subject: Mlb Tickets- Marlins Park A Hit [print this page] While fans of the Miami Marlins can't say they've been "suffering" as long as Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Indians' fans, they are certainly no stranger to heartbreak. Any team that's won even one World Series in the last 20 years could be considered "lucky" in a sense. The Miami Marlins are one of only four teams -- along with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals -- to win not one World Series title but two since the Marlins' first year of existence in 1993. But while MLB tickets were a big hit in some of the other big markets, the Marlins hadn't truly found a home until now.
What's to complain about winning two World Series? For starters, the Marlins suffered an intense blow to fan morale after their fire sale in 1997. Because the Marlins didn't have their own baseball-only stadium, selling tickets was difficult in what was essentially the Miami Dolphins' football stadium. Former owner Wayne Huizenga knew that the team's financial success was unsustainable in the economic climate of the late-1990s, so without regard to the fan base, the team traded away all of their high-priced star players who helped them to win the World Series. The Marlins had to rebuild and start over from square one.
Due to the development of many of the younger players the team acquired from these trades, the team started to form a new identity. The 2003 season would see the Marlins come from behind to shock the baseball world, defeating the powerhouse New York Yankees in the World Series. With masterful pitching performances by their young stars like A.J. Burnett, Carl Pavano, Brad Penny, Josh Beckett, and Dontrelle Willis, the team seemed to have the pieces to make a sustained run. Once again though, fans and the team knew that they were in need of their own stadium to increase revenue in order to retain their young stars. After losing some of them to free agency (like Burnett and Pavano) and trading away others (like Josh Beckett to the Red Sox), the Marlins continued to build up their young prospects in hopes that a new stadium was on the horizon.
After breaking ground in July 2009, Marlins Park became a reality on Opening Day 2012 when the team took the field of Miami's first true baseball stadium. Due to the new ballpark, the Marlins were able to significantly increase their payroll and maintain it for once, acquiring players like Carlos Zambrano (via trade with the Chicago Cubs), Mark Buehrle (signed as a free agent from the Chicago White Sox), Heath Bell (signed as a free agent from the San Diego Padres), and shortstop Jose Reyes (signed as a free agent from the New York Mets). With several other key young players developing in the minor leagues and other players on the Major League roster like Hanley Ramirez signed to long-term contracts, the team has a bright, sustainable future for probably the first time in the team's entire history. From a fan's perspective, being able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that young stars will remain with the Marlins for many years to come is a dream come true.
