Florida Marlins History |
Major League Baseball agreed to expand the National League to 14 teams, matching the American League's 14 franchises in 1985. Several years later in 1990, the candidates for a new franchise included South Florida, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Buffalo, Washington, D.C., Orlando, and Denver. H. Wayne Huizenga, who owned half of then Joe Robbie Stadium, led a group to bring baseball to South Florida. On December 18, 1990, Huizenga's group was chosen as the representative for the Miami area.
On June 10, 1991, Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent announced that Denver and Miami were the two areas chosen by the expansion committee of Major League Baseball. By July 5, 1991, the baseball owners unanimously approved the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies as the newest franchises for Major League Baseball. On April 5, 1993 Marlins baseball debuted with a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers before 42,334 fans at Joe Robbie Stadium. Benito Santiago hit the first home run in Marlins history that day.
Just four years into their existance, the Florida Marlins posted not only a winning record, but also their first playoff birth. The 92-70 record netted them the National League Wildcard spot and a Division Series playoff again the San Francisco Giants. Florida swept the Giants 3-0 and bested the Atlanta Braves 4-2 to enter their first World Series. A close match between the Marlins and the Cleveland Indians was narrowly won by Florida four games to three. Thus in only their fourth year of play, the city of Miami was home to the World Series Champions.
Unfortunately a fire sale was undertaken before the World Series Champions could get used to their role as the best. Several of the players signed for the 1997 campaign were outed by 1998. Thus the Marlins went from 92 wins to an abysmal 54-108 record in 1998. Losing would become a way of life for the Florida Marlins, which in turn saw sagging attendance figures in the intervening years. In 2002, the Marlins were almost contracted with either the Montreal Expos or Minnesota Twins. A federal injunction prevented the removal of two teams from Major League Baseball proposed by Commissioner Bud Selig. Thus the Marlins, Twins, and Expos continued play in 2002 and 2003.
What was not expected by anyone was the success at which the 2003 club would entail. Following a disappointing 79-83 finish in 2002, fourth place in the National League East, the Marlins signed Catcher Ivan Rodriguez and saw fruition from the moves that sent Cliff Floyd and others in unpopular trades during the 2002 season. The result was a successful mix that saw the Marlins win 91 games netting them the Wildcard spot for the National League for the second time in club history. Once in the playoffs the Marlins stunned the San Francisco Giants again three games to one. An exciting Chicago Cubs League Championship series followed with a narrow 4-3 victory and second World Series Birth. The fiery young team was not done there as they entered the 2003 Fall Classic versus the powerful New York Yankees. The Yankees, perhaps worn out from their exciting Championship series with division rival Boston, fell to the Marlins four games to two. Thus the Marlins won their second World Title.
World Series Appearances:
- 2003 vs. New York Yankees W. 4-2
- 1997 vs. Cleveland Indians W. 4-3
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| Rank |
Player |
Statistic |
| Batting Average |
| 1 |
Juan Pierre |
.316 |
| 2 |
Kevin Millar |
.296 |
| 3 |
Cliff Floyd |
.294 |
| Homeruns |
| 1 |
Mike Lowell |
136 |
| 2 |
Derrek Lee |
129 |
| 3 |
Gary Sheffield |
122 |
| RBI's |
| 1 |
Mike Lowell |
524 |
| 2 |
Jeff Conine |
520 |
| 3 |
Derrek Lee |
417 |
| Hits |
| 1 |
Luis Castillo |
1,142 |
| 2 |
Jeff Conine |
904 |
| 3 |
Mike Lowell |
853 |
| Stolen Bases |
| 1 |
Luis Castillo |
272 |
| 2 |
Chuck Carr |
115 |
| 3 |
Juan Pierre |
110 |
| Wins |
| 1 |
Brad Penny |
48 |
| 2 |
Ryan Dempster |
42 |
| 3 |
Pat Rapp / A.J. Burnett |
37 |
| Earned Run Average |
| 1 |
Kevin Brown |
2.30 |
| 2 |
Josh Beckett |
3.38 |
| 3 |
Robb Nen |
3.41 |
| Strikeouts |
| 1 |
Ryan Dempster |
628 |
| 2 |
Brad Penny |
570 |
| 3 |
A.J. Burnett |
561 |
| Saves |
| 1 |
Robb Nen |
108 |
| 2 |
Antonio Alfonseca |
102 |
| 3 |
Bryan Harvey |
51 |
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Florida Marlins Retired Numbers |
Number |
Player |
5 |
Carl Barger (executive) |
42 |
Jackie Robinson |
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Baseball Profile Links : Information For Teams 2005 Previews |
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The Braves, who usually draft pitchers with their first pick, compared Eric Campbell, a shortstop from Owensville, Ind., to Matt Williams, the former home run king. |
Left-handed pitcher Taylor Tankersley,
taken 27th overall out of the University of
Alabama, went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in
six starts for Class-A Jamestown. He
doesn't have an overpowering fastball,
but his bulldog mentality and smarts
make him a solid candidate to move
quickly through the system. The son of a
nuclear physicist, he received a $1.3 million signing bonus and
should start 2005 at Class A Greensboro. |
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New closer Guillermo Mota is an interesting choice as Armando Benitez's replacement. It would be difficult for anyone to follow a 47-save performance like the one Benitez mounted in his one-and-done South Florida tenure. But Mota, a career setup man through his first six big league seasons, has blown 11 of his 16 save chances. He also wore down at the end of last season, when he went 0-3 after Sept. 1 and his ERA ballooned to 7.79 in his final 14 outings. He has an overpowering fastball at times but tends to lean too much on his changeup, which he learned from ex-Dodgers teammate Eric Gagne. More power and less finesse would suit Mota well.
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