Billy the Marlin
Official mascot of the Miami Marlins since 1993.
Billy the Marlin, the Miami Marlins' official mascot, is an 8-foot-tall, 250-pound natural-born clown and good-natured prankster. He shows up at every home game in LoanDepot Park, where he does his own special act right in the middle of the 5th inning.
Quick Facts
- Team
- Miami Marlins
- Description
- Marlin
- Origin
- Bill
- Born
- February 25, 1993
Facts from the source article.
Early history
Billy the Marlin debuted on February 25, 1993, at an unknown age. The character was described by his employers as handpicked for skill, cunning, competitive nature, sense of humor, and rapport with fans. He is officially the son of William and Willamina Marlin. Original owner Wayne Huizenga chose the name because a marlin is a billfish, and he wanted a name different from typical baseball mascot names and easier for children to remember.
John Routh's tenure
For the first ten major league seasons, Billy the Marlin was portrayed by John Routh, who also played Sebastian the Ibis at Miami Hurricanes sporting events. Routh was fired in 2003 as part of budget cuts, having earned over $80,000 per year. During his tenure, Billy regularly launched tightly wadded T-shirts from a pressurized air gun. One shirt accidentally hit an elderly man in the eye, temporarily knocking him unconscious; the man filed an unsuccessful $250,000 lawsuit. After a five-day trial, a jury found Routh not negligent. The man's companion admitted another fan may have elbowed him during a scramble for a T-shirt. The judge ordered Routh's face not be shown on TV, reasoning that South Florida children believe in Billy the Marlin as they believe in Santa Claus.
After Routh
Billy the Marlin appeared at a home game on September 13, 2004, at U.S. Cellular Field, where the hurricane-displaced Florida Marlins defeated the Montreal Expos 6-3 in Chicago. By 2005, Billy made roughly 450 non-game appearances annually, with the Marlins charging $350 per hour. Unlike the Routh period, when the performer kept all off-field earnings, the team split appearance fees with the mascot’s portrayer, directing the team’s share to its charitable foundation. Topps included Billy the Marlin as card number 198 in its 2007 Opening Day Baseball series, released March 14, 2007.
Current activities
Billy the Marlin was nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame's Golden Silly String Award in August 2008, competing against Globie, Hugo, Rocky, and Slider. Though he won the readers' online poll, he lost the inductee position to Slider. Billy's Bunch is an official fan club for children ages 12 and under, and also the name of a 30-minute TV show on SunSports/FSFlorida that premiered April 5, 2008. Billy has also starred in several This is SportsCenter commercials.
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