Florida Marlins Franchise History 1993 1996 1997 Season

On June 10, 1991, the National League awarded a franchise to Wayne HuizengaWayne Huizenga (December, 1937 , has built several companies into multi-billion dollar enterprises, mostly through an aggressive process of acquisitions. Starting with a single garbage truck he grew Waste Management Inc. into the largest waste disposal co, 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 MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a Major League Baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. They are in the Western Division of the American League. Founded 1977 ( American League expansion) Home ballpark Safeco Field ( 1999-present), Kingdome ( 1977- 1999). and Milwaukee BrewersFor the circa-1900 major league baseball team once known as the Milwaukee Brewers see Baltimore Orioles. There was also a 20th-century minor league team named the Milwaukee Brewers . The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball team based in Milwauke. 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.

1.2 1997 season

In 1997, the Florida Marlins led by new Manager Jim LeylandJim Leyland (born December 15, 1944) is a former Major League Baseball manager who led the wild-card Florida Marlins to World Series championship in 1997. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1996, the Marlins during 1997 and 1998 and the Colora won the wild card, finishing 92-70. They swept the San Francisco GiantsBaseball teams The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California. They are in the Western Division of the National League. Founded either 1879 or 1883. The Troy Haymakers (or sometimes Trojans) were expelled from 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.

The underdog Florida Marlins went to take on the Cleveland Indians and won the World Series in 7 games, with an amazing extra-inning single by shortstop Edgar Rentería off of Cleveland pitcher Charles Nagy , which barely cleared his glove, scoring Craig Counsell to win the game. Liván Hernández was named the MVP of the World Series in 1997.

Team owner Huizenga, claiming massive financial losses which would prove to be mostly false as he reported team and stadium earnings separately, dismantled the championship team in 1998, and Florida posted a 54-108 record that season. This angered fans, and Marlins home attendance plummeted.

Attendance in Miami continued to drop steadily over the next four years. In 2002, the Marlins drew a franchise low 813,111 fans to Pro Player Stadium and averaged just 10,038 per game.

1.3 1998-2002

Following the World Series victory, Huizenga dismantled the team by trading off most of the club's most talented players. Among them, Moises Alou was traded to the Houston Astros, Bobby Bonilla was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Kevin 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.

The club slowly worked back to becoming a respectable ballclub despite attendance issues, driven by young stars such as A.J. Burnett , Luis Castillo , and Mike Lowell. From 2000 through 2002, the Marlins consecutively put up three 75+ win seasons. In 2002, Tony Perez was replaced by Jeff Torborg as the new Marlin's manager. Torborg put up a 79-83 record in his first season with the Marlins.

1.4 2003 season

In the offseason, the Marlins acquired 10-time Golden Glove winner Ivan Rodriguez from free agency and Juan Pierre from the Colorado Rockies after trading off homerun sluggers Cliff Floyd and Preston Wilson .

The Marlins struggled in the opening stages of the 2003 season, going 16-22. In that span, Florida also lost its top three pitchers, A.J. Burnett, Josh Beckett, and Mark Redman . On May 11, Florida replaced manager Jeff Torborg with 72-year-old Jack McKeon . In that timespan, Florida was at its lowest point, with a major league worst record of 19-29.

Around the same time, Florida recalled the high-kicking rookie phenom Dontrelle Willis up from the AA minor league Carolina Mudcats, who carried the injury-plagued Marlins with a 9-1 record in his first 13 starts.

Miguel Cabrera (also from Carolina), Jeff Conine (from Baltimore) and Ugueth Urbina (from the Texas Rangers) were all acquired mid-season as well to help the Marlins play-off push.

In 2003, Florida clinched the National League Wild Card for the second time in team history with a 4-3 win over the New York Mets on September 26, finishing with an overall record of 91-71.

The Marlins clinched the Division Series against the favored San Francisco Giants going 3 games to 1. In the two Division Series games at Pro Player Stadium, Florida drew over 130,000 fans. The series ended with Marlins catcher Ivan Rodriguez tagging out a charging J.T. Snow at the plate after catching a perfect throw from Jeff Conine , which made it just in time to make the play. (Snow, the son of former Los Angeles Rams lineman Jack Snow, tried to imitate his father by lowering his shoulder and bulldozing Rodriguez at the plate, but the Marlins catcher held on to the ball for the out.) It was the first postseason series ever to end with the potential tying run being thrown out at the plate. On October 15, 2003, the Marlins defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to three in the 2003 National League Championship Series, after falling three games to one before coming back with a Beckett complete-game shutout in Game 5, The Inning in Game 6, and the traditional come-from-behind win in Game 7 to take the series, staking claim to their second NL pennant and advancing to the 2003 World Series, where they defeated the New York Yankees in six games. Starting pitcher Josh Beckett was named the Most Valuable Player for the World Series after twirling a 5-hit complete-game shutout in Game 6.

1.5 2003 offseason

Dontrelle Willis named NL Rookie of the Year
Jack McKeon named Manager of the Year
Derrek Lee traded to Chicago Cubs for Hee Seop Choi
Ivan Rodriguez up for free agency (signed by the Detroit Tigers)

1.6 2004 season

Although posting a winning record of 83-79 (only their third winning season of their history), the Marlins' aspirations of successfully defending their World Series title fell short as they finished nine games behind the Houston Astros for the National League Wild Card title, thus the Marlins became the fourth consecutive Major League Baseball team not to repeat as World Series champions.

A series of rain-outs in September (due to hurricanes in Florida), the delayed doubleheaders that followed, and losing three key players from the Marlins' previous championship year ( Ivan Rodriguez, Derrek Lee and Ugueth Urbina) factored in the team's downfall during the season's stretch run.

But the team was able to retain Jack McKeon as coach for the 2005 season.

2 Players of note

2.1 Baseball Hall of Famers

Tony Perez (Assistant to Marlins President; inducted as a member of the Cincinnati Reds)

2.3 Not to be forgotten

Moises Alou (6-time All-Star)
Bobby Bonilla (6-time All-Star)
Kevin Brown (5-time All-Star)
Craig Counsell (2001 NLCS MVP)
Liván Hernández (1997 NLCS MVP, 1997 World Series MVP)
Derrek Lee (2003 Gold Glove Award)
Al Leiter (Twice All-Star)
Edgar Rentería (4-time All-Star)
Ivan Rodriguez (11-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove, 1999 AL MVP, 2003 NLCS MVP)
Gary Sheffield (6-time All-Star)
Ugueth Urbina (All-Star)

2.4 Retired numbers

5 Carl Barger (team President who died before team played their first game)
42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball)

3 Minor league affiliates

Albuquerque Isotopes (AAA, Pacific Coast League)
Carolina Mudcats (AA, Southern League)
Jupiter Hammerheads (High-A, Florida State League)
Greensboro Grasshoppers (A, South Atlantic League)
Jamestown Jammers (Short-Season A, New York-Penn League)
GCL Marlins (Rookie, Gulf Coast League)

4 External link

Florida Marlins official web site

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Home > Florida Marlins

1 Franchise history

1.1 1993-1996