The Marlins aren’t a joke anymore, but they’re still hilarious
If you were to sum up Miami Marlins opening day in one word, it would be … oof.
By now, you might have heard about the Marlins getting stuck in a rain delay because a storm came and their retractable roof was open. That’s brilliant right here. Your knee-jerk might be to say, “Oh well, Marlins gonna Marlin,” but the fact of the matter is, the Marlins aren’t the joke that they were in years past.
They had a really good offseason, including signing Giancarlo Stanton, to the richest contract in baseball history. The Marlins could make the postseason this year, and that’s not “Back to the Future II” silliness. They actually might be a playoff team.
They dropped their opener 2-1 to the Atlanta Braves. It was hardly a laugher, but the Marlins showed us they’re still hilarious. Take into consideration these two glorious moments:
• Marcell Ozuna thought he made a diving catch in the outfield, but the ball was sitting right behind him. We all laughed, because we could see what he couldn’t — the ball sitting there. Ozuna, to his credit, tried his best to act like he had caught the ball. Good try, man.
• Then Dee Gordon, one of the Marlins’ new addition, laid down a very nice bunt in the bottom of the eighth, trying to help his team close that one-run deficit. With Gordon’s speed, it looked like a bunt base hit until … oof … he fell flat on his face. Maybe the rain was to blame there because the dirt was wet. Or maybe Gordon just stumbled.
Either way, we’re chuckling at the Marlins on opening day. But unlike years past, we wholeheartedly believe they could be a contender come September.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz