Rob Manfred: While facts unfortunate, Jose Fernandez's death still a tragedy

CHICAGO — New details about Jose Fernandez’s death do not change the fact it was a tragedy, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said.

The Miami Marlins pitcher had cocaine and alcohol in his system when he and two friends were killed in a boating accident in September, according to autopsy results obtained Saturday by Paste BN Sports. Fernandez’s blood-alcohol content was .147, nearly twice the legal limit in Florida.

The Sept. 25 crash killed Fernandez, 24, and his friends, Jesus Macias and Eduardo Rivero. The boat was owned by Fernandez, but it has not been determined who was driving.

“His death was a tragedy,” Manfred said before Game 4 of the World Series. “These facts were unfortunate. But it doesn’t alter the fact he was a great, great player, a good young man and he will be sorely missed in Miami.”

Fernandez’s death devastated the Marlins and the Miami community. The 2013 Rookie of the Year was one of the team’s most popular and personable players. He had defected from Cuba in 2008, finally reaching the United States on his fourth try. During that fateful trip, he had jumped into the water to save a drowning woman, not realizing until afterward that the woman he saved was his mother.

GALLERY: JOSE FERNANDEZ'S CAREER