Mike Ferguson

In the case of pitcher José Fernández, the sentiment is often what could have been. On this day 10 years ago, the Miami Marlins had the opportunity to celebrate what was. The 21-year-old pitcher from Cuba was named the National League Rookie of the Year. Fernández was presented the hardware on Nov. 11, 2013. As a rookie, the right-hander finished with a 12-6 record and 2.19 ERA. He finished with 187 strikeouts and a WHIP under one in 172 ⅔ innings. An All-Star in his first season in the big leagues, Fernández was the unquestioned bright spot for a Marlins team that finished with a record of 62-100. He also finished third behind Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Cy Young Award voting. Tommy John surgery would limit Fernández to just 19 total starts in 2014 and 2015, but fully healthy, the native of Cuba returned to form in 2016. An All-Star for the second time, Fernández finished 16-8 with a 2.86 ERA in what would be the final season of not only his career, but his life. Fernández was driving a boat that struck a jetty at Miami Beach on Sept. 25, 2016, killing Fernández and friends Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Jesus Macias. Authorities later determined that Fernández was reckless in his piloting of the vessel and under the influence of cocaine and alcohol. While Fernández's actions may have tarnished his reputation to many, his ability and personality brought cheers from the fans and joy to his teammates in South Florida and across the baseball world. He remains the last member of the franchise to win NL Rookie of the Year. Fernández was given that recognition on this day one decade ago. Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

Since the Florida/Miami Marlins became a Major League Baseball franchise in 1993, only the Los Angeles Dodgers have had more National League Rookie of the Year winners. Their first for the Marlins was crowned on this day 20 years ago. A left-handed pitcher and an All-Star as a rookie, Dontrelle Willis took home the honor on Nov. 10, 2003. Called up in early May, Willis immediately provided a spark to the eventual world champion Florida Marlins. Willis finished his rookie campaign with a 14-6 record and 3.30 ERA. In nearly 161 innings of work, Willis allowed 148 hits and recorded 142 strikeouts. Baseball-ReferenceAt the time of his debut, the Marlins were just 15-21. Florida would fall to 19-29 at one point before rallying to win the National League Wild Card and later, the World Series. Willis sparked the team by winning 11 of his first 13 decisions. Willis improved to 8-1 on June 26 by throwing seven strong innings in a 6-1 win over the New York Mets as the Marlins evened their record at 40-40. It marked the first time that the Marlins were at .500 since May 1. Willis had his struggles for the Marlins in seven postseason games, posting an 0-1 record and 8.53 ERA, but did pick up a hold after working 2 ⅓ innings of scoreless relief in Game 1 of the World Series in a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees. Willis held the Yankees scoreless in three outings during the Fall Classic. Willis would go on to spend five years as a member of the Marlins, leaving as the club’s all-time leader in a number of categories, including wins (68), strikeouts (757), and innings pitched (1,022.2). Willis remains the Marlins’ all-time leader in shutouts (8) and complete games (15). Willis would make a second All-Star appearance in 2005 when he finished 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA. He remains the only Marlins hurler ever to reach 20 wins in a season. Hanley Ramírez (2006), Chris Coghlan (2009) and José Fernández (2013) have all gone on to win N.L. Rookie of the Year as members of the Marlins since. Willis first accomplished the feat on this day two decades ago. Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

Pitcher Jesús Luzardo hopes to join the list on Sunday night, but throughout Florida/Miami Marlins history, eight different players have won a Gold Glove. On this day 20 years ago, the Marlins had multiple winners for the first time as first baseman Derrek Lee and second baseman Luis Castillo each took home the hardware. The Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals were the National League teams to have multiple winners on Nov. 5, 2003. Prior to the selection, catcher Charles Johnson, who won three straight Gold Gloves from 1995 to 1997, had been the only Marlin ever to win one. A 6-foot-5 rangy first baseman, Lee boasted a .996 fielding percentage in 2003 as the Marlins went on to win their second World Series. Perhaps his most memorable play from that season came in Game 5 of the World Series as he was able to handle an in-between hop off the bat of Hideki Matsui before touching first for the final out to give the Marlins a 6-4 win and a 3-2 series lead. https://videopress.com/v/ggxK7NYZ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffishonfirst.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F11%2Fokndpo_1_mp4_hd.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueKnown for his speed, Castillo’s range was undeniable while his throwing arm was among the best in the league for second basemen. Castillo held a .986 fielding percentage, led the National League with 286 putouts and was involved in 99 double plays. The two also had solid seasons at the plate for the eventual world champions. Castillo hit a team-best .314 with a career-high six home runs, 39 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Lee also finished with 21 steals while batting .271 with 31 home runs and 92 RBIs. Castillo would go on to win three straight Gold Gloves from 2003 to 2005. Lee would add two more as a member of the Chicago Cubs in 2005 and 2007. Their firsts came as a member of the champion Marlins on this day two decades ago. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

This past season was one that fans in South Florida will remember fondly as the Miami Marlins reached the postseason for just the second time in 20 years. On this day 20 years ago, however, the Florida Marlins closed their postseason run with a trophy celebration. At storied Yankee Stadium, it was starting pitcher Josh Beckett who put on a show. Beckett tossed a complete-game shutout as the Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in Game 6 by a 2-0 score. The Marlins had won the previous two games at Pro Player Stadium to take a 3-2 series lead as the teams arrived in the Bronx on Oct. 25, 2003. On just three days’ rest, manager Jack McKeon went to Beckett to close things out. It turned out to be the right decision. Throughout the night, Beckett would allow just five hits and two walks while striking out nine on 107 pitches. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth, Beckett’s offense gave the right-hander the lead in the top of the fifth. Through 4 ⅔ innings, New York’s Andy Pettitte matched Beckett. With two outs in the fifth, however, the Marlins got on the board with three straight singles from Alex Gonzalez, Juan Pierre, and Luis Castillo. Castillo’s single to center was followed by a play at the plate. Gonzalez used a nifty slide to avoid the tag and give Florida the game’s first run. After Beckett worked around a lead-off single in the fifth, the Marlins doubled their advantage in the sixth. A throwing error from Derek Jeter and a walk to Mike Lowell put the first two men on before Derrek Lee sacrificed both into scoring position. Juan Encarnacion’s sacrifice fly to right brought home Jeff Conine to make it 2-0. Beckett worked a 1-2-3 sixth, but the Yankees had the lead-off man aboard in each of the following two innings. Jorge Posada doubled to start the seventh, but Beckett got Jason Giambi to ground out before fanning both Karim Garcia and Ruben Sierra. Alfonso Soriano led off the eighth with a single but was erased two batters later when Nick Johnson grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. As the contest shifted to the bottom of the ninth, McKeon stuck with Beckett. He needed just eight pitches to finish the job. Bernie Williams and Hideki Matsui each flied out to left to open the inning. On a 1-1 pitch to Posada, the New York catcher hit a weak ground ball down the first base line. Beckett was able to field it himself and tag Posada for the final out. For the second time ever, the Florida Marlins were world champions. Beckett earned MVP honors with his Game 6 gem. It came on this day two decades ago. Photo by Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

During the 2003 postseason, the eventual World Series champion Florida Marlins were 5-2 on their home field. Their final home game that season was a victory that came on this day 20 years ago. After winning Game 4 on a walk-off home run from Alex Gonzalez to even the series, the Marlins held off a rally in Game 5 to take the series lead. A nice play from Derrek Lee at first base ultimately thwarted the New York Yankees’ comeback efforts in a 6-4 victory for Florida. Florida took a 6-2 lead to the top of the ninth at Pro Player Stadium on Oct. 23, 2003. The Marlins turned to the previous night’s winning pitcher, right-hander Braden Looper. Looper was able to get Aaron Boone to pop out to begin the inning, but that was followed by a solo home run from Jason Giambi, a single by Derek Jeter and an RBI double from Enrique Wilson. With the lead down to two and the tying run at the plate, the Marlins turned to closer Ugueth Urbina, who blew the save in Game 4. Urbina was able to get Bernie Williams to fly out for the second out of the frame. That brought up Hideki Matsui. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Matsui smoked one toward first, but Lee was able to handle the hot shot that took an in-between hop. With a pump of the fist, the tall Florida first baseman touched the bag for the game’s final out. The Yankees scored first on a sacrifice fly from Williams in the top of the first, but by the second, it was the home team who had the lead. In the bottom of the second, Alex Gonzalez drew the Marlins even with an RBI ground-rule double before starting pitcher Brad Penny had one of the biggest swings of the night with a two-run single. The Marlins extended their lead to 4-1 on Juan Pierre’s RBI double in the fourth. In the fifth, Mike Lowell singled home two more to push the lead to 6-1. The Yankees finally added a run in the seventh on an RBI single from Jeter. Jeter finished with three hits and two runs scored for New York. Penny allowed just two runs, one earned, in seven solid innings for Florida to pick up his second win of the series. The Marlins would finish things out two days later with a 2-0 win in the Bronx. They played their final home game of a championship campaign on this day two decades ago. Photo by Linda Cataffo/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

As many baseball fans are aware, the Florida Marlins capped their first World Series title with a walk-off win in extra innings in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. Although the Marlins claimed their second championship at historic Yankee Stadium, the 2003 World Series did have an extra-inning walk-off win for the Fish. It came on this day 20 years ago. On Oct. 22, 2003, it was shortstop Alex Gonzalez who played the role of hero. His walk-off home run in Game 4 lifted the Marlins to a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees and evened the series at two games apiece. After pushing across a pair of runs in the top of the ninth on a two-run triple from Ruben Sierra to draw even, the Yankees were on the verge of taking the lead in the top of the 11th inning at Pro Player Stadium. With the bases loaded and one out, Florida turned to right-hander Braden Looper. The closer to start the year, Looper was able to get the Marlins out of the jam. After striking out Aaron Boone, Looper got John Flaherty to pop out to third. The Marlins went in order in the bottom of the inning before Looper worked a scoreless 12th. The Yankees sent Jeff Weaver out for his second inning of work in the bottom of the 12th as Alex Gonzalez came to the plate. To that point, the Florida shortstop had gone just 5-for-53 at the plate in the postseason. Against Weaver, he would have the biggest at-bat of his career. Gonzalez was able to work the count full before fouling off multiple pitches. On the eighth offering of the at-bat, Gonzalez hooked one down the left-field line. His shot stayed fair and narrowly cleared the wall in left field for the first and only walk-off home run in Marlins postseason history. Prior to Gonzalez’s blast, Florida had not scored since the first inning when it strung together five consecutive two-out hits against Yankees starter Roger Clemens. Miguel Cabrera’s two-run home run to right field got the scoring started before Derrek Lee singled home Jeff Conine to push the lead to 3-0. The Yankees got on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly from Boone in the second before drawing even with two runs off closer Ugueth Urbina in the ninth. Bernie Williams finished with four hits and two runs scored in the loss. Conine had three hits while Ivan Rodriguez and Lee each added two for victorious Florida. On the verge of facing a 3-1 series deficit, the Marlins instead won the final three games to take the series in six. The lone one-run game of the series was decided by a walk-off homer from Gonzalez in the 12th inning on this day two decades ago. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

For the 2003 Florida Marlins, winning at hostile, historic venues in the postseason was no problem. After closing out the National League Championship Series with a pair of wins at Wrigley Field, the Marlins opened up the World Series with a victory at Yankee Stadium. That win came on this day 20 years ago. Florida drew first blood in the Fall Classic with a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees in Game 1. Both teams were coming off hard-fought championship series victories as they arrived in the Bronx on Oct. 18, 2003. The Marlins had erased a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees used a walk-off home run from Aaron Boone in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series to beat the rival Boston Red Sox in 11 innings. In Game 1, the Marlins used small ball to pick up a big win. Juan Pierre led off the game with a bunt single before scoring on an Ivan Rodriguez sacrifice fly to give Florida a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Derek Jeter’s RBI single in the third evened the game for the Yankees, but small ball again was Florida’s recipe for success in the fifth. Following a lead-off walk to Jeff Conine and a single from Juan Encarnacion, Alex Gonzalez’s sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Pierre then lined David Wells’ 1-1 pitch into left field for a two-run single to give the Marlins a 3-1 advantage. In the bottom of the sixth, the Yankees were able to chase Florida starter Brad Penny with a solo home run from Bernie Williams and a one-out single from Hideki Matsui. National League Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis was called upon and retired the first eight batters he faced. New York was able to put the tying run in scoring position in each of the final two innings. After back-to-back two-out singles from Williams and Matsui in the eighth, closer Ugueth Urbina entered the game and promptly struck out Jorge Posada to end the threat. The Yankees were able to draw a pair of walks from Urbina in the ninth, but with one out, the Florida closer struck out Alfonso Soriano looking on a 3-2 pitch. Nick Johnson followed with a lazy fly to center to end the contest. Williams (3), Matsui (2) and Karim Garcia (2) combined for seven of the nine hits for the Yankees. Pierre and Encarnacion each had two hits for the Marlins. Penny picked up the win while Wells took the loss. The Yankees responded by winning the next two games, but Florida took the final three to win the series in six games. During the 2003 World Series, the Marlins went 2-1 in the Bronx. The first of those victories came on this day two decades ago. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

Resiliency was a staple of the 2003 World Series champion Florida Marlins. Never was that more evident than in the National League Championship Series. Trailing three games to one in the series, Florida won the final three games to clinch the pennant, including the last two at Wrigley Field. The Marlins closed out the series with a 9-6 victory in Game 7 over the Chicago Cubs on this day 20 years ago. Following an eight-run eighth inning to rally in Game 6, fans in the Windy City were on edge as the teams arrived for the decisive contest on Oct. 15, 2003. Through three innings, however, things were looking good for the home team. Against Cubs standout pitcher Kerry Wood, the Marlins started strong. Miguel Cabrera got the scoring started with a three-run home run in the top of the first inning. By the end of the third, however, Florida was on the short end of a 5-3 score. Wood helped himself in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer off Florida’s Mark Redman to even the game at 3-3. In the third, Moises Alou took Redman deep for another two-run shot to put the Cubs ahead. As they had all year, the Marlins showed resolve. Brad Penny, typically a starter, worked a scoreless fourth inning for Florida. In the top of the fifth, the offense responded. Brian Banks and Luis Castillo were each able to draw walks from Wood before catcher Ivan Rodriguez took the first pitch from the Chicago right-hander to left field for a one-out RBI double. After Cabrera plated his fourth run with an RBI groundout, Derrek Lee singled home Rodriguez to give the Marlins the lead for good, 6-5. Entering the bottom of the fifth, the Marlins turned to Josh Beckett on the mound. Beckett had tossed a complete-game shutout in Game 5 to extend the series. In the decisive Game 7, he was stellar again – this time out of the bullpen. At the plate, the Florida offense continued to tack on. Castillo’s RBI infield single in the sixth pushed the lead to 7-5. In the seventh, Alex Gonzalez capped a two-out rally with a two-run double to give Florida a four-run lead, 9-5. Beckett would throw four innings of relief, allowing a solo home run to Troy O’Leary in the seventh as the lone hit. In the bottom of the ninth, Florida closer Ugueth Urbina hit Aramis Ramirez to start the inning but responded with back-to-back strikeouts. A lazy flyball off the bat of Paul Bako to Jeff Conine in left field ended the contest and the Cubs’ season. Although the Cubs hit three home runs, they managed just six hits. Conine went 3-for-3 with two runs scored for the Marlins. Lee and Juan Pierre each added two hits in the win. Penny got the win for the Marlins while Wood took his only loss of the postseason for Chicago. The Cubs would have to wait another 13 years to get to the World Series but won their first title in 108 years in 2016. The Marlins went on to beat the New York Yankees in six games for their second championship in just 11 years as a franchise. In club history, the Marlins are 2-0 all-time in Game 7s. Their most recent Game 7 victory and only one on the road came at historic Wrigley Field on this day two decades ago. Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Sporting News via Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

While their playoff history is small, the Florida/Miami Marlins have plenty of memorable postseason moments. The most infamous, however, came on this day 20 years ago. In a contest that will live in infamy to baseball fans on the north side of Chicago, a moment involving a fan reaching for a foul ball served as the catalyst for an eight-run eighth inning for the Florida Marlins. The Marlins used the big frame to force a decisive Game 7 in the National League Championship Series with an 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. Up 3-0 through seven innings, the Cubs were six outs away from their first World Series appearance in 58 years on Oct. 14, 2003. To that point, the Marlins had just three hits and no answer for Chicago starter Mark Prior. Following a one-out double from Juan Pierre, Luis Castillo lifted a flyball to shallow left field that swung momentum drastically. As the ball tailed into the bleachers, Cubs left fielder Moises Alou leaped up to try to make a play on the ball. Before it could come down toward his glove, it was touched by a fan named Steve Bartman and landed harmlessly in the bleachers. Although it’s highly questionable whether he would have made the play, Alou immediately showed his displeasure with the fan. From there, things started to unravel for the Cubs. Castillo walked on a wild pitch to bring the tying run to the plate. Ivan Rodriguez then singled home Pierre to break up the shutout. On the very next pitch, Miguel Cabrera rolled a routine ground ball to shortstop, but Chicago’s Alex Gonzalez was unable to handle it and the bases were loaded. With just one out, Derrek Lee took Prior’s next offering to left for the game-tying two-run double. Just like that, the game was tied and Prior’s evening was over. Kyle Farnsworth was called upon and intentionally walked Mike Lowell to load the bases with one out. Jeff Conine followed with a sacrifice fly to give Florida its first lead, but the Marlins were far from done. After Todd Hollandsworth walked to load the bases again, pinch hitter Mike Mordecai unloaded them with a bases-clearing double to push the lead to 7-3. Pierre, who doubled and scored to start the rally, singled home Mordecai to cap the scoring. Florida’s Ugueth Urbina retired each of the six batters he faced to end the contest. For most of the night, a celebration seemed inevitable for the long-suffering fans of the Windy City. Sammy Sosa got the scoring started with an RBI double in the first before scoring on a wild pitch in the sixth to push the Cubs’ lead to 2-0. After Bernie Mac sang “root, root, root for the champs” in his rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch, Mark Grudzielanek singled home Paul Bako to push the lead to three. Inevitably, the Marlins went on to win Game 7 as the “Curse of the Billy Goat” lived on for the Cubs faithful. Bartman became a dirty word on the city’s north side as he was blamed for the team’s shortcomings following the club’s disastrous eighth inning. The Marlins would go on to win their second World Series in seven years by beating the New York Yankees in six games. Their biggest inning during that postseason was an eight-run eighth that came on this day two decades ago. Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

As baseball fans in South Florida may recall, the 2003 Florida Marlins clinched the National League pennant at historic Wrigley Field. To get the series back to Chicago, however, the Marlins had to win the final game of the series at Pro Player Stadium. On this day 20 years ago, that’s just what they did. Trailing 3-1 in the National League Championship Series, Florida got a gem of a start from Josh Beckett and a trio of home runs in a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs had won three straight in the series as the teams arrived for Game 5 on Oct. 12, 2003. Beckett made sure the Marlins’ season lived on. In a complete-game shutout, Beckett allowed just a walk on two hits while striking out 11. The problem early on was that the Florida offense had failed to give him the lead. Facing Chicago starter Carlos Zambrano, that changed in the fifth inning. With two outs and a runner on first, Game 1 hero Mike Lowell jumpstarted the Florida offense with a two-run homer over the “Teal Tower” in left-center field. From there on, the Cubs managed just a single baserunner on a one-out single from Moises Alou in the seventh. The Marlins, on the other hand, tacked onto their lead with solo homers from Ivan Rodriguez in the seventh and Jeff Conine in the eighth. The ninth inning would be the only frame in which Beckett failed to record a strikeout, but he needed just nine pitches to retire the Cubs in order and send the series back to Chicago. Following a popout off the bat of Kenny Lofton, Beckett got consecutive groundouts from Mark Grudzielanek and Sammy Sosa to end the contest. Beckett would later come in to close the game in series-clinching Game 7 at Wrigley Field before being named World Series MVP following a complete-game shutout against the New York Yankees in Game 6. His first shutout of the postseason, however, kept the Marlins’ season alive and came on this day two decades ago. Photo courtesy of Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

The “Steve Bartman moment” in Game 6 stands out as the most memorable from the 2003 National League Championship Series as the eventual World Series champion Florida Marlins forced a decisive Game 7. On this day 20 years ago, however, the series got off to a memorable start for the team from South Florida. In a contest that featured a big comeback and a blown save, it was Mike Lowell who played the role of hero. His pinch-hit solo home run in the 11th inning was ultimately the difference as Florida topped the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 by a 9-8 score. After trailing 4-0 early, the Marlins used a two-run single from Iván Rodríguez in the top of the ninth to take an 8-6 lead into the bottom of the inning at Wrigley Field on Oct. 7, 2003. Florida closer Ugueth Urbina was one away from the save when he left a 1-1 slider out over the middle of the plate to Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa. Sosa left no doubt as he crushed Urbina’s offering onto Waveland Avenue for the game-tying two-run home run. Joe Borowski and Urbina traded 1-2-3 innings in the 10th. As Game 1 shifted to the 11th inning, Chicago turned to Mark Guthrie. Florida turned to Lowell. Since a hand injury suffered in August, Lowell, an All-Star, had largely been kept out of the everyday lineup. Yet to record a hit in the postseason, Lowell changed that as he took Guthrie’s 3-2 pitch over the wall in dead centerfield for the go-ahead solo home run. Up 9-8, the Marlins looked to do further damage as they loaded the bases with one out, but former Florida closer Antonio Alfonseca was able to get rookie Miguel Cabrera to line into an inning-ending double play. Braden Looper, however, needed just 10 pitches to retire the Cubs in order in the bottom of the inning to collect the save. Although they ended poorly, things couldn’t have started much better for the Cubs. Moises Alou, a hero for the Marlins during their run to the 1997 world title, blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to highlight a four-run inning. Down 4-0, the Marlins used three home runs in the third to take the lead. After Rodriguez’s three-run shot got Florida on the board, back-to-back blasts from Cabrera and Juan Encarnación put the Fish in front, 5-4. A sacrifice fly from Jeff Conine in the sixth increased the lead to 6-4, but the Cubs answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-run homer from Alex Gonzalez – not to be confused with the Marlins’ shortstop of the same name – to draw even. Gonzalez finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs for Chicago. Luis Castillo added three hits and a run for the Marlins while Rodriguez plated five of the nine Florida runs. The Cubs would bounce back to win the next three games but could not hold the 3-1 series lead. Prior to the pennant-clinching win in Game 7, the Marlins had the series lead just once. It came courtesy of a pinch-hit Lowell homer on this day two decades ago. Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

The Florida Marlins’ runs to World Series titles in 1997 and 2003 both began with National League Division Series victories over the San Francisco Giants. The second of those two, however, came with a bit more drama. On this day 20 years ago, the Marlins won the series with a dramatic play at the plate. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez withstood a collision and held on to the ball to give Florida a thrilling 7-6 victory in Game 4. Up 2-1 in the series, the Marlins were three outs away from the National League Championship Series as closer Ugueth Urbina came on to pitch with a 7-5 lead at Pro Player Stadium on Oct. 4, 2003. Miguel Cabrera had come through in the bottom of the eighth with the go-ahead single. An error on catcher Yorvit Torrealba allowed a second run to score. Against Urbina, it took the Giants just four pitches to cut the lead in half. Neifi Perez opened the inning with a double before coming around to score on a J.T. Snow single. Urbina settled down to strike out Pedro Feliz before getting Benito Santiago to fly out. With two outs and one on, Urbina hit Ray Durham to put the tying run in scoring position. One pitch later, Jeffrey Hammonds nearly drove him home. Hammonds’ bloop into left field was played on one hop by Florida’s Jeff Conine. Conine fired a strike to the plate in plenty of time. With Snow barreling down on him, Rodriguez caught the ball as the San Francisco first baseman delivered a punishing hit. Rodriguez held on, shaking the ball about to signify that he had made the tag for the game’s final out. Celebration ensued as the Marlins were off to their second-ever NLCS appearance. Despite a 100-win season, the Giants were heading home. Early on, it didn’t appear as though a dramatic finish would be necessary. After the teams traded runs in the second inning, the Marlins put up consecutive two-run innings in the third and fourth to take a 5-1 lead. Rodriguiez and Derrek Lee came up with back-to-back RBI hits in the third before Cabrera delivered a two-run single in the fourth. That lead would hold until the seventh when San Francisco pushed across four runs. RBI doubles from Rich Aurilia and Edgardo Alfonzo bookended a sacrifice fly from Barry Bond to cut the lead to one and end Florida starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis’ day. Snow then tied the game with an RBI single off Brad Penny. Snow (3) and Hammonds (2) combined for five of the nine hits for the Giants. Cabrera (4) and the pitcher Willis (3) finished with seven of the 12 Florida hits. While the Marlins went on to win their second World Series in 11 years as a franchise, San Francisco wouldn’t return to the postseason until 2010 when it began a string of three championships in five years. From 2002 to 2021, the Giants made six postseason appearances with each either resulting in a World Series title or losing to the team that eventually won it. It was the Marlins who sent the Giants packing on this day two decades ago. Photo by Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fish on First, who covers Miami Marlins history. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson