MIAMI (AP) — The sound of bagpipes echoed across the outskirts of the Miami Marlins’ stadium hours before the first pitch, as Scottish fans announced their arrival in South Florida days before their team’s game. world cup match against Brazil.
Wearing kilts and wearing “No Scotland, No Party” sashes, they marched about a mile from a popular Miami bar to Lorne Depot Park on Monday night, turning the stadium into the final stop on the Tartan Army’s Major League Baseball takeover tour. filled the streets of Boston New York in Scotland’s previous matches.
The atmosphere inside the ballpark was more lively than most weeknight games for the Marlins, who have had the lowest attendance in baseball in recent years. Long-time supporters were looking forward to seeing the stadium transformed by passionate Scottish fans.
“It’s going to be a really good experience for us fans,” said Miami native Victor Munoz. “Usually the stadium isn’t full, but now it’s going to be full. It’s going to be full. It’s going to be fun.”
Scottish fans roared during the usual ground out in the first inning and cheered in anticipation for nearly every pitch. Some people kicked empty beer cans around like soccer balls. They occupied the concourse and cheered with cones on their heads.
“We love everything about it,” said Johnny Sloan, who flew from Glasgow, Scotland, to Boston and drove to Miami for Wednesday’s game. “Obviously we’re here for the World Cup, but tonight we’re in Miami to watch a baseball game. This is a warm-up for Wednesday. I guarantee the Miami Marlins a win tonight because they have the full support of the Tartan Army.”
Marlins lost 4-3 However, the Scots accepted the experience and sang a song after the match as if to celebrate victory.
“We had some energy tonight,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “It was very atmospheric.”
The announced crowd of 20,008 included approximately 8,000 members of the Tartan Corps, which was an eye-opener. The stadium was used as the venue for the World Baseball Classic, where a sellout crowd of 36,190 watched Venezuela defeat the United States. in the final earlier this year. However, the Marlins entered Monday’s game with an average of 12,604 fans per game during the regular season.
They are one of the hottest teams in baseball, posting an MLB-best 14-4 in June and riding an eight-game winning streak at home entering Monday.
Munoz hopes the takeover of the Tartan Army will lead to more attention for a rising Miami team.
“It will give us visibility,” Munoz said. “The Marlins are a fairly new team. That’s good because then the world will get to know us. And we’ll end up looking like a Yankees team.”
The Scottish people landed on the bar Pubs in the Boston area were packed to celebrate the team’s first World Cup appearance in 28 years. historic victory They played against Haiti in the opening game.
“I don’t think they’re ready to supply that much beer in a ballpark,” said Harry Guerrero, a Marlins season ticket holder who was born and raised in Miami. “Honestly, I don’t think it will get out of hand. But I’m praying for the safety of the stadium.”
Members of the Tartan Army gathered at the Ball & Chain bar and began marching to the stadium. Guerrero showed up to share a drink. He said it was the earliest he had arrived at a Marlins game in at least the past five years.
“It’s kind of crazy. I’m so happy to have them in Miami and I hope they enjoy it,” he added. “I told them to stay hydrated, but also wear sunscreen because a lot of them are fair-skinned men.”
Throughout the night, fans changed the famous chant to “No Marlins, No Party” after singing along to live pre-match music by Nick Morgan, who released the song “No Scotland, No Party”.
The players noticed.
“They brought their spirit back. It was really cool to see,” said Owen Casey, who had to corral some water-filled beach balls in the outfield.
Added Marlins starting pitcher Tyler Phillips: “If it was up to me, I would have paid those guys to come to the game. It was unbelievable. From the moment I left and walked up to the dugout, I felt it in my chest. It was a great feeling. … And if I ever get to see them, I know I’ll have their back, just like if I’m out there.”
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Associated Press journalist Gracie Fisher contributed to this report. Fisher is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/FIFA-World-Cup
