As we anticipate the excitement of yet another Miami Marlins Opening Day, let’s bask in the glory of some of the most memorable moments in Marlins history. Despite having a 12-16 record on Opening Day, the team has given fans plenty to cheer about over the years. Here are three standout moments that have cemented themselves in Marlins history:
Memorable Marlins Opening Days
1. First game in the Sunshine State
April 5, 1993, Marlins 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 3 at Joe Robbie Stadium
The state of Florida was no foreigner to the game of baseball. Spring training games had been played there for years, but it would not have its team till 1993. On April 5th, the Florida Marlins would make their debut against the Dodgers in front of 42,334 fans at Joe Robbie Stadium. In their inaugural game, Hialeah native Charlie Hough took the mound for the Marlins. His first pitch, and the Marlin’s first pitch, would be a knuckleball called for a strike. Mr. Marlin, Jeff Conine, would go 4-4 and Scott Pose and Walt Weiss would each have two RBI. The Florida Marlins would take the win on their first-ever Opening Day.
2. Fresh Look Down in South Beach
April 4th, 2012, Marlins 1, St. Louis Cardinals 4 at Marlins Park
After playing 19 seasons at Sun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens), the Marlins would move to downtown Miami. With this move came a new look and name for the then-Florida Marlins. The New Miami Marlins made their debut at Marlins Park on April 4th, 2012. The new park had a retractable roof, aquariums on both sides of the plate, and a home run sculpture. Josh Johnson took the mound for the Marlins but would be outperformed by the Cardinals starter, Kyle Lohse. Lohse held the Marlins hitless until the seventh inning and pitched into the eighth.
3. Aces Duel: Beckett vs. Smoltz
April 5th, 2005, Marlins 9, Atlanta Braves at Dolphins Stadium
The 2005 opener for the Marlins would be a pitching matchup between World Series hero Josh Beckett and future Hall of Famer John Smoltz. On this Tuesday afternoon, Smoltz would pitch one of the worst games in his entire career. He recorded just five outs and yielded seven runs (six earned) on six hits in 1 ⅔ innings. On the other hand, Beckett held the Braces to two hits and three walks in six innings. 1B Carlos Delgado would go 4-5 with 3 RBI, and RF Juan Encarnacion’s grand slam secured the win for the Marlins.
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