Team: Florida Marlins
Sport: Baseball
Venue: Pro Player Stadium
Manager: Jack McKeon
Championships: 2 -- 1997, 2003
Background: The Florida Marlins are
a Major League Baseball team based in Miami, Florida.
They are in the Eastern Division of the National League.
Founded: 1993 (National League expansion)
Home ballpark: Pro Player Stadium
Uniform colors: Black, Gray, Aqua,
and White; some Orange
Logo design: Circle design with "FLORIDA"
and "MARLINS" written around it; a marlin
jumping through the circle and a baseball in the background.
Wild Card titles won (2): 1997, 2003
Division titles won (0): none
League pennants won (2): 1997, 2003
World Series championships won (2):
1997, 2003
Franchise history
1993-1996
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.
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Florida Marlins Tickets |
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.
1997 Season
In 1997, the Florida Marlins led by new Manager Jim
Leyland won the Wild-Card finishing 92-70. They swept
the San Francisco Giants 3-0 in the Divisional Series,
and then went on to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 in the
National League Championship Series.
