What to Know
- Opening day festivities will start well before the first pitch, with gates opening at 10:30 a.m. and a pregame concert featuring DJ Khaled.
- The Marlins find themselves again pressing the restart button on the organization, a trend that has taken place several times with the team.
- Miami is under new ownership as a group led by former Yankees star Derek Jeter purchased the team last October from Jeffrey Loria.
It’s the moment that fans of the Miami Marlins have been waiting for as Thursday marks opening day for the 2018 season.
The Marlins will kick off their 26th season with a four game series against the Chicago Cubs. Opening pitch of the season is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. with Jose Urena getting the honors of starting the season opener.
Opening day festivities will start well before the first pitch, with gates opening at 10:30 a.m. and a pregame concert featuring DJ Khaled – who created the team’s anthem for the season. International music star and South Florida native Jason Derulo will sing the national anthem while Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez throwing out the ceremonial first pitches.
Miami is looking to break a streak in which they have lost their last three season openers – with the last win coming in 2014 against the Colorado Rockies in a game won by the late Jose Fernandez. All time, the Marlins have a losing 11-14 record on opening day but have a winning 10-9 record when they start the season at home.
It will be a new look for the Fish this season – gone are superstar names that were traded in the offseason including reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton, who was dealt to the New York Yankees. Other big names gone include Dee Gordon (Seattle), Marcelle Ozuna (St. Louis) and Christian Yelich (Milwaukee).
The Marlins find themselves again pressing the restart button on the organization, a trend that has taken place several times with the team and aggravated fans in the process. It’s not just on the field where new faces will be seen this season.
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Miami is under new ownership as a group led by former Yankees star Derek Jeter purchased the team last October from Jeffrey Loria, who was one of the most loathed men in South Florida after years of the team struggling on the field and a controversial deal that he worked out with city and county officials to help get Marlins Park built.
The Marlins and Cubs will also honor the victims of the mass shooting inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the opener, as both teams will wear patches with the letters MSD in a marron ribbon with 17 stars – one for each of the people killed inside the Parkland school on February 14th.
A similar logo will appear on a sign located in left field all season. The team will also host Douglas Day on April 15th when they face the Pittsburgh Pirates and have invited them to play rival Coral Springs High School at Marlins Park next month to go along with other promotions aimed at helping raise money for the victims and their families.
