Shaded Seats at loanDepot park (formerly Marlins Park)

loanDepot park (formerly Marlins Park) is home to the Miami Marlins and one of the newest ballparks in the majors. It’s located in Little Havana, just a few of miles from downtown Miami. As the southernmost city in MLB, Miami is either drenched in Florida sunshine or dodging afternoon thunderstorms. Similar to ballparks in Phoenix and Houston, loanDepot park was designed with a retractable roof. But on days the roof remains open, it’s important to know where the best loanDepot park shaded seats are located.

Where are the shaded seats at loanDepot park?

As a general rule, the seats in the shade at loanDepot park are located:

• In sections along the 1st baseline
• Field-level in right field under an overhang
• In 300-level upper deck sections under cover of the roofing structure

The Marlins play a majority of their games at 7:10 p.m. On Saturdays during the summer, the club will sometimes bump up the start time to 6:10. Meanwhile, almost every Sunday home game is a 1:10 first pitch. There are also a few midweek getaway day home games that start at 1:10 as well. For specific details about sections and different start times, read on.

loanDepot park Orientation to the Sun

loanDepot park (formerly Marlins Park) was built with home plate facing southeast. That means the sun rises in the morning behind the left field wall and sets at night behind home plate. Of course, during the day, the sun invades loanDepot park at all kinds of angles unless the roof is closed.

The graphic below shows the approximate location of the sun throughout the day on July 1st (halfway through the MLB season).

Click or tap here to open an interactive seating chart at loanDepot park.

Seats in the Shade at Marlins Afternoon Games

At the start of a 1:10 game, the Miami sun will be almost directly overhead. The Marlins usually close the roof for this reason. But if the roof remains open, the best places to avoid the sun are in the 300-level, specifically along the 1st baseline around sections 304-309. This part of the stadium has the largest overhang thanks to the retractable roof. Of course, it may be necessary to sit father back in those sections to ensure coverage from the roof. The lower section of right field, sections 34-40 can also be a good spot for day games if you want to sit field-level. The back rows of these sections will be protected by the overhang from the seats above them. Fans in these seats will also have the sun at their backs as the game progresses.

On the other hand, seats in left field and deep down the 3rd baseline are ones to avoid. To be fair, the outfield seats in this part of the park have an overhang above them, providing some protection from the sun. But once the game starts, the sun will slowly start to move to the west and start shining directly onto sections 26-32. Meanwhile, more and more seats on the 1st base side of loanDepot park will start to enter the shade as the game moves along. Soon after 3:00, the sun will be almost due west in the sky, giving relief to a majority of the seats along the 1st baseline, especially those seated further back, as those sitting closest to the field will have to wait the longest until the shade finds them.

Seats in the Shade at Marlins Evening Games

It’s a little more likely for the Marlins to open roof for a night game, assuming rain isn’t in the forecast. During the summer months, the sun typically sets between 8:00 and 8:30 p.m., meaning there’s an hour at most of sunlight for 7:10 games. However, fans at 6:10 games on Saturday will want to be aware of where the sun will be.

At first pitch the sun will be in the west-northwest part of the sky, casting shadows over large sections of the 1st baseline and the area around home plate. Most 200-level and 300-level seats in these areas of the park should have their back to the sun and protected from the sun. Even most lower-level seats in sections 5-20 to should expect to be in the shade. However, the further down the 3rd baseline you seat, the longer you’ll be dealing with the sun. This also applies to sections 27-32 in left field while sections 134-141 in right field may also get a healthy dose of the evening sun.

Ready to buy shaded seats at loanDepot park?

Use the individual game links on the side (or bottom of the page on mobile) or click or tap here to see the Marlins upcoming game list. Learn about why we recommend buying MLB tickets on Seatgeek.

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