Marlins to allow fans at 25 per cent capacity

The Miami Marlins will welcome fans back this season, albeit in a limited fashion.

Marlins Park will host roughly 25 per cent of its capacity, or about 9,300 fans in the 37,446-seat stadium.

Miami ranked last in the majors in attendance in both 2018 and 2019 with about 10,000 fans per game. No fans were allowed in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Nevertheless, Marlins CEO Derek Jeter is excited about the idea of putting fans back in the stands.

“We look forward to having the opportunity to have fans come back to our ballpark,” Jeter said Monday. “There will be a limited number of fans that are allowed at the onset. We hope those numbers increase throughout the course of the season, but the most important thing for us is to make sure everyone is healthy and safe.”

Jeter hopes the 2021 season will see increased fan enthusiasm, especially after the Marlins clinched a playoff berth in 2020 for the first time in 17 seasons.

“One thing that was a little bit disappointing last year — going through the pandemic, you hear about the excitement of our fan base, but they weren't able to come to games,” he said. “I would have loved to have seen what that looked like.

“There is a level of excitement, and we need to continue to build on that, not only on the baseball side but on the business side as well.”

The Marlins open spring training on Feb. 28 against the Houston Astros.

The Tampa Bay Rays will be at Marlins Park for Opening Day on April 1.