The 2005 World Series

NEW YORK -- Throughout their improbable playoff run, the Marlins dealt with Barry Bonds, curses and goat and ghost stories, not to mention a matchup with the most storied franchise in professional sports.

No matter how daunting the task, the Marlins remained focused on the here and now while allowing others to talk about all the lore at Yankee Stadium.

Few exemplified the Marlins' disbelief in ghost stories better than 23-year-old Josh Beckett.

While superstitious never to touch the white line on his way to and from the mound, Beckett symbolized the Marlins' toughness and quiet confidence.

The Spring, Texas, native, who idolizes Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan, moved into elite company.

Beckett tossed a complete-game, five-hit shutout, striking out nine while literally carrying the Marlins to a 2-0 blanking of the Yankees in Game 6 of the World Series before a silenced crowd of 55,773 at Yankee Stadium.

Beckett's masterpiece completed an improbable season for the Marlins, which culminated with the second World Series title in the franchise's 11 seasons.

"I am elated," said manager Jack McKeon, the 72-year-old cigar-smoking grandfather of nine who took over the club on May 11, with the team mired in a 16-22 record. "I didn't have any idea that we would win in the playoffs or win the Wild Card. I had no idea we would get to the World Series and I had no idea we would win the World Series.

"But being with these guys and seeing the attitude and the determination, the desire -- we were on a mission."

Josh Beckett / P
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 190
Bats/Throws: R/R

More info:
Player page
Stats
Splits
Marlins site

While the Marlins were champs in 1997, that team was built to win it all. These Marlins rose from the ashes, going from 10-games under .500 on May 22 to winning the Wild Card race.

The brash Beckett was angered throughout the playoffs for what he believed was a lack of respect for the franchise. He heard about the curse of the goat against the Cubs. And at Yankee Stadium, he was repeatedly asked about standing up to the weight of Yankee tradition.

"That ticked me off," said Beckett, voted the World Series Most Valuable Player. "Nobody thought we could do it. All I know is we're going to get World Series rings on Opening Day next season."

Reaching the playoffs was taxing enough, but the road to the World Series title was more grueling and draining. The Marlins had to get by Bonds and Co., the Giants, in the Division Series. Then, after trailing 3-1 to the Cubs, again the Marlins came through in a mind-boggling manner, beating Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in back-to-back victories at Wrigley Field. Now, this, upending the Yankees in the House that Ruth built.

Working on three days' rest for the first time in his career, Beckett tossed the second complete game of his career. Ironically, both were in the playoffs.

In Game 5 of the NLCS, the hard-throwing right-hander tossed a two-hitter, striking out 11 Cubs. That outing set the tone for the club's rally against the Cubs.

The Marlins then came back from a 2-1 deficit to upset the heavily favored Yankees by taking three straight.

Beckett becomes the first pitcher since Twins hurler Jack Morris in 1991 to toss a complete-game shutout in the deciding World Series game. And he logged the first complete-game shutout in the Fall Classic since Randy Johnson did it to the Yankees in Game 2 of 2001.

"I told him after the eighth inning, I ain't taking you out of the game unless you tell me to take you out of the game," Marlins pitching coach Wayne Rosenthal said. "I thought to myself, nobody was going to get on in the ninth."

They beat Andy Pettitte, who was outstanding himself, giving up two runs -- one earned -- on six hits in seven innings.

Unable to manage much off Pettitte through five innings, the Marlins were able to scratch out a run in the fifth on Luis Castillo's RBI single to right.

Luis Castillo / 2B
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 185
Bats/Throws: S/R

Mired in an 0-for-14 slump, Castillo battled from an 0-2 count before slapping a 2-2 pitch into right field. Karim Garcia charged and made a strong throw home, but Alex Gonzalez maneuvered a nifty slide, wiggling away from catcher Jorge Posada's swipe tag. Gonzalez brushed the fingers of his left hand across the plate, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead.

"He left me home plate open," Gonzalez said. "I knew the play was going to be close. But he left home plate open. I waited for him to try to touch me, and then got my hand in there."

Based on how the playoffs have gone, it was fitting that the slumping Castillo would produce the only run Beckett needed.

Unlikely heroes have repeatedly stepped up. In Game 4, it was Gonzalez's walk-off home run in the 12th inning that tied the Series. The slick-fielding shortstop was batting .094 in the playoffs when he went deep, evening the Series at 2-2.

A two-time All-Star, Castillo had been getting down on himself.

"I was feeling down because I had gone a lot time without getting a hit," Castillo said. "I was trying to look for a good pitch to hit. I kept fouling off until I got a good pitch. I looked into the dugout, and Jack was yelling, 'Let's go, my man.' "

The Marlins' run came with two outs on three consecutive singles. Gonzalez and Juan Pierre each singled to center, setting up Castillo's opposite-field hit.

Castillo, who was 3-for-23 in the World Series at the time of the single, had not had a hit since singling in the ninth inning of Game 2 against Pettitte.

"This is a great feeling because everybody had written us off," Pierre said. "It's a great feeling the way we did it because nobody excepted this. We did it without all the fanfare. We came out of nowhere and did it."

In the fifth, Pettitte threw 35 pitches. The veteran left-hander, who held the Marlins to an unearned run in 8 2/3 innings in Game 2, worked out of the jam by striking out Miguel Cabrera with the bases loaded.

An error by Derek Jeter on Jeff Conine's routine grounder to short set up an unearned run by the Marlins in the sixth inning.

Jeter bobbled the slow grounder. Mike Lowell walked and Derrek Lee bunted back to Pettitte, who threw to second for a force out. With Conine on third and Lee on first, Juan Encarnacion battled with two strikes. On a 2-2 pitch, Encarnacion drove a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Conine.

Juan Encarnacion / OF
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 160
Bats/Throws: R/R

"Pettitte pitched good, but we made some adjustments," Encarnacion said. "I was able to get a pitch to hit in the air."

For the game, the Yankees had runners in scoring position four times, but Beckett repeatedly worked out of trouble.

In the seventh, Posada led off with an opposite-field double to left. But Beckett got Jason Giambi to ground out to third before striking out Garcia looking on a full-count curveball. The threat ended with pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra striking out swinging.

Beckett had another opportunity to buckle in the eighth after Alfonso Soriano swatted a first-pitch fastball to left for a leadoff single. Beckett then fell behind Jeter, 3-1, before getting the shortstop to fly out to center.

Beckett worked out of the inning by getting Nick Johnson to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.

A perfectionist, Beckett griped in the dugout that he hung a changeup that Johnson hit hard to Castillo at second, starting the double play.

"Josh was complaining about hanging the pitch, and [Carl] Pavano told him, 'What are you complaining about? You got him to hit into a double play.' " Rosenthal said.

After the eighth, McKeon went up to catcher Ivan Rodriguez to see how Beckett was doing. In that inning, Dontrelle Willis and Ugueth Urbina were warming up in the bullpen.

Rodriguez told the manager, "Don't take him out."

McKeon replied, "Don't worry. I'm not. Those two guys up were for show."

Beckett worked a swift ninth, eventually ending the game by tagging out Posada after scooping up a chopped grounder down the first-base line.

Once the tag was applied, Rodriguez flung his facemask skyward, and the celebration began.

"I have a lot of confidence in Beckett," said McKeon, who opened himself up for second guessing by working the youngster on three days' rest. "He's got that mystique. With him, every time out, you feel you are going to win. He talked the talk. And he walked the walk."