MIAMI -- The worlds of felines and fish collided when the Miami Marlins hosted "Panthers Night" at loanDepot Park on Wednesday.
Kicking off the evening, Panthers forward Sam Reinhart trotted out to the mound and tossed a strike right down the middle for the ceremonial first pitch.
“Growing up, I played [baseball] quite a bit," said Reinhart, who was joined at the game by teammates Anton Lundell and Spencer Knight. "I stopped fairly young. My first couple of offseasons in the league, I played on a softball team. Hopefully the shoulder is still a little loose."
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Panthers, the Marlins showed numerous highlights of goals, hits and more throughout the game. In the stands, tons of fans -- many whom have graced the jumbotron at FLA Live Arena -- were spotted sporting their Cats jerseys and gear, while Stanley C. Panther and Viktor E. Ratt competed in the Marlins' mascot race.
A native of Vancouver, Reinhart said he grew up cheering for Ichiro Suzuki and the Seattle Mariners.
But now?
“Now, I’m obviously a Marlins fan,” he smiled.
Only a few months removed from a miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Final, Reinhart and many of his teammates are already back on the ice at the Panthers IceDen in preparation for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Looking forward to "another challenge this season," Reinhart said the mood during these informal skates has been incredibly upbeat.
“Guys are ready to come back," he said. "We’ve got such a close team as it is. When you live in South Florida, you can’t really complain about coming back here.”
Following his first pitch, Reinhart spent the rest of the evening cheering on the Marlins as they cruised to an 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Like the Panthers this past season, the Marlins are in the thick of the playoff hunt heading down the homestretch.
"The support is so nice to be able to reciprocate," said Reinhart, who noted that the entire team appreciated the support that Marlins players and the organization as a whole showed during the Panthers' deep playoff run. "We’re either playing or gone for so much of their season, so it’s nice to have a couple weeks here before we get going to come out.”
While his first pitch was certainly a special moment, Reinhart hinted that he wouldn't mind wearing skates during his next trip to the ballpark.
Who's up for a hockey game on the diamond?
“I would love it,” Reinhart said.
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