Florida Marlins Baseball History

Florida Marlins Baseball History

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.