Count the Miami Marlins among those whose return home is delayed by Hurricane Irma.
The Marlins announced Wednesday that their home series this weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers has been moved from Marlins Park to Miller Park in Milwaukee.
While Marlins Park itself suffered only minor damage to the roof during the storm, the greater concern was for the community overall, particularly the availability of the police and fire departments to staff the game while also helping the city put itself back together.
The Marlins will return to Marlins Park for their three-game series against the Mets starting Monday.
"Marlins Park stood ready to host the game, but we all agreed that burdening public service resources was not the proper course of action," team president David Samson said in a statement. "Following Hurricane Irma, the Miami Marlins realize that all of our employees, as well as our entire community, have other needs that must take a priority at this time."
The site change turns the Marlins' weeklong road trip _ conveniently timed in that they left Wednesday night as the rest of South Florida prepared for what then looked like would be a direct hit _ into an 11-day, three-city haul. Instead of flying back to Miami late Thursday night after their series finale with the Phillies, they'll head to Wisconsin.
Adding another logistical kink is the presence of many families of players and staff, invited to accompany the team to Atlanta and Philadelphia to avoid the storm.
"That's a little different, especially since you have families and kids and everything with us," manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday of the unusual week.
This is the third major league series in recent weeks to be moved due to weather. Following Hurricane Harvey and the widespread flooding in Houston, the Astros' three-game set Aug. 29-31 with the Rangers to the Rays' Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. This week, with Irma hitting the Tampa Bay area, the Rays and Yankees are playing at Citi Field, home of the Mets.
Generally in these scenarios, the affected clubs discuss with each other their options, while the league advises on potential alternative sites and talks to third-party teams that might be able to host.
