SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – Four new renovated fields were unveiled Saturday at Miami-Dade’s Tropical Park. The Miami Marlins and the Miami Marlins Foundation donated $170,000 in 2018 to Miami-Dade County Parks so that the baseball and softball fields could be upgraded.
The fields used to flood when it rained, so the parks department installed a new irrigation system underground to make the water drain faster. The department also added new grass, new clay, a new fence and new railing. The dugouts have been redone and all the lighting has been refurbished.
At 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, eight teams from Miami Marlins RBI, the youth baseball and softball program, were expected to take to the field for the opening games of the season.
One youth softball player said she was excited about this year’s season for many reasons.
“I’m just glad we have a season this year. We didn’t have one last year and it really was sad,” Madison Londono, 18, said. As far as the upgrades, Londono said: “I think it’s awesome. That way people can keep playing for longer and that way we don’t have to play on ratty fields anymore.”