By Caroline Smith
The Miami Marlins celebrated the Southernmost City during Key West Day at the Marlins’ loanDepot Park on Aug. 13 during the second game of a doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves.
Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg threw out the first pitch for the second annual Key West Day. He was accompanied by Fire Chief Alan Averette, voice of the Conchs Rick Lopez from Florida Keys Media, City Attorney Shawn Smith and City Commissioners Greg Davila and Sam Kaufman, who were also recognized prior to the first pitch.
Brandenburg did not disappoint the hometown crowd, throwing a strike to Billy the Marlin’s oversized glove. After the throw, many of Brandenburg’s “friends” said he must have been one heck of a shot-putter in high school.
The Marlins ensured Key West was a big part of the day by offering discounted tickets for Keys residents and free “Key West Day” shirts around the stadium. This event was extra special for the Key West Police Athletic League (PAL), a nonprofit organization that brings together the cops and kids of the community for enriching athletic activities. For every ticket purchased for the game, the Marlins donated $5 to PAL.
“The Key West Police Athletic League is grateful for the continued support from the Miami Marlins and City of Key West,” said Key West Police Sgt. Jesse Hammers, who is also program coordinator for PAL. “We hope Key West Day continues to be a long-lasting tradition that Key West PAL remains a part of.”
The Marlins made it a game to remember for any children of Key West in attendance when they allowed them to go down on the field for the seventh-inning stretch. Many Key West residents appeared on the stadium’s jumbo screen throughout the game.
The Braves got off to a quick start when Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a home run off Marlins starting pitcher Tommy Nance on the first pitch of the game. Nance dialed it back in and went on to pitch three innings, giving up two hits and striking out six. The game quieted down until the fifth inning, when the Braves scored two more runs on a two-run homer by Vaughn Grissom, only his second of the season. The game started to pick up for the Marlins in the bottom of the fifth, when they scored their first run on a single from Joey Wendle that scored Luke Williams. By the top of the sixth inning the game was 4-2 Atlanta, after Miami gave up yet another home run to the Braves’ Matt Olson. The Marlins responded in the bottom of the sixth when Jesus Aguilar homered to center field. The game was put out of reach for the Marlins after the top of the seventh inning, when Olsen came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a ball to center field, scoring an additional two runs. The Marlins tried to make a comeback in the ninth inning, when they loaded the bases, but it wasn’t enough against the strong Braves defense. The Marlins were defeated 6-2 by the Braves for their second loss of the day.
