Hey, South Florida: The Heat and Panthers are done … Hooked on the Marlins yet?

Don’t look now, South Florida, but you’ve got another team of gritty, overachieving underdogs to take into your heart.

The simultaneous, against-the-odds championship quests by the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers created a weeks-long bond in the community that extended beyond sports, with jerseys and T-shirts emblazoned with “Butler” and “Tkachuk” ubiquitous in restaurants, bars, airports, playgrounds and in the office.

From Jupiter to Key West, we watched and bragged about the unlikely success of these two teams, both dismissed by national sports talkers and betting experts. It was a topsy-turvy, infectious and unifying rush. Then, on two consecutive nights in mid-June, it was ingloriously over.

But while all of that was going on, you may have missed the rise — perhaps we should call it the Arráez — of the Miami Marlins.

“That guy is the best show in Miami right now, best show in baseball,” said 28-year-old Aventura resident J.R. White, during a game this week at loanDepot Park. “That guy,” of course, is Luis Arráez, the Marlins’ new star, whose flirtation with a historic .400 batting average has created a buzz among baseball fans across the country.

Indeed, there is something happening with the Marlins: Ticket sales are up, Brightline trains to the ballpark this month are full, and famously blasé South Florida fans seem more engaged with what’s happening on the field.

This weekend, with Saturday’s Puerto Rican Heritage Celebration followed on Sunday by Sandy Alcántara Bobblehead Day, is likely to be one of the best-attended of the season.

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said he has started to feel a different energy from fans in the stands.

“Maybe it has a lot to do with the Heat being so good, and the Panthers. I think they’re starting to realize that there is something going on here that’s pretty fun to watch and pretty special,” Schumaker said.

When Arráez waited for his chance to record a third 5-hit game of the month on Monday, without prompting from the scoreboard or the organ, fans began chanting his name and “MVP! MVP!” Such an organic, enthusiastic recognition of the moment is not the norm for Marlins fans.

“(Arráez) said he got chills in the on-deck circle,” Schumaker said.

For pure entertainment, the Marlins have a lot in common with the Panthers, a.k.a. the Comeback Cats, leading MLB with a record of 18-5 in games decided by a single run. Defying predictions, they sit in second place in their division, sporting one of the best records in baseball, with more wins than perennial powerhouses such as the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Like the Heat, they are winning games in ways that have created new fan favorites. While star Jazz Chisholm has been injured and pitcher Sandy Alcántara has not been his expected Cy Young Award-winning self, other guys have stepped up.

In his debut season with the Marlins, Arráez is among the finalists to be voted in as a starter for the National League in the All-Star Game in Seattle on July 11. The next phase of fan voting begins at noon Monday at MLB.com/all-star. Marlins slugger Jorge Soler is among the league leaders in home runs and also may be named an All-Star.

Then there is the electricity, both on the field and in the stands, when 20-year-old rookie pitcher Eury Pérez takes the mound. Since his unexpected call-up in May, the 6-foot-8 Dominican fireballer has won four of his first five decisions, with a string of appearances this month particularly dominant. He struck out career-high 9 batters against Toronto on Tuesday.

It would be unfair to burden Pérez with comparisons to icon José Fernández, so for now let’s just call him the Tyler Herro of the Marlins. Pérez is scheduled to pitch on Sandy Alcántara Bobblehead Day on Sunday.

An admirer of Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Schumaker is focused on creating a similarly entertaining hard-hat culture.

“We’re always in the fight. You’re gonna see a lot of guys that are fun to watch and play the game the right way. And that atmosphere is gonna be fun, win or lose. We are entertainers at the end of the day,” Schumacher said.

South Florida has started to notice: The Marlins say season-ticket sales and single-game sales are up, and a recent Father’s Day BOGO offer sold nearly 70% more tickets than in 2022. More than 40% of those tickets were purchased for the current homestand, the first games the Marlins played in Miami since the Heat and Panthers playoffs ended.

“Which goes to show you people are excited. They wanted to come immediately,” said Marlins Chief Commercial Officer David Oxfeld, pointing out that more than half of those sales were to new fans or those who had not purchased a ticket since 2019.

Oxfeld, who came to the Marlins six years ago when Bruce Sherman bought the team, likes the product he’s now selling.

“Having a likable team is helpful, and I think this team is super likable,” Oxfeld said, mentioning Chisholm and Alcántara as charismatic stars that resonate with the fan base. He says the team has also started more promotion of Arráez, whose jersey is now for sale in the team store.

“And there’s no doubt that this team is gritty. They’re never out of the game, which is great, and I would say they take after their manager in the way they play. I think our fans understand that, and that brings people to the party, right?” Oxfeld says.

The current homestand began on Monday with an 11-0 demolition of the Toronto Blue Jays, which drew nearly 13,000 fans, the most for a Monday game since 2021, even with heavy rain making a mess of traffic. Oxfeld says game-day ticket sales beat projections by 1,000 tickets.

This month, the Marlins debuted a new Summer Pass offer: Ballpark admission for all home games in June, July or August for $50 per month. These tickets, for standing-room-only sections, including the popular Budweiser Bar in centerfield, have been selling well, Oxfeld says.

Further anecdotal evidence of increased interest in the Marlins can be found on Brightline trains, offering $10 Home Runner fares ($5 for kids) in June, with free shuttle service to and from loanDepot Park.

Vanessa Alfonso​, Brightline director of media relations, said the train-shuttle package, which also was offered during Miami Heat games, has been “super successful.”

Alfonso said it is difficult to parse how many fans on each train are going to loanDepot Park, “but I will say our shuttles are full, so that will give you a pretty strong indicator.”

Abraham Vina, of Pembroke Pines, said he was at the Marlins-Toronto game with wife Veronica and sons Gian, 9, and Gavin, 2, on a Tuesday night only because school is finally out. But he did admit to pulling Gian, who plays third base in the Pembroke Lakes Optimist League, out of school early a few weeks ago to see Manny Machado’s San Diego Padres play the Marlins.

“We love sports,” he said. “I told my son, the Heat are over, now it’s nothing but baseball!”

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.