Marlins had Gaby Sanchez throw baseballs at new aquarium to test its durability

Those of you who have had a chance to view pictures or video of the Marlins new amusement park stadium know that there is a lot going on there. Most notably, the Miami ballpark features an obnoxious structure in center field that will whirl and twirl when someone from the home team hits a homer. The park also boasts 40 feet of aquariums where a backstop should be. As expected, the fish-filled aquariums are raising concerns for the Animal Rights foundation. The way the Marlins are testing the durability of the tank glass probably won’t put their minds at ease.

According to the New Times Broward-Palm Beach, the Marlins say they tested the glass on the tank by having first baseman Gaby Sanchez fire baseballs at it. He was reportedly clocked at 84 mph. While Mat Roy of Living Color Aquariums — the company that designed the structure — insists the tank is insulated from stadium vibration and protected from heat, Don Anthony of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida does not sound amused.

“I can tell you even if the glass doesn’t shatter, it’s going to cause a tremendous vibration and disturb and upset the fish,” Anthony explained. “No matter how many shock absorbers they build into the system, if there are thousands of fans screaming and jumping during a sporting event it’s going to affect the fish in there.”

Anthony said he wouldn’t classify it as “high end animal abuse” but that it is a place fish don’t belong. Marlins Executive VP for Ballpark Development Claude Delorme insists the fish were the first concern and said they didn’t seem all that bothered when the team set up a pitching machine to pepper the glass with balls.

“You would see a small reaction — they would move because they would sense something in that area,” he said, adding the fish moved slightly but returned to their prior position immediately after.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

Fist pound to Deadspin for the story