Miami Marlins move weekend home series to Milwaukee

“Home” for the Marlins this weekend will be Milwaukee.

As the result of Hurricane Irma, the Marlins are moving their weekend home series with the Brewers to Miller Park in Milwaukee.

“Marlins Park stood ready to host the games, but we all agreed that burdening public service resources was not the proper course of action,” said Marlins president David Samson.

The decision was made by the Marlins in conjunction with Major League Baseball.

“Following Hurricane Irma, the Miami Marlins realize that all of our employees, as well as our entire community, have other needs that must take a priority at this time,” Samson said.

Samson said Marlins Park is structurally sound.

“The ballpark is 100 percent and could have hosted the game tonight,” Samson said. “We were ready to host. It’s the community that’s hurting, from the Keys all the way up. For us, it was a pretty easy decision to keep everyone focused on recovery.”

The Marlins were scheduled to host the Brewers from Friday through Sunday. Samson said the Marlins still intend to host a home series at Marlins Park that starts Monday against the New York Mets.

It’s not the first time the Marlins have been forced to play home games elsewhere.

In 2004, due to the threat of Hurricane Ivan to South Florida, they were the “home team” at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago for two games against the Montreal Expos. And in 2011, due to a scheduling conflict with a U2 concert at what was then known as Dolphin Stadium, they were the home team at Safeco Field when they traveled to play the Mariners in Seattle’s own ballpark. The Marlins have also hosted home games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The games in Milwaukee will be played as though the Marlins are the home team, with the Brewers batting first as any visiting team would. Due to staffing concerns, the Brewers are capping attendance for the impromptu series at 10,000 seats for the first game Friday and 23,000 seats for each Saturday and Sunday.

“It will be as though we played it in Miami,” Samson said.

It’s uncertain how gate revenues will be split, Samson said.

While the Marlins have dropped out of playoff contention, the Brewers are in the thick of both the National League Central and wild card races.

This story was originally published September 13, 2017 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Miami Marlins move weekend home series to Milwaukee."