Florida Marlins,
professional baseball team and one of five teams in the East
Division of the National League (NL). Named for a large fish that
inhabits the waters bordering Florida, the Marlins play at Pro
Player Stadium in Miami, Florida, and wear uniforms of aqua and
white.
In 1997 Marlin pitchers Kevin Brown, Alex Fernandez, Livan
Hernandez, and Al Leiter combined for 53 of the club’s 92
regular-season victories and led the club to the NL wildcard berth.
The club then defeated the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta
Braves in the NL playoffs before besting the Cleveland Indians for
the World Series championship, 4 games to 3. By capturing the title
in the franchise’s fifth season, the Marlins became the fastest
expansion team ever to win a World Series crown.
On June 10, 1991, the National League awarded a franchise to H.
Wayne Huizenga, chief executive officer of Blockbuster Entertainment
Corporation, owner of the Miami Dolphins football team, and chairman
of the board of the Florida Panthers hockey team. The Marlins’ first
manager was Rene Lachemann, a former catcher who had previously
managed the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers. Lachemann kept
Florida out of the Eastern Division cellar during the 1993 season as
the team finished the year five games ahead of the last-place New
York Mets. After the Marlins finished last in their division in 1994
and fourth in 1995, Lachemann was replaced as manager midway through
the 1996 season with the Marlins’ director of player development,
John Boles.
Despite problems in the dugout and on the field, the Marlins had
some bright spots on the mound and behind the plate in 1996. The
team’s 3.95 earned run average (ERA) ranked third in the NL, led by
newcomer Kevin Brown, who finished the season with a 17-11 win-loss
record and an impressive 1.89 ERA. Catcher Charles Johnson led the
league with a .995 fielding percentage, threw out a league-high 48
percent of base runners, and collected his second straight Gold
Glove Award for fielding excellence. After a slow start, the Marlins
finished the year with an 80-82 win-loss record to place third in
their division. Boles then returned to his previous position as
director of player development, and former Pittsburgh Pirates
manager Jim Leyland was hired to lead the club in 1997.
Leyland led the Marlins to a 92-70 win-loss record and a wildcard
berth in the NL playoffs. Johnson again turned in a solid
performance and became the only starting catcher in NL history to
play an entire season without committing an error. Third baseman
Bobby Bonilla, outfielder Moise Alou, and shortstop Edgar Renteria
also contributed to the team’s success as the Marlins topped San
Francisco and Atlanta in the NL playoffs. Florida then defeated
Cleveland in seven games to become the first wildcard team in major
league history to win the World Series title.
Following the World Series victory, Huizenga dismantled the team by
trading off most of the club’s most talented players. Among them,
Alou was traded to the Houston Astros, Bonilla was traded to the Los
Angeles Dodgers, and Brown was traded to the San Diego Padres. The
Marlins’ record in 1998 slumped to 54-108, making them the first
club ever to win a World Series and then lose more than 100 games
during the following season. Leyland resigned as manager in October
1998, and Huizenga sold the club to businessman John Henry during
the off-season.Under a new owner, the franchise slowly rebuilt
the team. In 2003 the Marlins qualified for the playoffs as a wild
card team. Florida then defeated the San Francisco Giants, Chicago
Cubs, and New York Yankees in consecutive series to win its second
world championship in 11 years. Key players in the team’s title run
were pitchers Josh Beckett and Brad Penny and catcher Ivan
Rodriguez.
The Marlins were the first wild card team to win a World Series.
They were the fastest expansion team to win a title (five years) up
to that point, but this record was broken by the Arizona
Diamondbacks in 2001 (four years).
CHAMPIONSHIPS
1997 Defeated Cleveland Indians, 4 games to 3
2003 Defeated New York Yankees, 4 games to 2
NL Pennant: 1997
TOP MANAGER
Rene Lachemann served as the team's first manager, leading the team
from 1993-1996 and finishing with a 221-285 record. Jim Leyland
became the team's manager in 1997 and led the team to its World
Series victory. In two years with the Marlins, Leyland compiled a
146-178 record.
MVPS
The franchise has no MVP winners.
CY YOUNG
The franchise has never had a Cy Young winner.
ROOKIE OF YEAR
The Franchise has no Rookie of the Year winners.
RETIRED NUMBERS
The franchise has no retired numbers. |
