MIAMI – The Miami Marlins were set to begin a new era at loanDepot Park for Opening Day on Thursday.
Dolphins legend Dan Marino was set to throw the ceremonial first pitch, but the real matchup on the mound will be one to watch: 2022 Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara will face the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year.
But it’s a special day for another reason: outfielder Griffin Conine will be on the Marlins’ Opening Day roster for the first time ahead of his dad, “Mr. Marlin” Jeff Conine, being inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on Sunday.
The younger Conine made his big-league debut with the Marlins last August.
“It’s awesome,” Griffin Conine said. “It’s really hard to put into words. Especially, we (have) the Hall of Fame induction coming Sunday, so I have a lot of family in for that (who) will be here all weekend. So it’s just really special.”
He added, “So few situations that end up like this, where I’m in the big leagues, but also for the team that my dad spent most of his career with. It’s super cool.”
The roof at loanDepot Park was open at around noon ahead of the 4:10 p.m. first pitch.
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