The Marlins currently play at Dolphin Stadium, formerly known as Pro Player Stadium and Joe Robbie Stadium, where they have played since their inception in 1993.

Address:
2267 Dan Marino Blvd.
Miami, Florida 33056
(305) 623-6100

History

Planning began back in 1984 and the official announcement for a new stadium was made March 5, 1984. The site was cleared and prepared on July 22, 1985 and construction began December 1, 1985.

Financing for the stadium was mostly achieved through private means. The executive suites and club seats were licensed for 10 years; executive suites ranged from $30,000 – $90,000 per year while club seats ranged from $800 – $1,800 per year.

Completed in 1987 as the new home for the Miami Dolphins, the stadium was designed by architectural firm HOK and named after its owner, Joe Robbie. The Dolphins were in need of more modern confines, and in order to get that Robbie spearheaded an ambitious campaign to erect a new home for his NFL franchise that would meet the changing needs of the times.

Interestingly, the stadium was designed in anticipation of baseball someday coming to south Florida. Joe Robbie wanted a grandstand layout, with three levels, and the structure was set up to be wider than needed to meet this possibility.

On March 7, 1990, Wayne H. Huizenga officially laid the foundation to bring baseball to Miami. He agreed to purchase 50% ownership of the stadium, which enabled him to pursue a Major League franchise. In 1994, Huizenga would purchase the remaining 50% and have total control over the stadium.

The first baseball game played at then-named Joe Robbie Stadium was not the Marlins Opening Day game in 1993, but rather a preseason contest between the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 11, 1988.

The Stadium

In order to accommodate baseball at Joe Robbie stadium, several key changes were needed. A press box was added in the southwest corner for baseball, retractable seats were put into the left field area. This would be retracted for baseball but rolled out for football – this is also the reason behind the design of the Teal Monster. Also, the pitching mound was built on hydraulics so that it could disappear below the surface for football games.

On April 5, 1993, the Marlins played their first ever game as they hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The field at Dolphins Stadium is noted as leaning more toward the pitcher-friendly side of the game. This is reflected in the history of the Marlins and their style of play which has always been set up with successful pitching and defense. This is due, in part, to the dimensions of the field.

Here are the dimensions:
Left Field – 330 ft/101 m
Left-Center – 361 ft/110 m
Center Field – 434 ft/132 m
Right-Center – 361 ft/110 m
Right Field – 345 ft/105 m
Backstop – 58 ft/18 m

The most notable physical feature of the Marlins’ home field is its teal wall in left field. This architectural structure features out of town scores from both the American League and the National League, but it also features the lineup for both the home and visiting teams as well as a clock in it center panel. It has been affectionately dubbed the “Teal Monster” as it stands over 26′ tall and forces any hitter to earn a home run.

Another distinguishing feature of the park is the Bermuda Triangle out in the left-center portion of the outfield. It is one of the deepest parts of any ballpark in the big leagues as its apex is measured 434 feet from home plate. Balls hit to this part of the field usually would be home runs in other parks, but here could be outs.

As for capacity, the stadium has held up to 47, 662 for regular season games (1993) and has held over 68,000 fans during the playoffs. What makes this possible is the stadium’s design to hold football events and during those post season moments, the Marlins fans have come out in full force and have built some of the largest crowds and walls of noise any team has seen at that time of year.

If you plan on attending a game, here is a list of policies you may want to look over before you go. You will have to park in the parking lot, which costs about $10.

The Future

Due to the likelihood of rainouts, the Marlins have longed felt they needed a retractable roof to protect against meteorological concerns for their fans. Also, they have been heavily limited in generating revenue due to their lack of ownership rights at Dolphins Stadium, totally controlled by Wayne H. Huizenga. For these two reasons, the Marlins have sought to build their own home for their franchise – this vision finally was realized in February of 2008 when the Marlins announced they had finally received the financial tools needed to build their new stadium.

Follow this link to learn about developments regarding the Marlins new stadium, scheduled to open in 2011.