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Having a hard time with this whole “social distancing” thing? Yeah – us too. Especially when it comes to the lack of sports. So, we here at The Turf thought we’d offer a way to help ease the pain and suffering. While we may not have any of the current sports leagues to watch live, there is PLENTY of archive footage available at our fingertips. We’ve scoured the internet and assembled some of the most iconic, noteworthy and remarkable sporting events we could find. We also found some mundane, run of the mill matches and contests, that seemed banal at first watch. However, at this point, we’ll take anything that resembles sports, right? Each day, we’ll feature one of the contests and provide you a link where you can relive the glory, exhilaration, and thrill from the comfort of your couch.

The Miami Marlins are a current dumpster fire, as Derek Jeter retools and breaks down the franchise. While the future may look bleak, back in 1993 was a different story.

The 1993 FLORIDA Marlins are a hodgepodge of MLB players brought to Miami and dressed in teal. Chris Berman, who calls this game, notes that Floridians are lucky to have All-Star catcher Benito Santiago playing for them. Another player they should be excited about? Charlie Hough, who makes the start for the Marlins at the ripe old age of 45.

Looking back, this Marlins team had some solid superstars before their prime. While Gary Sheffield would eventually join the Marlins later in the season, one of the pieces sent to San Diego in that trade has suited up in teal today. Trevor Hoffman, who would go on to be one of the most dominant closers in the game, is a member of the inaugural Marlins squad.

Later on in the ’93 season, the Marlins would also trade for another west coast closer of the future, when they sent Chris Carpenter to the Rangers for Robb Nen. Both Nen and Sheffield would go on to be big pieces in the Marlins 1997 World Series run.

But today, with their teal uniforms fresh out of the box along topped off with their matching teal hats, the Marlins took the field to face a solid Dodgers team with some big stars and soon-to-be-famous faces.

The Dodgers lineup included Darryl Strawberry, who was coming off an injury-filled 1992 season, and was hoping to turn the page and find his swing again. In the Dodgers rotation was the face of the franchise Orel Hershiser and another knuckleballer Tom Candiotti. However, the younger players on this Dodgers team would soon grow up and change the landscape of the league.

In the starting lineup and behind the plate for the Dodgers is, as Chris Berman puts it, “Tommy LaSorda’s Godson” Mike Piazza. In the bullpen for the Dodgers are two brothers who came up through the Dodgers developmental camps in Latin America with Piazza. Those brothers are Ramon and Pedro Martinez.

Later this year Piazza will win the National League Rookie of the Year and go on to be the best power-hitting catcher of all-time. Four years in the future, Pedro Martinez would win his first of three Cy Young Awards, and become one of the greatest pitchers to ever take the mound.

While this game doesn’t have any moments of glory, what it does have is an energy of excitement. The fans at this game, who are experiencing the first game of their franchise are rabid for baseball. Chris Berman even comments on the fervor coming from the fans after Charlie Hough strikes out the first two Dodger hitters. These fans have been waiting for baseball and now they have it.

And to think that in four years, they’ll have a World Series ring. Unreal.

See You Tomorrow. Stay Safe. Stay Smart. Wash Your Hands.