The granting of the franchise for Florida took place on 1991, together with Colorado Rockies. When the Major League Baseball announced its intentions to add two more teams in the league, H. Wayne Huizenga made his interest known. It was not easy though because although talks indicated Florida as one of the locations, there were other contenders for the franchise coming from Tampa Bay and Florida. Thus the Florida Marlins was born.
They won their first game against the dodgers in its first ever game in the major league.
Jeff Conine
One of the players who made memorable career with the team is Jeff Conine. The team chose him during the expansion draft in 1993. He shared his career highlights with the Marlins. He had some of his best years in 1994 and 1995. He hit a career high in 1994. The year 1995 was a good year for him too. He made the All Star and won the Most Valuable Player award. His career continued to flourish for the following years.
He was part of other teams like the Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets, but he always found his way back to the Marlins. He had established a special bond with the team. He was even nicknamed Mr. Marlin.
Winning the World Series
Conine was present in the two World Series title won by the Marlins. The two Cinderella stories took place in 1997 and 2003.
In 1997, Manager Jim Leyland led the team to its first World Series.
However, this did not come easy. They earned the wild card. In the National League Divisions Series, they defeated the San Francisco Giants. After which, they beat the Atlanta Braves and won the National League Championship. This also gave the then new pitcher Livan Hernandez. He replaced Kevin Brown after encountering some virus problems. They advanced to the World Series and defeated the Cleveland Indians in game 7, winning their very first World Series.
In 2003, history is about to repeat itself. They had an off start. They even had the worst record in their franchise history. Jack McKeon managed the Florida Marlins this time. However, the team did not stay at the bottom. Jeff Conine was back. They also had two players from the Mudcats, Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. Again, they earned the wild card.
They faced the Giants for the Division Series. After beating the giant, they set to defeat the Cubs for the Championship Series. Finally, one of the greatest upset in baseball took place when they snatched the World Series from the New York Yankees.
Although they won two World Series, the Marlins continue to struggle. They have to let go of most of their best players because of Economic issues. However, things are looking better for the Marlins today. They have a promising breed of talented players. Soon, they will have a baseball stadium of their own.
The Marlins are one of the new franchises who have proven their worth in the sport. Although there were struggles along the way, they managed to end up victorious in several occasions.
Rick Grantham is an expert on sports equipment, specially on Florida Marlins Merchandise for more information on the MLB Shop, visit BooYah Village.
Article from articlesbase.com
