Craig Minervini (Transcript)

Robby Incmikoski: Miami, San Diego, Arizona—these are cities that have so much to compete with. People are from all over the place, or you have the beach, Disney World, nightlife, etc. Then you go to places like St. Louis and Boston, where they’re baseball crazy. The Marlins make the playoffs, and people wonder, “Are there great seats? Is the food good?” You know what I mean? It’s just not a pure baseball city. What is the vibe like for baseball in Miami?

Craig Minervini: The Marlins haven’t won in this ballpark—loanDepot Park—yet. They made the playoffs a few years ago in 2020 and then again in 2023, but they didn’t have any home games in the postseason. They had a series win with Don Mattingly back in 2020, but this most recent time they were the Wild Card, went on the road to Philly, and lost a couple games. So we haven’t experienced what we had in the old ballpark (at the old stadium), where they drew over three million fans, had 65,000 for the playoffs, etc.

Miami will draw, but you’ve gotta be a winner to push it over the top. Another issue is the location—it’s in Miami-Dade County at the site of the old Orange Bowl. The Dolphins moved from that area in the mid-’80s to get closer to the center of the population, so it can be tricky to get there. But it’s a beautiful ballpark if you’ve been. Most importantly, it took the weather element out. Crazy thing is, in their history, they haven’t had that many rainouts, but they used to have tons of rain delays. Covering the team nightly, you’d see the team president or the operations folks looking at radar, trying to figure out a window to start at 8:30 or 9:00. Now, with the roof and air-conditioning, it’s a beautiful place to watch a game.

Robby Incmikoski: Part of the beauty of baseball is that ballparks reflect their cities—Wrigley has the ivy, Fenway the Green Monster, Pittsburgh the Clemente Wall and bridges, Arizona has a pool, etc. loanDepot Park had that big home-run sculpture that was so typically Miami. Then Derek Jeter had it removed outside. What was everyone’s reaction to that sculpture?

Craig Minervini: It was polarizing. Everybody had an opinion—either you loved it or hated it. I liked it. When Giancarlo Stanton would homer and the fish would go around, it was fun. It was a two-million-dollar sculpture by Red Grooms, a New York artist who also has work in the 9/11 exhibit. Jeffrey Loria was an art dealer, so he had Red do that piece. When Jeter came in, they moved it outside, and Mr. Loria wasn’t thrilled about that.

I thought it was a focal point. It was a little goofy, but some fans didn’t like it. Then they changed the wall color too—there used to be that lime green, which I never liked. The fences were also too high and too deep, so they moved them in a couple times. It’s still not a great hitters’ park, but it’s different. It holds about 36,000 seats, so there isn’t a bad seat in the house. If they draw 15,000 or 20,000, it’s pretty loud in there.

Robby Incmikoski: Tell me about that fish tank behind home plate.

Craig Minervini: The fish tank is no longer there, though most of the fish are, from what I understand. They tested that glass repeatedly because the fear was a foul ball or a line drive might shatter it and spill exotic fish everywhere. I liked it—it had that Miami tropical feel behind the plate. But the upkeep was crazy. It’s hard enough to keep a saltwater tank at home, let alone in a stadium. Still, it was different and part of the early Marlins Park vibe when it opened in 2012.

Robby Incmikoski: Then changes happened: Sherman took over, Jeter was there, then he wasn’t. They shifted it to something more straightforward. Gone were the crazy colors, the tile, the pool area behind the bullpen... How did fans react to these modifications?

Craig Minervini: Most people liked the changes overall. As for the sculpture, I’d say it was 50/50. Broadcasters would come in and either love it or hate it. But I think the ballpark ended up looking more like a “regular” ballpark and less circusy. The new blue color is more traditional. I understand Jeffrey Loria gave it that Miami flair, but that lime green was just so unusual for a Major League park. Over time, some of it got covered by banners or ads, so it wasn’t as glaring.

They lowered the fences more than once. I love watching guys try to rob homers—it’s one of the most exciting plays in baseball. They also took out the pool at the Clevelander bar. That was basically a shallow pool people didn’t really swim in, more of a pond with some kids in it. Arizona’s more of a party scene with their pool, but anyway, a lot of fans prefer the new look. I haven’t heard anyone say, “I don’t like this place.” Plus, weather isn’t an issue with the roof, which more parks should consider.

Robby Incmikoski: That stadium used to have all these elements: the home-run sculpture, the fish tank, the Clevelander pool with dancers right next to the visitors’ bullpen. It was a party at a baseball game, right? How much did fans embrace that?

Craig Minervini: Very loud. I’d have to double-check, but at one point the Marlins might have moved their bullpen. The music in the Clevelander area was so loud, they could barely hear the bullpen phone. I remember times the manager tried to call for a reliever, but you couldn’t hear anything. It was like a nightclub in South Beach. Fans loved going there; I did stories out there. There’d be home-run balls flying in. It was definitely a scene.

Robby Incmikoski: Were you working the game after José Fernández passed away, when Dee Gordon hit that homerun?

Craig Minervini: Yes, I did work that. Tragic situation—it’s tough to put into words. That’s the kind of game you don’t want to work, but it happened.

Robby Incmikoski: Talk about José and his impact on baseball in South Florida. A Cuban-born guy, him and his grandmother were super tight, the story of how he defected... What did José Fernández mean to baseball and South Florida?

Craig Minervini: He started what we now call “Sandy Day,” but originally it was “José Day” when he pitched at home. He brought more fans out; he was electric. I’ve never met anyone like him in sports. We miss him to this day. He was such a kidder, elbowing you in the clubhouse whether you were a broadcaster, a clubhouse guy, or a fan in the eighth row. He’d say hi to people before they could say hi to him.

He loved being American. When he got his residency, we had cameras there; he was so excited. He’d watch the Friday-night fireworks at the park in full uniform—like a 7-year-old. He made the team because of an injury at the end of spring training, and after that, whenever he pitched, it was special.

Sadly, he made the decision to go out on that boat and it cost three lives, not just his. But as far as the player and person we got to know, I’ve never seen anyone like him.

Robby Incmikoski: On that day, Dee Gordon hit his only homer of the year and was crying rounding the bases. What was that moment like?

Craig Minervini: It was unbelievable. Dee went to the right side of the plate to honor José, then switched to the left side. He hit it off Bartolo Colon. It was the only homer he hit all season, and the longest of his career. He was crying with his head down as he ran the bases, and the crowd immediately knew the moment’s meaning. It wasn’t just “1-0.” It was in memory of José. All the players wore the “Fernández 16” jerseys. I can’t describe the emotion. Then everyone gathered around the mound with the number 16 painted on it. Nobody will ever forget that.

Robby Incmikoski: Let’s move on to Ichiro, a surefire Hall of Famer, who got his 3,000th hit with the Marlins at Coors Field. That’s kind of wild. You were there. How cool was that?

Craig Minervini: It was a great moment—the triple to right center. Rich Waltz had a nice call: “3,000 is in right field!” Something like that. Everyone wanted him to break it at home, but it ended up on the road. Still, it was a big buildup. All the players came out; the Colorado crowd gave a nice response.

Ichiro threw the ball so well too—line to line. And I’ve never seen so many specific stretching routines from a player every single day. For his age, he was unbelievably flexible and well-conditioned. That 3,000th hit moment at Coors Field was one of the great moments in Marlins history.

Robby Incmikoski: Let’s talk about Shohei Ohtani’s incredible night at loanDepot Park—hitting three homers, driving in 10 runs. That might be the greatest single-game performance in baseball history.

Craig Minervini: It was unbelievable. In August, we were hyping him possibly getting to 50 homers in Miami. Then he went a week without one, came in with 47. The significant part was that manager Skip Schumaker didn’t intentionally walk him with runners on second and third; he said, “No, we have too much respect.” Ohtani ended up hitting it out to left field, ironically, even though fans were jammed into the upper deck in right field. He actually hit three that night, including one off a position player. He had six hits and 10 RBIs—a monstrous game. It was reminiscent of Dave Kingman or some crazy performance from the past. But bigger, because Ohtani is such a superstar.

Robby Incmikoski: Let’s turn to international baseball at loanDepot Park. You covered the Caribbean Series once, right?

Craig Minervini: Yes, I did play-by-play for the first-ever Caribbean Series in the U.S. It set attendance records—Venezuela ended up winning the final against the Dominican Republic. You had big names like Robinson Canó, Miguel Cabrera supporting his country, and guys like Jurickson Profar. The fans were nuts with the music and drums. It was earplug-level loud. Jeff Nelson and Rod Allen both said it was as exciting as anything they’ve ever seen in baseball.

Robby Incmikoski: So if someone wants to see a game in Miami, how would you describe the experience?

Craig Minervini: It’s different from anything else in MLB. The look, the vibe—loud music, especially if there’s a heritage night. They bring instruments, drums, all kinds of stuff you don’t normally see. It’s multicultural and exciting. Visiting fans show up in decent numbers too because a lot of transplants live in South Florida. The 6:40 start time can be tough for traffic, and there isn’t a ton of mass transit, but it’s worth it. If you love Major League Baseball, it’s definitely a stadium to see.

Robby Incmikoski: Anything else?

Craig Minervini: Maybe just a note about Larry King—he made his name in Miami as a local talk show host. He loved baseball. In 2016, he came to a game with his son, and I introduced him to José Fernández in mid-September. We took a picture, and two weeks later José was gone. Four or five years after that, Larry passed away too. It’s wild looking back at that moment—introducing Larry King to José Fernández.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s surreal. Thanks for doing this, Craig.