The Miami Marlins are dipping into a relatively under-told chapter in baseball history to celebrate Cuban heritage.
The team on Monday unveiled special edition uniforms inspired by the Triple-A Havana Sugar Kings, a team that played in the International League for several years in the late 1950s.
The Marlins will wear the uniforms -- which feature distinct reds tops and white pinstripes, as well as a rendering of a crown on the cap -- for several series this season, including their upcoming weekend series against the New York Mets in Miami. Saturday will mark Cuban Heritage Night at loanDepot Park, a long-running event tailored for South Florida's large Cuban-American community.
The Sugar Kings, a Cincinnati Reds affiliate, were relocated to New Jersey in 1960, amid political turmoil in Cuba during the revolution. They were owned by Cuban businessman Bobby Maduro, long celebrated as a visionary in the game in his baseball-loving country. A famed minor league facility in Miami bearing Maduro's name stood from 1949 until 2001, and was the spring training home for several Major League teams throughout its life.
Former Marlins coach Cookie Rojas, who played for the Sugar Kings as a minor league before a long MLB career as both a player and a coach, told ESPN the homage was "well deserved" and a necessary nod to history.
"I believe it's one of the greatest things for the fans right now to remember," said Rojas. "You can very much dream on what could've happened."
Several other MLB teams will be wearing "City Connect Series" uniforms this season, mirroring the NBA's popular "City Edition" uniforms of recent years.
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