The Marlins have agreed to move this weekend's series against the Brewers from Miami to Milwaukee as the city tries to recover from the impact of Hurricane Irma, it was announced Wednesday.
"Major League Baseball, in conjunction with the Miami Marlins, agreed that it is in the best interest of our community to relocate this weekend's Marlins games," Marlins president David Samson said in a statement. "Marlins Park stood ready to host the games, but we all agreed that burdening public service resources was not the proper course of action.
"Following Hurricane Irma, the Miami Marlins realize that all of our employees, as well as our entire community, have other needs that must take a priority at this time."
Samson said the Marlins were "looking forward" to hosting the New York Mets, as originally scheduled, on Monday.
"It sounds like a good decision,'' Marlins manager Don Mattingly told reporters before Wednesday's game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. "I read [Sampson's] statement. They're worrying more about the community and the people that work there and all that. It's obviously more important than our game. It seems like the right decision to me.''
Because of the quick turnaround, Brewers officials said they will restrict seating capacities 10,000 fans for Friday's game and 23,000 for the games Saturday and Sunday.
Said Brewers COO Rick Schlesinger: "We will be ready to host this weekend and are working to put all of the logistics in order."
The Marlins boarded a charter flight to Atlanta last week with a sense of foreboding as Hurricane Irma bore down on South Florida with winds in excess of 100 mph and potentially catastrophic consequences on the horizon.
Mike Berger, Marlins vice president and assistant general manager, confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday that Marlins Park is structurally sound except for a thin membrane on the roof that was peeled back by high winds.
"I think everybody came together and decided this was the wisest course to give the city three extra days to put the pieces pack together,'' Marlins catcher A.J. Ellis said. "It allows law enforcement personnel to really serve the community the way they'e supposed to and not be worried about trying to secure a ballpark.
"We have so many relationships with the people who work in our stadium, and you don't know what their situation is like at home. They may have things they need to do that are more important than working at the ballgame.''
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick contributed to this report.