MIAMI (WSVN) - The Miami Marlins have opened their 2019 season at Marlins Park against the Colorado Rockies.
Thursday’s game marks the eighth year the Marlins will play at the stadium in Little Havana.
Manager Don Mattingly said, “As time moves forward, I think the fans in South Florida and the Marlins fans are going to like this organization. It’s going to be something that they can be proud of that, as time moves forward, they won’t be talking about the very first year that we had to remove some guys that were popular guys and did good things but all of the steps that we had to make to build this organization to something that we can all be proud of. We are a South Florida, Miami team, and we want our community to be proud of that. We want to play with energy. You know, we want to be a club the fans are going to be proud of.”
Before the game, players such as pitchers Tayron Guerrero, Pablo López and Sandy Alcantara could be seen outside of the ballpark greeting fans and taking pictures with them.
“Oh, I think it’s great. It’s wonderful. It’s nice to meet them,” one fan said.
“It’s refreshing, you know, to interact with the players, and it shows that the organization is very classy and has taken a good step forward,” another fan said.
The Fish performed well during spring training and ended with the fourth-best record in the Grapefruit League at 15-13. During the spring, the club tested out its prospects, while allowing their veteran players garner playing time thanks to shifting lineups.
The Marlins had a total of 63 wins last year, the worst record in the National League, but there is optimism among the players.
“We had a good spring. We really came together this spring,” outfielder Lewis Brinson said. “I know wins and losses don’t really matter to everybody else, but in this clubhouse it does. I think we’re going to take what we did in spring and carry it over the season.”
Thursday was the first time fans got to see the recent renovations to the ballpark.
Those renovations included new standing-room only sections, new concession stands and the homerun sculpture in left-center field was removed.
“We’re trying to keep this excitement for a long time,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “Like in two months from now, we should feel the same coming into the ballpark.”
“This being my second opening day, you know, I definitely have some nerves and some excitement, and you feel like a little kid getting to finally play again, so we’re all excited, and we’re just ready to get underway,” third-baseman Brian Anderson said.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.