Miami’s new synthetic turf creating a home-field advantage for Marlins?

Two years ago, the Marlins removed the natural grass at their home ballpark and installed a synthetic surface. They downplayed the product’s potential impact on gameplay, touting the qualities that allowed it to “closely mimic” the old-fashioned stuff. Nonetheless, I was anxious to see the B1K baseball system in action.

Understandably, the surface change receded to the back of our minds once the COVID pandemic derailed Major League Baseball in early 2020. The Marlins were supposed to host their first game on turf on March 26. Then, that date became July 27 on the revised, short-season MLB schedule. In the aftermath of the team’s infamous COVID outbreak, the home opener was pushed back…