This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MIAMI – Only a few minutes have passed since the final out has been recorded in a Marlins victory.
As media members wait for manager Clayton McCullough to arrive and answer questions about the game, a roar of cheers can be heard inside the nearby clubhouse, followed by the bass of a Latin song.
This became a regular occurrence in a historic June for the Marlins, then not so much in July. The young ballclub quickly learned – or better yet was reminded – of how difficult The Show can be.
“It’s tough to get wins in this league, and I think it's always worth celebrating when you get them,” Xavier Edwards said. “It's a fun time for us to spend a few minutes after the game and kind of congratulate the guys who did help us win that game, and pick up the guys who maybe didn't perform the way they wanted, and kind of all of us just celebrate together, getting another team win the Major Leagues.”
Every club has its own postgame celebration on the road and at home, usually befitting the group’s identity.
After the Marlins’ on-field handshakes and customary group photo – one that Edwards always poses for with a straight face (“All business. We smile when we get in the clubhouse”), the players line up and wait for everyone to go through the tunnel into the clubhouse before the party begins.
Veteran closer Pete Fairbanks, who was put in charge of shouting out top performers, did the same during some of his Rays tenure. He usually starts things out by making fun of somebody to break the ice.
Fairbanks will then announce the player of the game, giving a quick spiel on why the person was picked, and then hand over a Marlins title belt and one Swedish fish from Miami store ScandyCandy to said player.
“Big moments, overall production, general quality of game,” Fairbanks said. “Chances are if you go six strong as a starter, it's going to do it, unless somebody puts a game-winning goal in or has a big escape in the bullpen, stuff like that. But I'd say big plays, or overall production, or leading the league in hitting, those are usually pretty good criteria.”
All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez, Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez and Edwards have been among the most rewarded players.
“It's been fairly well spread out I would say,” Fairbanks said. ”Much like modern baseball, the bullpen is severely underrepresented in this, but that's just part of the gig. And I would never anoint myself.”
The ensuing musical playlist has been compiled by home clubhouse manager Will Simon, with requests from the players. Alcantara got first dibs. Tyler Phillips has made Michael Jackson’s “Chicago” stick in everyone’s head for months. Calvin Faucher tried sneaking The Lumineers on there.
“You hear so many teams say, ‘Oh, we go out and have fun,’” Phillips said. “I actually think that we go out and have fun. I didn't go to college, I went to high school. I'm having the best time of my life. It feels very college baseball. It's like ‘rah rah,’ but we're just having fun, and it incentivizes going out there and playing as hard as you can, because these guys are just excited to try to do whatever they can to win, and that's the biggest thing that we've learned about ourselves. If we go out and give it all we’ve got, the outcome's going to be good.”
The coaching staff usually stays clear, allowing the players to have their own fun. On special occasions, such as the handful of times Alcantara has set career milestones, everyone will take part in a toast.
“It is great,” McCullough said. “Those are things every season, every group kind of will form their own identity. Pete Fairbanks has been a really big part of that. He's certainly been on a lot of winning teams, and been in somewhat similar situations where people maybe weren't counting on that group to do special things. Sometimes it's hard to enjoy moments during a season, because it just comes day after day.
“So, I think it is important for us guys to recognize each other and to have some fun with it, and acknowledge each other, because they know how hard it is to play here every day. They know how hard it is to contribute at the Major League level. I love to hear all the camaraderie they have going on right now. It's fun. It is. They're a good group that likes to play with each other, and I think we've been pretty battle tested and dealt with some adversity, and we've got more to come.”