On Sunday, Rodriguez, with family and friends— including his two young daughters— helped break in the new stadium. The New York Yankees third baseman couldn't believe the new structure that replaced the one where he watched his childhood heroes play— just a few miles from where he grew up.
"I never imagined as a child that such a beautiful stadium would be built in the middle of Miami," Rodriguez said before the Yankees beat the Miami Marlins 10-8 in the first big-league exhibition at Marlins park. "I'm certainly very proud of the City of Miami and the Marlins to be able to achieve this in my home town."
The $600 million ballpark— in the middle of Little Havana— is quite a change from the Marlins past home stadiums— which were designed for football.
Marlins Park has a retractable roof and climate control to keep the capacity 37,000 fans from getting drenched by rain or the sweltering sun. The contemporary theme of the park includes aquariums behind home plate, views of Miami from left field and a nightclub disco.
Not everything was perfect during the dress rehearsal before Opening Day.
The Yankees dugout was missing benches near the front railing and someone said there was a shortage of clocks in the clubhouse. A late night rain storm left the infield a tad soggy.
For Rodriguez none of that seemed to matter. Standing on the same spot where his childhood idols— Dan Marino and Gino Torretta— once played and taking in the new stadium made him a little sentimental.
"This is home," Rodriguez said. "I hate to be cheesy and corny, but coming home is special. Even though a couple of times we played at Joe Robbie or Pro Player, it's not quite the same."
"This is our 'hood," he added. "This is the neighborhood."
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