The two teams are almost polar opposites, even beyond the two thousand miles that separate them geographically. One team made the postseason last year and is expected to do so again in 2018, while the other in another long rebuild hasn’t tasted the playoffs in fifteen years.
Colorado is consistently in the top ten clubs in attendance, which means nearly three million fans come to Coors Field to watch the Rockies each year. Miami, on the other hand, for the past decade has drawn the fewest viewers in all of baseball.
Both teams, however, share a special anniversary today, having played the first games in their history on March 5, 1993. The Rockies and Marlins were part of baseball’s first expansion in nearly fifteen years, when two teams were added. to both the American and National League.
Twenty-five years on that day, Colorado lost 3-0 to the Mets and Dwight Gooden, who not only shutout the Rockies but also scored the first run of the game. Doc gave up just two base hits, including Andrés Gallaraga’s single in the second inning that marked the first for Colorado.
The first home run in Rockies history would come the next day, when they lost again to the Mets at Shea Stadium. Outfielder Dante Bichette shot Bret Saberhagen deep in the sixth inning, accounting for the only run in a 6–1 loss to the Mets.
The offensive woes subsided once the Rockies played their home opener at Coors Field, which second baseman Eric Young christened on April 9 with a home run leading off the bottom of the fifth. As would consistently happen for the next two decades, a fight ensued that day as Colorado beat the Montreal Expos 11-4.
Unlike the Rockies, the Marlins were able to open the season at home at Joe Robbie Stadium. They made the most of it, beating the Dodgers and putting together Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser, six to three.
Florida outfielder Brett Barbarie scored the first base hit for that new franchise, and knuckleballer Charlie Hough picked up the first win. The first home run in Fish franchise history would not come until nearly a week later, and nearly three thousand miles away.
All-Star catcher Benito Santiago hit that historic pitch against San Francisco starter Trevor Wilson at Candlestick Park, but the Giants ultimately pulled out a 4-3 victory in that game. More than a week later, Santiago would also become the first Marlins player to hit one outside of his home park, when he went deep against future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux in a game the Braves won five. to four.
Of the two young clubs, the Marlins enjoyed the most success in the early years. In fact, just five years into its history, Florida won a World Series Championship over the Cleveland Indians. They would win another five years later, defeating the heavily favored New York Yankees in six games.
Since then, though, it’s been the Rockies who have enjoyed success, culminating in a pennant a decade ago. Colorado has been a contender nearly every season since, making the playoffs several times.
Many baseball pundits are picking the Rockies to return to the postseason again in 2018, while almost everyone agrees the Marlins have little chance of breaking even this year. But on this day, a quarter of a century ago, the two clubs were level.
