The Miami Marlins won county permission on Tuesday to move its home-run sculpture out of Marlins Park to the plaza outside, giving Derek Jeter a key win in his efforts to erase the legacy of former owner Jeffrey Loria.
The sculptor behind “Homer,” New York’s Red Grooms, opposed moving the seven-story piece of public art, saying he designed it under a $2.5 million contract with Miami-Dade County specifically for its home in center field. The sculpture whirrs to life whenever the Marlins hit a home run, sending mechanical Marlins spinning during a cycle timed to end once the typical base runner makes it to home plate.