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History of the Miami Marlins

In July 1991, Miami and Denver were awarded Major League Baseball franchises. A year-long expansion process had unfolded with the two cities being given professional baseball teams. Both franchises would play in the National League, bringing the total number of MLB teams up to 28. The last round of MLB expansion took place in 1977. The Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays joined MLB, playing in the American League. 

Talk of MLB expansion started in 1985, as the National League sought to add two additional teams. Ten cities were considered for expansion, with Buffalo, Charlotte, Denver, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, Tampa Bay, and Washington, D.C., all in the running. 

Miami’s place in MLB wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Orlando and Tampa Bay were in talks with MLB right down to the end. Tampa Bay was desperate to land a professional baseball team. The city opened the Suncoast Dome in 1990. The venue was built specifically to land an MLB team. The Suncoast Dome was cutting-edge at the time, and it would later lure the expansion Tampa Bay Rays in 1998. However, it was the city of Miami that received MLB expansion in 1991.

Florida businessman Wayne Huizenga took control of the expansion franchise, paying MLB the $95 million fee to acquire the team. Huizenga was the CEO of Blockbuster Video and would also go on to own the Florida Panthers ice hockey team. Huizenga had already bought the Miami Dolphins NFL team in 1990, helping ease financial strain on the franchise. He was a major player in South Florida sports and is cited for bringing baseball and hockey to the region. 

Huizenga wanted to call the MLB franchise the Florida Flamingos. The owner was talked out of the name by an individual in MLB Properties. In the early 1990s, the color teal was popular in the sports world thanks to the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. Fans, especially kids, had flocked to support those teams. 

So, instead of pink uniforms, Huizenga went with a different mascot and colorway. Yet, the Marlins’ name wasn’t exactly on everyone’s minds. The Miami Manatees' name was popular among local baseball fans, and it won a “Name the Team” contest. The Florida Panthers moniker was also considered, as the MLB team predated Huizenga’s hockey franchise. 

The team would eventually adopt the “Marlins,” due to the area having a history with the mascot. Two minor league teams had used the Marins name previously. In 1956, the original Miami Marlins played in the Triple-A International League as an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. From 1962 to 1970 and from 1982 to 1988, the Marlins played in the Class A Florida State League. So, there was a history and familiarity with the name.

On April 5, 1993, the Marlins made their debut at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. A crowd of over 42,300 attended the team’s inaugural game, a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Knuckleballer Charlie Hough started the game, and his first pitch was a called strike. The Marlins didn’t fare too well that season, and the excitement of an Opening Day win dissolved quickly. The team ended the campaign 64-98. 

The Marlins played four MLB seasons before reaching the postseason. In 1997, the team qualified for the NL playoffs thanks to a 92-70 record. The Marlins then shocked MLB by winning the club’s first World Series. The team went to seven games with a star-studded Cleveland Indians team. With Game 7 in the 11th inning, Edgar Renteria sent a line drive up the middle off Charlie Nagy to send Craig Counsell home to score. 

After six consecutive below .500 seasons, the Marlins were back in the playoffs in 2003. Once again, the Marlins went all the way to the World Series, this time playing the team of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the New York Yankees. The Marlins pulled off another World Series upset, claiming the trophy in six games. 

Since winning their second World Series, the Marlins have made the postseason just one other time. The 2020 season saw the Marlins make the playoffs during the COVID-19-shortened season. The team lost to the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.