August 23, 2026
August 23, 2026
1997 Florida Marlins: Fighting Fish
The 1997 Florida Marlins World Series championship team began its historic run by going 92-70 in the regular season, finishing second in the National League East, nine games behind the Atlanta Braves. Despite finishing behind the Braves, the Marlins clinched a postseason berth via the Wild Card. The team spent its early years playing in the spacious Pro Player Stadium, a ballpark that was originally built for football. Despite that limitation, manager Jim Leyland pushed all the right buttons to get his team performing well enough on the field to reach the postseason.
During the regular season, the Marlins fared well against their division rivals for the most part. Florida went 8-4 against the Braves, 7-5 against the Montreal Expos, 6-6 against the Philadelphia Phillies, and 4-8 against the New York Mets. The Marlins also went 12-3 against American League teams in Interleague Play.
Third baseman Bobby Bonilla batted .297 with 17 home runs and 96 RBIs off 167 hits, 39 doubles, 3 triples, and 6 stolen bases. Left fielder Moises Alou batted .292 with 23 home runs and 115 RBIs off 157 hits, 29 doubles, 5 triples, and 9 stolen bases. Shortstop Edgar Renteria batted .277 with 171 hits, 21 doubles, 3 triples, and 32 stolen bases. Right fielder Gary Sheffield had 21 home runs and 71 RBIs off 111 hits, 22 doubles, and 11 stolen bases.
Catcher Charles Johnson had 19 home runs, 104 hits, and 26 doubles. First baseman Jeff Conine had 17 home runs, 98 hits, and 13 doubles. Second baseman Luis Castillo had 63 hits, 8 doubles, and 16 stolen bases in 75 games. Center fielder Devon White had 65 hits, 13 doubles, and 13 stolen bases in 74 games.
Second baseman Kurt Abbott had 69 hits, 6 home runs, 18 doubles, and 6 triples. Left fielder Cliff Floyd had 6 home runs, 9 doubles, and 6 stolen bases in 61 games.
On July 27, the Marlins traded pitcher Mark Hutton to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for second baseman Craig Counsell, who proved to be a reliable bat down the stretch.
Kevin Brown was the ace of the starting pitching rotation, going 16-8 with 205 strikeouts and a 2.69 ERA while recording 6 complete games and 2 shutouts. Alex Fernandez went 17-12 with 183 strikeouts and a 3.59 ERA, recording 5 complete games and 1 shutout. Al Leiter went 11-9 with 132 strikeouts. A 22-year-old pitching phenom from Villa Clara, Cuba, named Livan Hernandez went 9-3 with 72 strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA.
The main anchor in the bullpen for the Marlins was closer Robb Nen, who went 9-3 with 35 saves, 81 strikeouts, and a 3.89 ERA. Jay Powell also provided sufficient relief, going 7-2 with a 3.28 ERA.
The 1997 Florida Marlins World Series run started with a dominant sweep of the Giants in the Division Series, continued through a hard-fought NLCS win over the Braves, and culminated in a seven-game classic against Cleveland.
The Florida Marlins faced the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series, and the Marlins swept the Giants 3 games to none. In Game 1 on September 30 at Pro Player Stadium, the Marlins won 2-1. Scoring came late as Giants third baseman Bill Mueller hit a solo home run in the top of the 7th inning. Charles Johnson responded for the Marlins in the bottom of the 7th with his own solo home run. In the bottom of the 9th, Jeff Conine had a single, Johnson was hit by a pitch, Craig Counsell laid down a successful sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, outfielder Jim Eisenreich was intentionally walked, and then Devon White grounded into a force-out at home plate. However, Edgar Renteria won it for Florida with an RBI single.
In Game 2 on October 1, the Marlins beat the Giants 7-6. In the top of the 1st inning, Giants second baseman Mark Lewis had an RBI single, and in the bottom of the 1st, Bonilla crushed a 2-run home run. In the top of the 2nd inning, Giants catcher Brian Johnson hit a solo home run. In the top of the 3rd, Giants left fielder Barry Bonds drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the 3rd, Bonilla had an RBI single. Giants outfielder Stan Javier had an RBI single in the top of the 4th, and in the bottom of the 4th, pinch-hitting infielder Alex Arias had an RBI single, followed by Kurt Abbott grounding into a double play to score Johnson. In the bottom of the 6th, Gary Sheffield hit a solo home run, and after an RBI double in the top of the 7th and a ground-out at second base by Bonds to score outfielder Daryl Hamilton in the top of the 9th, Moises Alou had an RBI single in the bottom of the 9th to win it for Florida.
In Game 3 on October 3 at 3Com Park in San Francisco, the Marlins completed the sweep by beating the Giants 6-2. Giants second baseman Jeff Kent hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th inning, but Devon White’s pulverizing grand slam home run in the top of the 6th made the deficit too much for the Giants to overcome, even as Kent went deep again for a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th. Johnson and Counsell both had RBI doubles in the top of the 8th.
The National League Championship Series pitted the Florida Marlins against the Atlanta Braves, and the Marlins won the series 4 games to 2. Atlanta’s Turner Field hosted Game 1 on October 7, and the Marlins won 5-3. Alou had a 3-run double in the top of the 1st inning, and then Atlanta first baseman Fred McGriff had an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st. Alou grounded out in the top of the 3rd to score Sheffield, followed by an RBI double by Johnson. Braves third baseman Chipper Jones hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd inning, and left fielder Ryan Klesko hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th, but it wasn’t enough.
The Braves came back to win Game 2 on October 8 by a score of 7-1. Second baseman Keith Lockhart had an RBI triple in the bottom of the 1st inning, followed by a solo home run hit by Klesko, and then Chipper Jones hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 3rd. Jones then had an RBI single in the bottom of the 7th, and catcher Javy Lopez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Devon White’s RBI double in the top of the 8th wasn’t enough to get the Marlins back in the game.
The Marlins won Game 3 at Pro Player Stadium on October 10, 5-2. McGriff scored a run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 4th inning, and then Sheffield hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th. After a sacrifice fly by Lopez in the top of the 6th, Marlins first baseman Darren Daulton had an RBI double in the bottom of the 6th, and Johnson followed with a bases-clearing 3-run double.
Game 4 on October 11 belonged to the Braves, as they shut out the Marlins 4-0. Braves starting pitcher Denny Neagle pitched a complete game and gave up only 4 hits and 1 walk while recording 7 strikeouts. McGriff had an RBI single in the top of the 1st inning, then right fielder Andruw Jones had an RBI single in the top of the 3rd, and the Braves topped it off in the top of the 5th with a solo home run by shortstop Jeff Blauser and an RBI double by McGriff.
The Marlins won 2-1 in Game 5 on October 12 behind a great pitching performance from Livan Hernandez, who pitched a complete game, giving up 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, while recording 15 strikeouts. Bonilla had an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st inning, and after Braves right fielder Michael Tucker hit a solo home run in the top of the 2nd, Conine had an RBI single in the bottom of the 7th.
Returning to Turner Field for Game 6 on October 14, the Marlins put the Braves away by a score of 7-4. In the top of the 1st inning, Bonilla had a 2-run double, and after Johnson was hit by a pitch to score Sheffield, Counsell grounded into a forceout at second base to score Bonilla. In the bottom of the 1st, Ryan Klesko had an RBI single, and a pair of RBI singles from center fielder Kenny Lofton and Keith Lockhart in the bottom of the 2nd soon followed. Lockhart added an RBI single in the bottom of the 9th, but it came after a strong top of the 6th inning by Florida, as Bonilla had an RBI single, Alou grounded into a force-out at second base to score Renteria, and Counsell added an RBI single.
The 1997 World Series between the Florida Marlins and the American League champion Cleveland Indians proved to be a classic back-and-forth struggle, as it took all 7 games to determine a champion. Pro Player Stadium hosted Game 1 on October 18, and the Marlins opened the series with a 7-4 win. Indians left fielder David Justice had an RBI single in the top of the 1st inning, but Edgar Renteria responded for Florida by grounding out to score Counsell.
Moises Alou then blasted a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 4th, and Charles Johnson followed with his own solo home run. In the top of the 5th, right fielder Manny Ramirez hit a solo home run, but in the bottom of the 5th, Jeff Conine had an RBI single, and Johnson was walked, which led to a wild pitch that scored Bonilla. Indians first baseman Jim Thome hit a solo home run in the top of the 6th, and pinch-hitting outfielder Brian Giles had an RBI double in the top of the 8th.
The Indians came back to win Game 2 on October 19, 6-1. In the 1st inning, Justice had an RBI single, and in the bottom of the 1st, Conine had his own RBI single. In the top of the 5th, Indians center fielder Marquis Grissom and second baseman Bip Roberts both had RBI singles. Catcher Sandy Alomar then hit a solo home run in the top of the 6th.
Jacobs Field hosted Game 3 on October 21, and the Marlins won in a wild 14-11 shootout. Gary Sheffield hit a solo home run in the top of the 1st, followed by a pair of RBI singles by Indians third baseman Matt Williams and Alomar in the bottom of the 1st. Sheffield then drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the 3rd to score Johnson, and Darren Daulton hit a solo home run in the top of the 4th. In the bottom of the 4th, Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel drew a bases-loaded walk to score Alomar, and Ramirez followed with a 2-run single. Thome then went deep for a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 5th.
In the top of the 6th, Jim Eisenreich hit a 2-run home run, and Renteria had an RBI single in the top of the 7th, followed by an RBI double by Sheffield. In the top of the 9th, Daulton had an RBI single, Cliff Floyd reached on a ground-ball error to score Daulton, and Craig Counsell reached on an error to score Floyd. Bonilla and Sheffield then had a pair of RBI singles. In the bottom of the 9th, Indians second baseman Tony Fernandez had a sacrifice fly, Grissom had an RBI single, and Roberts had an RBI double.
The Indians came back to pound the Marlins 10-3 in Game 4 on October 22. Manny Ramirez blasted a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 1st inning, followed by an RBI double by Sandy Alomar, and in the bottom of the 3rd, Justice, Alomar, and Fernandez all had RBI singles. In the top of the 4th, Eisenreich had an RBI single for the Marlins, and Alou hit a 2-run home run in the top of the 6th, but Cleveland shut the door quickly after that. Alomar grounded out to score Vizquel in the bottom of the 6th, Giles had an RBI single in the bottom of the 7th, and Matt Williams hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th.
In another high-scoring affair, the Marlins claimed an 8-7 victory in Game 5 on October 23. Charles Johnson had an RBI single in the top of the 2nd inning, followed by a Devon White RBI double. After an RBI single in the bottom of the 2nd, Alomar came back in the bottom of the 3rd to crush a 3-run home run. However, Alou crushed his own 3-run home run in the top of the 6th, followed by a bases-loaded walk to White that scored Conine. After an RBI single by Johnson in the top of the 8th, Alou had his own RBI single in the top of the 9th. A pair of RBI singles by Justice and Thome in the bottom of the 9th wasn’t enough for the Indians.
To their credit, the Indians evened the series at 3 games apiece by winning Game 6 on October 25, 4-1, at Pro Player Stadium. Indians pitcher Chad Ogea had a 2-run single in the top of the 2nd, and Manny Ramirez hit sacrifice flies in the top of the 3rd and 5th innings. Darren Daulton’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 5th proved meaningless for Florida.
The stage was then set for Game 7 on October 26, a winner-take-all finale. In the top of the 3rd inning, Tony Fernandez had a 2-run single. In the bottom of the 7th, Bobby Bonilla hit a solo home run. In the bottom of the 9th, Craig Counsell hit a sacrifice fly to score the tying run, and in the bottom of the 11th, with 2 outs, Edgar Renteria hit an RBI single up the middle to win it for the Marlins. Florida won 3-2 to claim their first World Series title in franchise history. Livan Hernandez was named World Series Most Valuable Player, capping off the 1997 World Series with one of the most improbable championship runs the sport has seen. The 1997 Florida Marlins World Series triumph over Cleveland remains a defining moment in franchise history.
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