Miami Marlins

The Great Ballpark Chase: A Day at the Beach

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loanDepot Park
The view from behind homeplate at Miami’s loanDepot Park. (Photo by Tim Russell)

(Contributing writer Timothy Russell returns with another set of entries in his Chasing Ballparks series. Leading off this year, Miami’s loanDepot Park.)

Some people vacation in tropical locales. Some visit historical places. Some go to northern Michigan.

For a baseball fanatic like me, there’s nothing better than chasing ballparks.

Planning starts the day the next season’s schedule is released, which is usually around the All-Star Break. It was delayed this year, drawing the angst of baseball fans around the country. The 2026 MLB Schedule dropped August 26th.

I registered for the Southern Slam tour with Coast 2 Coast Sports Tours in fall of 2024. We had to overcome a possible cancellation due to lack of participants and then a personal medical issue, but it ended up going off without a hitch.

So, we flew into Miami and the fun began at one of six stops along the way.

loanDepot Park is the home of the Miami Marlins. While I have always said, baseball should be played outdoors, it was nice having a respite from the oppressive Florida heat and humidity.

Clockwise from upper left, when they talk about playing in South Beach they aren’t lying; some palm trees adorn the exterior; like most sponsors loanDepot has its name on just about everything; a view of the massive glass panels in the outfield; a perfect selfie spot; and Marlins’ pitcher Jason Junk in mid-delivery. (Photos by Tim Russell)

loanDepot Park is located on the former site of the Miami Orange Bowl in the city’s Little Havana neighborhood, about two miles west of downtown Miami. Construction was completed in March 2012 as the sixth stadium to have a retractable roof, which is rarely open during most of the season.

A nice design feature is the six glass panels (240-feet long by 60-feet high) in the outfield, allowing one to look into downtown Miami.

There is also, what some call, the Monstrosity. It used to be the Marlins’ home run sculpture in center field. Some called it tacky and ugly while others said it captured the “essence of Miami.” It was later moved outside the stadium plaza, which is being redeveloped into a Miami Live! plaza for indoor and outdoor dining, as well as entertainment places. It should open in 2026.

The home run statue will activate every afternoon at 3:05 p.m., in honor of Miami’s area code.

The artwork some call “The Monstrosity” and some images of the Bobblehead Museum inside loanDepot Park. (Photos by Tim Russell)

And if you are into bobbleheads like I am, you’ll love the Bobblehead Museum out in center field. There are lots of bobbleheads from all teams, including past players, mascots, and special edition themed ones.

Field dimensions are fairly standard, compared to other stadiums. Down the left field line is 344 feet, in left center it’s 386 feet. The deepest part of the park is center field at 400 feet. It’s 387 feet to right center and 335 feet down the right field line.

The upper deck is frequently closed off, due to the Marlins’ low attendance problems. They will open the upper deck for high profile teams like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox e.g. teams that will draw bigger crowds.

Food-wise, one of the popular items would be the Cuban sandwich, although there are probably better ones at several places outside the stadium in Little Havana. The team also has a value section, called Familia Faves, where you can buy ballpark items like nachos, hot dogs, ice cream, or popcorn for $3 or $5, again in honor of the 305 area code.

As a Michigander, I was bummed to have just missed seeing the MLB debut of Michigan native Jakob Marsee. He’s from Allen Park, MI, went to college at Central Michigan University and I work with his grandmother.

Marsee ended up debuting with the Marlins just after the trade deadline. Originally drafted by the San Diego Padres in the sixth round in 2022. He was traded to Florida in the Luis Arraez deal in 2024.

Currently, Marsee is hitting .338 with four home runs and 23 RBIs.

As part of the tour, we do a score contest, trying to predict the correct outcome at each game. Closest to the correct score wins a prize, usually a mini bat or a logo ball.

Going into the ninth inning, the Kansas City Royals had a 7-0 lead. I had picked a 6-2 KC win, while Tara had picked a 7-4 KC victory. I was looking good for the win until Miami scored four unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth and I went back to the bus empty handed☹

I cursed Florida for scoring four meaningless runs all the way to the hotel. (OK, I didn’t, but it makes the story better:-)

The video board hangs high above loanDepot Park and the Marlins’ TV studio team of Craig Minervini, Jeremy Tache, and Rod Allen. (Photos by Tim Russell)

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The Fan Teaser: Week 118 Solution

DouglasTHillLeave a comment
Who is this and why are
they smiling today?

On Tuesday of this past week, three retired Major League Baseball players were contacted by the National Baseball Hall of Fame that they received the requisite 75% of the votes to be enshrined. Those players were relief pitcher Billy Wagner, starting pitcher CC Sabathia, and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.

Ichiro, who received a vote from all but – inexplicably – one voting member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, was this week’s Fan Teaser.

Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro’s at-bat routine was unique.

In the photo utilized, Ichiro is captured in the middle of his distinctive at-bat routine where he would hold the bat in his right hand, pointed skyward, in front of him, while adjusting his jersey near his right collarbone with his left hand, and leaning back ever so slightly.

Apparently it worked for him. After arriving in Seattle in 2001 following nine seasons with the Orix Blue Wave of Nippon Professional Baseball, Suzuki lashed hit after hit during 19 MLB seasons. He finished with 3,089 in the Major Leagues, set the single-season record with 262 in 2004, won both the Rookie of the Year (albeit as a 27-year-old) and American League MVP in 2001. All totaled, he was an All-Star each of his first 10 seasons in the United States during which time he also won the Gold Glove Award every season. If his stats from Japan are included, he would have 4,367 career hits (easily eclipsing Pete Rose‘s record of 4,256). As it is, Ichiro currently ranks 25th all-time. He’s one of just seven players with 3,000 career hits and over 500 stolen bases.

The Seattle Mariners released this tribute to Ichiro following the announcement of his Hall of Fame election.

Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.