The Miami Marlins and New York Yankees will close out spring training with a pair of exhibition games at Marlins Park in April.
After releasing its spring training schedule earlier this week, Miami added the two games against New York on Thursday. The two-game series will come after each club departs its respective spring complex from April 1-2.
This isn't the first time that the Yankees and Marlins will play exhibition games at Marlins Park. Before the ballpark opened officially in 2012, the teams played a pair of games. Those games gave the Marlins a chance to test out some features of the ballpark, and also open the place unofficially with an excited audience.
These games should start with both teams sending their regular lineups out. As the regular season begins shortly after the series, the teams will be looking to keep their players in game shape. It is expected that each player will see at least two at-bats, and it is likely that the starting pitchers will also be members of the regular rotation.
An extra interesting aspect of this game is that it will be the first time that Don Mattingly manages his new team at Marlins Park. Mattingly played with the Yankees for parts of 14 seasons and was a six-time All-Star. The former first baseman had a career .307 average and was widely considered one of the best Yankees during the 1980s.
Mattingly stayed with the Yankees even after he retired as a player. The 54-year old was a special instructor for New York before becoming hitting coach there. Mattingly would eventually move onto the Los Angeles Dodgers where he worked under former Yankees manager Joe Torre.
The Marlins will begin the regular season on April 4 against the Detroit Tigers at Marlins Park.
