Miami Marlins | |
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Established in 1993 | |
Major league affiliations | |
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Current uniform | |
Retired numbers | 42 (Retired by MLB) |
Colors | |
Name | |
Other nicknames | |
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Ballpark | |
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Major league titles | |
NL Pennants (2) | |
East Division titles (0) | None |
Wild card berths (3) | |
Front office | |
Principal owner(s) | Bruce Sherman |
President | Derek Jeter (CEO) |
General manager | Kim Ng |
Manager | Don Mattingly |
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. Their home park is LoanDepot Park.
The franchise began play as an expansion team in the 1993 season as the Florida Marlins. The Marlins originally played home games at Joe Robbie Stadium, which they shared with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). In 2012, the team moved to Marlins Park, their first exclusive home and the first to be designed as a baseball park.[4][5] As part of an agreement with park owner Miami-Dade County to use the stadium, the franchise also changed their name to the Miami Marlins prior to the 2012 season.[6]
The Marlins have qualified for the postseason only three times, but won the World Series during their first two postseason runs in 1997 and 2003. Their three playoff appearances came as wild card teams, making them one of two MLB franchises (along with the Colorado Rockies) to have never won a division title. The Marlins are also the first team to win the World Series as a wild card.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2017) |
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. In 2012, the team moved from the football-oriented Sun Life Stadium to Marlins Park in downtown Miami.[7] As a condition of the move, the team was renamed the Miami Marlins, and adopted a new logo and colors.
The Marlins won the World Series in 1997 and 2003, but both titles were followed by controversial periods where the team sold off all the high-priced players and rebuilt. Between 2003 and 2019, the team's two World Series runs also marked their sole postseason appearances. Their three playoff qualifications and seven winning seasons are the fewest among MLB franchises.
Through 2020, the Marlins all-time record is 2,021-2,343 (.463)[8]
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.[9]
The Marlins are the only team to win a World Series in their first two winning seasons (1997 and 2003); in fact, they are the only team to even make the playoffs in their first two winning seasons. In those two seasons, they managed to make a surprise run to the World Series, both times as heavy underdogs.
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Pitcher | Date | Team | Result | Site |
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Al Leiter | May 11, 1996 | Rockies | 11-0 | Pro Player Stadium |
Kevin Brown | June 10, 1997 | Giants | 9-0 | Candlestick Park |
A. J. Burnett | May 12, 2001 | Padres | 3-0 | Qualcomm Stadium |
Aníbal Sánchez | September 6, 2006 | Diamondbacks | 2-0 | Dolphin Stadium |
Henderson Álvarez | September 29, 2013 | Tigers | 1-0 | Marlins Park |
Edinson Vólquez | June 3, 2017 | Diamondbacks | 3-0 | Marlins Park |
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From 1993 until 2011, the Marlins had retired the number 5 in honor of Carl Barger, the first president of the Florida Marlins, who had died prior to the team's inaugural season. Barger's favorite player was Joe DiMaggio, thus the selection of number 5. With the move to the new ballpark, the team opted to honor Barger with a plaque instead, and opened number 5 to circulation. Logan Morrison, a Kansas City native and fan of Royals Hall-of-Famer George Brett (who wore that number with the Royals), became the first Marlins player to wear the number.[13]
After José Fernández's death as a result of a boating accident on September 25, 2016, the Miami Marlins announced plans to build a memorial at LoanDepot Park in his honor. However, Fernández's number 16 has yet to be officially retired.[14][15]
Marlins in the Florida Sports Hall of Fame | ||||
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No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Notes |
-- | Wayne Huizenga | Owner | 1993-1998 | |
10 | Gary Sheffield | OF/3B | 1993-1998 | Born in Tampa |
18, 19 | Jeff Conine | 1B/LF | 1993-1997 2003-2005 |
Known as "Mr. Marlin" for his significant history with the club |
30, 32 | Tim Raines | LF | 2002 | Elected mainly on his performance with Montreal Expos, Born in Sanford |
8 | Andre Dawson | OF | 1995-1996 | Elected mainly on his performance with Montreal Expos, Born in Miami |
22, 25 | Al Leiter | P | 1996-1997, 2005 |
The Miami Marlins farm system consists of six minor league affiliates.[16]
The Marlins' flagship radio station from their inception in 1993 through 2007 was WQAM 560 AM. Although the Marlins had plans to leave WQAM after 2006, they remained with WQAM for the 2007 season. On October 11, 2007, the Marlins announced an agreement with WAXY 790 AM to broadcast all games for the 2008 season. Longtime Montreal Expo and current Marlins play-by-play radio announcer Dave Van Horne won the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting in 2010.[17] He shares the play-by-play duties with Glenn Geffner.
Games are also broadcast in Spanish on Radio Mambi 710 AM. Felo Ramírez, who calls play-by-play on that station along with Luis Quintana, won the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
Marlins games are televised by Fox Sports Florida. The last "free TV" broadcast of a game was on WPXM-TV in 2005.[]
In 1989, Back to the Future Part II had a reference to the Chicago Cubs defeating a baseball team from Miami in the 2015 World Series, ending the longest championship drought in all four of the major North American professional sports leagues.[18] In actuality, the Cubs would end up getting swept in four games by the New York Mets in the NLCS, the Marlins failed to make the postseason, and the 2015 World Series was between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets, with the Royals winning in five games. Also, both the Cubs and Marlins are part of the National League, rendering a World Series matchup between the two teams impossible.
The Marlins were the first team in Major League Baseball to have a dance/cheer team. Debuting in 2003,[19] the "Marlins Mermaids" influenced other MLB teams to develop their own cheer/dance squads; this was inspired in part by similar squads from the NFL and NBA.[] In 2008, the Florida Marlins debuted "The Marlins Manatees", Major League Baseball's first all-male dance/energy squad, to star alongside the Mermaids.[20] As of 2012, the Marlins have abandoned the "Mermaids" and "Manatees" for in-game entertainment instead using an "energy squad", a co-ed group of dancers.[21] In 2019, the Marlins brought back the Mermaids for the first time since 2012.
The Marlins have had many official anthems over the years, performed by such artists as Pitbull, DJ Khaled, Poo Bear and Creed frontman Scott Stapp. Stapp penned their 2010 anthem Marlins Will Soar.[22]
The following are the five best seasons in Marlins history:
MLB season |
Team season |
Regular season | Post-season | Awards | ||||
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Finish[a] | Wins[b] | Losses | Win% | GB[c] | ||||
1997 | 1997 | 2nd | 92 | 70 | .568 | 9 | Wild card winner, World Series Champions, | Liván Hernández (World Series MVP) |
2003 | 2003 | 2nd | 91 | 71 | .562 | 10 | Wild card winner, World Series Champions | Jack McKeon (MOY)[23] Dontrelle Willis (ROY)[24] Mike Lowell (Silver Slugger) Josh Beckett (World Series MVP) |
2009 | 2009 | 2nd | 87 | 75 | .537 | 6 | Hanley Ramírez (Silver Slugger/NL Batting Title) Chris Coghlan (NL Rookie of The Year) | |
2008 | 2008 | 3rd | 84 | 77 | .522 | 7½ | Hanley Ramírez (Silver Slugger) | |
2020 | 2020 | 2nd | 31 | 29 | .517 | 4 | Division 2nd place finisher; 2020 NLDS | Don Mattingly (NL Manager of the Year) |
The following are the five worst seasons in Marlins' history:
MLB season |
Team season |
Regular season | Notes | |||||
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Finish[a] | Wins[b] | Losses | Win% | GB[c] | Awards and Honors | |||
1998 | 1998 | 5th | 54 | 108 | .333 | 52 | Worst Record in MLB History for defending WS Champion | |
2019 | 2019 | 5th | 57 | 105 | .352 | 40 | Second season under Jeter- Sherman group ownership |
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2013 | 2013 | 5th | 62 | 100 | .383 | 34 | First season under manager Mike Redmond | |
1999 | 1999 | 5th | 64 | 98 | .395 | 39 | ||
1993 | 1993 | 6th | 64 | 98 | .395 | 33 | Inaugural (first) season |
Other than their first few years as a franchise in the 1990s, the Marlins have consistently ranked as one of lowest attendance teams in the league, coming in last place (30th) several of the past 20 years. Even when LoanDepot Park was completed for the 2012 season, attendance was only average for the first year, dropping down to second to last by 2013.
Home Attendance at Hard Rock Stadium | ||||
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Year | Total Attendance | Game Average | League Rank | |
1993 | 3,064,847 | 37,838 | 7th | |
1994 | 1,937,467 | 33,695 | 9th | |
1995 | 1,700,466 | 23,950 | 13th | |
1996 | 1,746,767 | 21,565 | 18th | |
1997 | 2,364,387 | 29,190 | 11th | |
1998 | 1,730,384 | 21,363 | 22nd | |
1999 | 1,369,421 | 16,906 | 28th | |
2000 | 1,218,326 | 15,041 | 15th | |
2001 | 1,261,226 | 15,765 | 29th | |
2002 | 813,118 | 10,038 | 29th | |
2003 | 1,303,215 | 16,089 | 28th | |
2004 | 1,723,105 | 21,539 | 26th | |
2005 | 1,852,608 | 22,871 | 28th | |
2006 | 1,164,134 | 14,372 | 30th | |
2007 | 1,370,511 | 16,919 | 30th | |
2008 | 1,335,076 | 16,482 | 30th | |
2009 | 1,464,109 | 18,075 | 29th | |
2010 | 1,524,894 | 18,826 | 28th | |
2011 | 1,520,562 | 19,007 | 29th |
Home Attendance at LoanDepot Park | ||||
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Year | Total Attendance | Game Average | League Rank | |
2012 | 2,219,444 | 27,401 | 18th | |
2013 | 1,586,322 | 19,584 | 29th | |
2014 | 1,732,283 | 21,386 | 27th | |
2015 | 1,752,235 | 21,632 | 28th | |
2016 | 1,712,417 | 21,405 | 27th | |
2017 | 1,583,014 | 20,295 | 28th | |
2018 | 811,104 | 10,014 | 30th |
Opening Day payrolls for 25-man roster (since 1993):[27]
Opening Day Salary | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Salary | Major League Rank | ||
1993 | $18,196,545 | 25th (of 28) | ||
1994 | $20,275,500 | 25th | ||
1995 | $23,670,000 | 25th | ||
1996 | $30,079,500 | 15th | ||
1997 | $47,753,000 | 7th | ||
1998 | $41,864,667 | 20th (of 30) | ||
1999 | $32,360,000 | 28th | ||
2000 | $19,900,000 | 29th | ||
2001 | $35,762,500 | 26th | ||
2002 | $41,979,917 | 25th | ||
2003 | $45,050,000 | 25th | ||
2004 | $42,143,042 | 25th | ||
2005 | $60,408,834 | 19th | ||
2006 | $14,998,500 | 30th | ||
2007 | $30,507,000 | 29th | ||
2008 | $21,811,500 | 30th | ||
2009 | $36,834,000 | 30th | ||
2010 | $47,429,719 | 26th | ||
2011 | $57,695,000 | 24th | ||
2012 | $118,078,000 | 7th | ||
2013 | $39,621,900 | 29th | ||
2014 | $46,440,400 | 29th | ||
2015 | $67,479,000 | 30th | ||
2016 | $84,637,500 | 26th |
The annual financial records of the Marlins according to Forbes since 2001.[28]
Annual Snapshot of Miami Marlins finance | ||||||
Year | Franchise Value (millions) | Revenue (millions) | Operating Income (millions) | Player Expenses (millions) | Wins-to-player cost ratio | |
2001 | $128 | $67 | $7 | $34 | 161 | |
2002 | $137 | $81 | $1 | $46 | 137 | |
2003 | $136 | $76 | $ -14 | $53 | 134 | |
2004 | $172 | $101 | $ -12 | $66 | 162 | |
2005 | $206 | $103 | $3 | $58 | 131 | |
2006 | $226 | $119 | $ -12 | $91 | 91 | |
2007 | $244 | $122 | $43 | $31 | 255 | |
2008 | $256 | $128 | $36 | $44 | 182 | |
2009 | $277 | $139 | $44 | $45 | 227 | |
2010 | $317 | $144 | $46 | $48 | 219 | |
2011 | $360 | $143 | $20.2 | $58 | 167 |