60 Fun Facts About Miami Marlins

The Marlins began play as an expansion team in which season?

They entered the National League alongside the Colorado Rockies, the only other active club never to win a division title.

Which Blockbuster Video chief executive paid the $95M expansion fee to found the Marlins?

He also owned the Dolphins and the NHL's Panthers, and had built Waste Management from a single garbage truck.

Which two Florida regions lost out to Miami in the 1991 bidding for a National League expansion team?

Tampa Bay already had a domed stadium waiting; it got the Devil Rays in the next round of expansion.

The Marlins originally shared which venue with the NFL's Miami Dolphins?

The football-oriented park was later called Pro Player Stadium and Sun Life Stadium before the club moved out in 2012.

The Marlins were required to change their name from Florida to Miami in 2012 as a condition of what?

Miami-Dade County owns LoanDepot Park and wanted the city's name on the team that plays there.

How many postseason trips had the Marlins made through 2025, fewest of any active MLB team?

None came via a division title, and two of them ended with a World Series ring.

The Marlins were the first team ever to win the World Series as what?

They did it in 1997 in just their fifth season, then again in 2003.

Who was the only player to appear for the Marlins in both the 1997 and 2003 World Series?

'Mr. Marlin' was an original member of the club, left for Baltimore, and returned in time for the second title.

Who started the Marlins' first regular-season game, a win over the Dodgers on April 5, 1993?

The 45-year-old knuckleballer had pitched for the Dodgers himself in the 1970s.

The Marlins' first manager, Rene Lachemann, had managed the Brewers and which other club?

He was the A's third base coach when Florida hired him and lasted until midway through 1996.

In 1993 the Marlins traded which future Hall of Fame closer to San Diego for Gary Sheffield?

Sheffield became an All-Star immediately, but the reliever went on to record 601 saves.

Which manager, hired from Pittsburgh, led the Marlins to the 1997 title in his first season?

He would later win a pennant with Detroit and manage the U.S. to the 2017 World Baseball Classic title.

Which rookie struck out 15 Braves and outdueled Greg Maddux in Game 5 of the 1997 NLCS?

He was pressed into the start when Brown fell ill, and went on to be named World Series MVP.

The Marlins beat which team in seven games in the 1997 World Series?

Cleveland was two outs from the title before Craig Counsell's sacrifice fly tied Game 7 in the ninth.

Whose bases-loaded single in the 11th inning won Game 7 of the 1997 World Series?

The soft liner glanced off Charles Nagy's glove and into center field.

What was the game-time temperature at Game 4 of the 1997 World Series in Cleveland, the coldest on record?

Snow fell during batting practice; the record still stood as of 2025.

Which high-kicking left-hander went 11-2 in his first 17 starts in 2003 and won NL Rookie of the Year?

'The D-Train' twisted away from hitters so violently that his delivery became a Little League impression.

Which 20-year-old hit a walk-off home run in his first major league game for the Marlins in 2003?

He came up from the Carolina Mudcats and later won a Triple Crown with Detroit.

Which Hall of Fame catcher signed with the Marlins as a free agent for the 2003 season?

'Pudge' spent just one season in Florida but left with a ring.

The Marlins came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat which team in the 2003 NLCS?

Game 6 produced the Steve Bartman incident, and Game 7 was won at Wrigley Field.

Which Marlins second baseman hit the foul pop that Steve Bartman reached for in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS?

The Cubs led by three with one out in the eighth; an eight-run Marlins rally followed.

Who was named MVP of the 2003 World Series after a five-hit shutout in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium?

It was the last World Series game the Yankees would lose at the old Yankee Stadium.

Jack McKeon became the oldest manager to win a World Series in 2003 at what age?

He had been retired for more than two years when the Marlins hired him at 16-22; they went 75-49 the rest of the way.

Which shortstop's extra-inning walk-off homer won Game 4 of the 2003 World Series?

It squared the Series at two games apiece; the Marlins never lost again.

In 2002 Jeffrey Loria bought the Marlins from John Henry in a deal that let Henry buy which team?

Loria sold the Expos to the other 29 clubs for $120M and bought the Marlins for $158M in the same manoeuvre.

Before owning the Marlins, Jeffrey Loria made his fortune in what field?

His collection includes works by Picasso and Henry Moore, which explains the ballpark's art-gallery aesthetic.

The Marlins' ballpark opened in 2012 stands on the site of which demolished stadium?

The old football stadium in Little Havana came down in March 2008 once the Hurricanes moved out.

Roughly what share of the $634M cost of the Marlins' ballpark was publicly funded?

The financing became a long-running local scandal, especially after the team slashed payroll again in 2012.

What was built into the backstop walls at the Marlins' ballpark that opened in 2012?

Live tropical fish swam behind the catcher; a nightclub with a pool sits out beyond left field.

Which artist designed the animatronic flamingo-and-marlin home run sculpture at Marlins Park?

Miami Herald readers nicknamed it 'the Marlinator'; the Jeter regime moved it outside the stadium.

With a capacity of 37,442, LoanDepot Park ranks where among MLB stadiums by official capacity?

It is the smallest by actual usable capacity, and the sixth MLB park with a retractable roof.

Who became the first Marlin to win the NL MVP award, in 2017?

He led the majors with 59 homers and 132 RBIs, then was traded to the Yankees weeks later.

The 13-year Marlins contract signed in 2014 by the slugger then known as Mike Stanton was worth how much?

It was the richest total-dollar contract in team sports at the time; the Yankees took it on three years later.

Which number has been out of circulation since José Fernández died in a 2016 boating accident?

A memorial displaying the number stands at the ballpark, though it has never been formally retired.

José Fernández was born in Santa Clara in which country, which he defected from on his fourth attempt?

He landed in Tampa, was drafted in the first round in 2011 and won NL Rookie of the Year in 2013.

In 2020 the Marlins made Kim Ng the first woman to hold what job in a major North American league?

She was also MLB's first East Asian American GM, and led the club to the playoffs in 2023.

Which Yankees legend served as Marlins CEO until stepping down in February 2022?

His group, led by Bruce Sherman, bought the club from Jeffrey Loria in 2017.

Which Marlins pitcher won the 2022 NL Cy Young Award?

A fan section called 'Sandy's Beach' opened at Section 22 for his starts that summer.

The Marlins' original 1993 colour scheme paired black with which colour?

It was phased out by the late 1990s and returned as a Sunday throwback uniform in 2026.

The Marlins' 2021 City Connect uniform paid homage to which former Havana-based team?

The red uniform with Miami blue trim nodded to the Triple-A club that fled to New Jersey after the revolution.

The Marlins were the first MLB team to have a dance/cheer squad, debuting in 2003 as the what?

An all-male 'Manatees' squad followed in 2008.

The interleague rivalry between the Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays is named after what?

Tampa Bay led it 81-60 as of the article's count.

The Marlins retired No. 5 from 1993 to 2011 in honour of whom?

He died before the first season; the number was Joe DiMaggio's, his favourite player.

Which longtime Expos and Marlins radio voice won the Ford C. Frick Award in 2010?

Spanish-language voice Felo Ramírez had won the same honour in 2001.

After sweeping the 2020 opening round, the Marlins were swept in the NLDS by which team?

It was their first postseason series win since 2003, and their first playoff trip since then too.

Which film joked that a Miami team would lose the 2015 World Series to the Cubs?

Both clubs are in the National League, so the matchup was never possible.

The Marlins moved into their retractable-roof downtown ballpark in which year?

It opened as Marlins Park and took the LoanDepot name in 2021.

Which manager did the Marlins fire after a 16-22 start in 2003 before hiring Jack McKeon?

McKeon had been retired for over two years but went 75-49 to win the wild card.

Which Yankees starter did Josh Beckett beat in Game 6 of the 2003 World Series on three days' rest?

McKeon chose the 23-year-old over Mark Redman; Game 6 was the 100th World Series game played at Yankee Stadium.

Who homered off Jaret Wright in the seventh inning of 1997 Game 7 to cut Cleveland's lead to 2-1?

Wright had allowed just a single hit through six innings before the Marlins finally broke through.

What was unusual about the trophy presentation after Game 7 of the 1997 World Series?

The practice did not become routine until 2001; the next three Series went back to the clubhouse.

Which Cleveland closer blew the save in Game 7 of 1997, igniting a feud with teammate Omar Vizquel?

Vizquel later called him a 'choker' in his autobiography, ending their friendship.

Which Marlin was the NLCS MVP in 1997 and then started Game 1 of the World Series?

Game 1 was the first World Series game ever played in Florida, pitting the youngster against veteran Orel Hershiser.

Whom did the Marlins trade to Detroit along with Dontrelle Willis in the 2007-08 off-season?

The return included Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller, extending the team's reputation for fire sales.

To whom did Jeffrey Loria sell the Marlins in 2017?

Derek Jeter was installed as team president and another round of selling followed.

What distinction did the 2006 Marlins earn by contending for most of the year despite a fire sale?

They contended for most of the season before a late slump dropped them below .500.

Which Spanish-language Marlins broadcaster, on air 1993-2017, won the Ford C. Frick Award in 2001?

He called games on Radio Mambi 710 AM alongside Luis Quintana.

LoanDepot Park is the how-many-eth MLB stadium to have a retractable roof?

It was LEED-certified as the greenest MLB park when it opened in 2012.

The championship game of which 2023 tournament was played at LoanDepot Park?

The park had earlier hosted WBC pools in 2013 and 2017, plus the 2017 MLB All-Star Game.

On 16 July 2022 the Marlins opened a cheering section nicknamed a 'Beach' for which pitcher?

It made them the second NL team with a dedicated supporters' section, at Section 22 of LoanDepot Park.