Jim Leyland, a two-time NL Manager of the Year who had won the World Series with the Florida Marlins two years earlier, was expected to bring the Rockies back into contention in 1999.

The Marlins won their first game on April 5,, against the Dodgers.

The underdog Marlins went on to face the Cleveland Indians in the 1997 World Series, and won in seven games.

The Marlins won the series despite scoring fewer runs ( 17 ) than the Yankees ( 21 ).

In 2009, the Marlins remained in the playoff chase until the middle of September thanks to Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan and the breakout season of Hanley Ramirez who won the National League Batting Title.

Beckett won the World Series MVP in 2003 and won 41 games as a member of the Marlins, with a 3. 46 ERA.

In the 1997 National League Championship Series, Brown, riddled with the flu, proceeded to pitch a complete game in Game Six, defeating the Atlanta Braves and helping the Marlins reach the World Series, which they eventually won over the Cleveland Indians.

* Luis Castillo ( 1996 – 2005 ) — Castillo won three Gold Glove Awards and went to three All-Star games in his tenure with the Marlins.

* Jeff Conine ( 1993 – 1997, 2003 – 2005 ) — Jeff Conine has the distinction of being the only player to appear in the opener of the Marlins ' inaugural season and in both the 1997 World Series and the 2003 World Series won by the Marlins.

In his tenure with the Marlins, Lowell was a three time All-Star and won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove.

* Dontrelle Willis ( 2003 – 2007 ) — The " D-Train " was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 2003 and showcased his remarkable ( for a pitcher ) hitting ability by going 3-for-3 with a triple while scoring a run during Game 4 of the 2003 National League Division Series, which the Marlins won 7 – 6 over the San Francisco Giants to advance to the NL Championship Series.

The Brewers won 3 – 1 while the New York Mets lost to the Florida Marlins 4 – 2, sealing the Brewers the Wild Card spot.

Jason Schmidt won game one in San Francisco with a complete game victory, but the Marlins would win the series three games to one as the Giants bullpen proved unable to prevent their opponent from scoring.

Coincidentally, having won a championship while managing the Florida Marlins in 1997, Tigers manager Jim Leyland could have achieved this same feat had the Tigers defeated La Russa's Cardinals in the 2006 World Series.

* World Series – Florida Marlins won 4 games to 3 over the Cleveland Indians.

However, the Marlins won the game 9-6.

The Marlins may have won the 2003 World Series, but up until playoff time, their Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes franchise was outdrawing the major league club most nights of the week.

He led the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship in 1997, and previously won three straight division titles ( 1990, 1991, and 1992 ) with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Marlins, in only their fifth year of existence, became the second fastest expansion franchise to win a World Series ( the Boston Americans, now known as the Red Sox, were a charter team in the expansion American League in 1901 and won the first World Series in 1903 ).

The Arizona Diamondbacks surpassed the Marlins on this list when they won the World Series in 2001, their fourth season.

During his career in the playoffs, he won the 2003 World Series with the Florida Marlins and the 2007 World Series with the Boston Red Sox, and received the 2007 ALCS MVP award for his play in that series.

The Marlins made the playoffs as a wild card team, and defeated the San Francisco Giants in the National League Divisional Series, and then the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series, before going to the World Series, which Florida won in seven games.

The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida and a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball ( MLB's ) National League.

In 1997, the Marlins finished nine games back of the Division Champion Atlanta Braves, but earned the wild card berth.

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.

The area also has two Division III programs, one in each subregion — the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins on the border of Virginia Beach and Norfolk, and the Christopher Newport University Captains in Newport News.

In his first season in San Francisco, he managed his team into the playoffs, where they were defeated by the Florida Marlins in the NL Division Series in 4 games.

The Braves swept the Houston Astros in three games in the 1997 National League Division Series before losing to the eventual world champion Florida Marlins in the 1997 National League Championship Series.

In Game 1 of the 1997 National League Division Series ( NLDS ), Rentería's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth off of Roberto Hernández gave the Marlins a 2 – 1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

After sweeping the San Francisco Giants in the 1997 National League Division Series, the Marlins defeated their division rival Braves in the 1997 National League Championship Series, four games to two.

In 1997, Hernández was traded to the San Francisco Giants as part of a nine-player deal and appeared in all three games of the National League Division Series against the Florida Marlins.

The Marlins earned a wild card berth in the 1997 playoffs, and after being left off the Division Series roster, Saunders was placed on the LCS roster against the Braves.

After defeating the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS, Cleveland went on to face the Florida Marlins in the World Series which featured the coldest game in World Series history.

The Marlins have the distinction of winning a World Series championship every year they qualified for the postseason, doing so in 1997 and 2003 — both times as the National League wild card team.

The first deal came days after the World Series, when the Marlins traded outfielder Moisés Alou to the Houston Astros for pitchers Oscar Hernandez and Manuel Barrios.

The Marlins finished the 1999 season with the worst record in baseball at 64 – 98, and traded World Series MVP Liván Hernández to the San Francisco Giants.

The Marlins finished 79 – 83, second best season in team history up to that time, but their fifth straight losing season since winning the World Series.

On October 15, the Marlins defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to three in the Championship Series, coming back from a three games to one deficit.

In the 2003 World Series, the Marlins defeated the heavily favored New York Yankees in six games, winning the sixth game in Yankee Stadium.

The Marlins became the first opposing team to win a Series championship on the field at Yankee Stadium since the 1981 World Series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers did it.

The Marlins are also the last team to win a World Series at the Old Yankee Stadium.

The offseason after their second World Series title, the Marlins made a questionable cost-cutting move as Derrek Lee was traded to Chicago Cubs for Hee Seop Choi and pitcher Mike Nannini.

After winning the 2003 World Series, the Marlins entered 2004 with high hopes and a retooled roster.

In a trade considered one of the best in team history, the Marlins acquired Hanley Ramírez and Aníbal Sánchez among others from the Red Sox for World Series MVP Josh Beckett and fan favorite Mike Lowell in a Thanksgiving blockbuster.

On February 29, the Marlins were recognized on Sports Illustrated's magazine for the 5th time ( 11 / 3 / 1997, Edgar Renteria who had a walk-off hit in Game 7 of the World Series ; 5 / 25 / 1998, Mike Piazza after his trade from the Dodgers ; 11 / 3 / 2003 ; Josh Beckett, after winning World Series MVP and 3 / 12 / 07 Dontrelle Willis, chronicling global warming with Willis in a flooded Sun Life Stadium.

He was a key factor to the Marlins ' 2003 World Series run and the ballclub's primary power hitter during his tenure, hitting 138 home runs and driving in 523 in five seasons.