Miami Marlins unite in purple to support LGBTQ+ community on Spirit Day

The Miami Marlins showed solidarity in support of the LGBTQ+ community on Thursday, Oct. 19. On X (formerly known as Twitter), the team posted an image with several staff members wearing purple at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.

The reason behind wearing purple is due to 'Spirit Day,' an annual LGBTQ awareness day that is celebrated on the third Thursday in October.

Spirit Day was started in 2010 by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan. The movement was started in response to bullying-related suicides of homosexual students.

The day is meant to spread awareness in a bid to stop the bullying and harassment faced by the LGBTQ+ community. Purple was chosen because it represents the spirit of the Pride Flag.

How did the Miami Marlins fare in the 2023 MLB season?

Miami Marlins star Luis Arraez

The Miami Marlins finished third in the NL East this season with an 84-78 record. They clinched a postseason berth but were knocked out of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card round.

The Marlins have many areas to improve in if they want to compete for a World Series berth next season. However, the good news for the team will be the signing of Luis Arraez.

Arraez joined Miami in the offseason and had a superb first season with the franchise. He racked up 71 runs, 69 RBIs and 10 home runs across 574 at-bats with a .354 batting average across the regular season.

Another positive for the Marlins was the integration of Eury Perez into the squad. The 20-year-old pitcher looked solid as he racked up 108 strikeouts and 38 walks across 91.1 innings pitched with a 3.15 ERA. Perez is expected to play a big role for the Marlins in the next few seasons and his development could take them to the next level

This season was also Skip Schumaker's first season as manager of the team. The 43-year-old will be hoping to fine-tune his squad in the offseason before attempting to mount a challenge for the World Series next year.