Marlins Park, the home of the Miami Marlins, will soon have a very different look. The stadium’s famed center field home run sculpture is on its way out.
“The Miami Marlins won county permission on Tuesday to move its home-run sculpture out of Marlins Park to the plaza outside, giving Derek Jeter a key win in his efforts to erase the legacy of former owner Jeffrey Loria,” Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald reported.
The decision to have the sculpture removed has been met with some controversy. .
This sculpture is a work of art by Red Grooms. Beauty is subjective but to discard this work is so small-minded. Baseball is middle school, and Grooms’ work was deemed uncool. Art dealer Jeffrey Loria, for his flaws, knew what he was doing here. Ugh ugh ugh https://t.co/IKO5Fg633Y
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) October 16, 2018
Jeter has made his distaste for the sculpture known ever since he and his group bought the team from Loria after the 2017 season.
Speaking of Loria, he’s not pleased.
Loria, who's currently in Paris, reacted to Jeter's call to get rid of the marlins' home run sculpture with some humor: "Good thing they can't tear down the Eiffel Tower!"
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 16, 2018
Marlins Park opened in 2012. While the sculpture has been far from universally praised, it is easily the most identifiable part of the stadium.
Its absence will certainly be noticeable.