney issues. Back in 2017, Fernandez was hospitalized for roughly a week with Polycystic Kidney Disease.
The disease takes place when a cyst develops inside the kidneys, thus interfering with their ability to filter waste products from the blood. Fernandez seems to have the autosomal dominant form of PKD and is a genetic disease.
Blazing a Historic Path
Fernandez is arguably one of the more historic individuals in Toronto’s history. He currently rests as the franchises leader in hits (1,583) and games played (1,450). He established himself as the most productive Blue Jay player in their history. He’s the current Blue Jays leader in WAR among position players (37.5). He was just as strong on the defensive side, retiring as Toronto’s leader in defensive WAR (12.4), a mark that still stands to this day.
Fernandez’s 12 years with the Blue Jays came in stints with the most notable coming in an eight-year stretch. That stretch happened between 1983 and 1990 and included three of his five All-Star appearances. During that same stretch, more specifically from 1986-89, Fernandez won four straight Gold Glove honors.
The Dominican Republic native also played for six other teams during his 18-year playing career. That included a two-year stint with the San Diego Padres before becoming quite the team traveler playing one year each for the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers.
Fernandez retired from the game back in 2001 and did so with a career slash line of .288/.347/.399. Fernandez also produced a career mark of 844 RBI.
While the conversation right now revolves around his health, the baseball world will forever remember the memorable career of Tony Fernandez.
