Miami Marlins

**History** edit Hall of Famer Satchel Paige pitched for the Miami Marlins (AAA) from 1956 to 1958. Wayne Huizenga, CEO of Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation, was awarded an expansion franchise in the National League (NL) for a $95 million expansion fee and the team began operations in 1993 as the Florida Marlins. MLB had announced a few months earlier that it intended to add two new teams to the National League. It was a foregone conclusion that one of them would be placed in Florida; the only question was whether Huizenga would beat out competing groups from Orlando and Tampa Bay. Orlando waged a very spirited campaign bolstered by its family-oriented tourism industry. Tampa Bay already had a baseball park—the Florida Suncoast Dome in St. Petersburg, completed in 1990. However, on June 10, 1991, the National League awarded a Miami-based franchise to Huizenga. The franchise adopted the name "Marlins" from previous minor league teams, the Miami Marlins of the Triple-A 's International League from 1956 to 1960, and the Miami Marlins (1962–70) and Miami Marlins (1982–88) teams that played in the Florida State League. The Marlins' first manager was Rene Lachemann, a former catcher who had previously managed the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers, and who at the time of his hiring was a third base coach for the Oakland Athletics. The team drafted its initial lineup of players in the 1992 MLB Expansion Draft. The Marlins defeated the Houston Astros 12–8 in their inaugural spring training game. Jeff Conine hit Florida's first homer before a crowd of 6,696 at the Cocoa Expo Sports Complex. The Marlins won their first game on April 5, 1993, against the Dodgers. Charlie Hough was the starting pitcher for that game. Jeff Conine went 4-for-4 as well, making him an immediate crowd favorite. By the end of his tenure with Florida, he had earned the nickname "Mr. Marlin." Gary Sheffield and Bryan Harvey represented the Marlins as the club's first All-Star Game selections, and Sheffield homered in the Marlins' first All-Star Game at-bat. The team finished the year five games ahead of the last-place New York Mets and with an attendance of 3,064,847. In that season, the Marlins traded young set-up reliever Trevor Hoffman and two minor-league prospects to the San Diego Padres for third baseman Gary Sheffield. While Sheffield helped Florida immediately and became an all-star, Hoffman eventually emerged as the best closer in the National League. After the 1993 season, Donald A. Smiley was named the second president in club history. The Marlins finished last (51–64) in their division in the strike-shortened season of 1994 and fourth (67–76) in 1995. Lachemann was replaced as manager midway through the 1996 season by director of player development John Boles. **1997: First World Series title** edit Following an 80–82 record in 1996, former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Jim Leyland was hired to lead the club heading into 1997. In 1997, the Marlins finished nine games back of the Division Champion Atlanta Braves, but earned the wild card berth. Veteran additions such as LF Moisés Alou, 3B Bobby Bonilla, and trade-deadline additions Darren Daulton and Jim Eisenreich added experience and clutch hits. Talented young stars Luis Castillo (2B) and Édgar Rentería (SS) comprised one of the best double play combos in the NL. The Marlins swept the San Francisco Giants 3–0 in the National League Division Series, and then went on to beat the Atlanta Braves 4–2 in the National League Championship Series, overcoming the loss of Alex Fernandez to a torn rotator cuff, and Kevin Brown to a virus. Brown's place was taken in Game 5 by rookie pitcher Liván Hernández, who struck out 15 Braves and outdueled multiple Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux to a 2–1 victory. The underdog Marlins went on to face the Cleveland Indians in the 1997 World Series, and won in seven games. In Game 7, Craig Counsell's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth tied the game at 2, then, with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 11th, Édgar Rentería's soft liner glanced off the glove of Cleveland pitcher Charles Nagy and into center field to score Counsell and give the Marlins the win. **2003: Second World Series victory** edit Shaking hands with manager Jack McKeon, President George W. Bush hosts a visit by the 2003 World Series Champions, the Florida Marlins, to the White House Friday, January 23, 2004. On May 9, the Marlins called up high-kicking southpaw Dontrelle Willis from the Double-A Carolina Mudcats and helped carry the injury-plagued Marlins with an 11–2 record in his first 17 starts. Miguel Cabrera (also from the Mudcats) filled in well, hitting a walk-off home run in his first major league game, against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Pro Player Stadium. Both Willis and Cabrera would later prove to be essential parts of the Marlins' playoff success. Jeff Conine – an original Marlin and member of the 1997 World Series team – returned from Baltimore, Hall of Fame catcher Iván Rodríguez signed with the Marlins as a free agent and closer Ugueth Urbina arrived from the Texas Rangers. These acquisitions helped to keep the team in contention, and although they finished ten games behind the Braves, the Marlins captured the NL wild card. On October 15, the Marlins defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to three in the 2003 National League Championship Series, coming back from a 3–1 deficit. Game 6 saw the Marlins play a role in one of baseball's most infamous moments, the Steve Bartman incident. With one out in the eighth inning and the Cubs three runs ahead, Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo hit a pop foul a row into the stands along the third baseline. Cubs fan Steve Bartman reached for the ball, preventing Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou from making the out and setting off an eight-run Marlins rally. The incident with Bartman and a come-from-behind win in Wrigley Field in Game 7 helped the Marlins capture their second NL pennant, keeping the "Curse of the Billy Goat" alive and well. In the 2003 World Series, the Marlins defeated the heavily favored New York Yankees in six games, winning the sixth game in Yankee Stadium. Shortstop Álex González helped the Marlins win Game 4 of the series with a walk-off home run in extra innings. Josh Beckett was named the Most Valuable Player for the series after twirling a five-hit complete-game shutout in Game 6. Skipper Jack McKeon became the oldest manager ever to win a World Series title. **2012–present** edit In 2012, the team moved from the football-oriented Sun Life Stadium (located in Miami Gardens) to Marlins Park in downtown Miami. As a condition of the move, the team was renamed the Miami Marlins, and adopted a new logo and colors. On November 16, 2017, Giancarlo Stanton won the National League MVP, becoming the first Marlin to win the award. During the 2020 shortened season, the Marlins finished with a 31–29 overall record and 2nd place in the NL East. In the Wild Card Series they swept the Chicago Cubs in 2 games. Miami lost in three games to the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. On November 13, 2020, the Marlins became the first club in any American major-level sports league to hire a woman to an executive position when Kim Ng was announced as the team's general manager. In addition, she will also be MLB's first Asian American general manager. On February 28, 2022, it was announced Derek Jeter stepped down as CEO of the Marlins. On September 30, 2023, with the Marlins 7–3 win in Pittsburgh, the Marlins clinched their fourth postseason berth, making Kim Ng the first woman GM in MLB history to lead a playoff team. - ^ "Satchel Paige Black Baseball, Mexican, Independent & Minor Leagues Statistics & History". - ^ "Miami Marlins Franchise Timeline 1990s". Miami Marlins. Retrieved October 15, 2022. - ^ "A's Coach Reportedly to Manage Marlins". Los Angeles Times. October 22, 1992. Retrieved October 16, 2025. - ^ "Leyland Opts To Manage Marlins". deseret.com. October 4, 1996. Retrieved October 13, 2022. - ^ Chass, Murray (October 27, 1997). "'97 World Series; Marlins Win World Series". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2022. - ^ Stark, Jason (January 22, 2003). "Pudge hits jackpot in signing with Marlins". ESPN. Retrieved October 15, 2022. - ^ "Marlins win World Series". The New York Times. October 26, 2003. Retrieved January 5, 2023. - ^ Post, Paul (February 5, 2015). "McKeon aiming to be MLB's oldest skipper". MLB.com. Retrieved October 2, 2025. - ^ Knapel, Robert (July 27, 2011). "Florida Marlins to Be Renamed Miami Marlins Next Season". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 12, 2018. - ^ Frisaro, Joe (November 16, 2017). "Stanton fishes out close vote, wins NL MVP". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved October 11, 2022. - ^ "2020 Miami Marlins Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 15, 2022. - ^ Acquavella, Katherine (October 2, 2020). "Miami pulls off surprise playoff sweep; Chicago's bats quiet in season-ending loss". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 15, 2022. - ^ Frisaro, Joe (October 8, 2020). "'20 done for Marlins, but club proud of run". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved October 15, 2022. - ^ Duffy, Clare (October 5, 2023). "Miami Marlins' Kim Ng became the first woman GM to lead an MLB team to the playoffs | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved October 2, 2025. - ^ "Miami Marlins hire Kim Ng as MLB's first female general manager". ESPN.com. November 13, 2020. - ^ Gonzalez, Alden (February 28, 2022). "Derek Jeter stepping down as Miami Marlins' CEO, shareholder". ESPN. Retrieved October 11, 2022. - ^ "Marlins clinch playoff berth: Miami headed to postseason in full season for first time since 2003 title". October 2023.