15-Year Marliniversary: Beckett Throws Gem as Marlins Clinch 2003 World Series

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It's been 15 years since the Florida Marlins won their second world championship. That title was clinched on this day.

After winning two straight to take a 3-2 series lead, the scene shifted to Yankee Stadium for Game 6 of the 2003 World Series between the Marlins and the New York Yankees. Getting the ball for the Fish would be a young starter with a powerful right arm who was in the middle of a stellar postseason.

Josh Beckett had been solid in his Game 3 start, but a lack of run support ultimately led to him being the loser in the contest down in Miami. In his first series appearance at Yankee Stadium, it would be the Texas native that stole the show on baseball's grandest stage.

Beckett went the distance for Florida, allowing just five hits and two walks while yielding no runs and striking out nine. In the bottom of the ninth, Beckett took the hill with a 2-0 lead, needing only three outs to clinch a second world championship for the Marlins in seven seasons.

After getting Bernie Williams and Hideki Matsui to fly out, the series would end with the ball in Beckett's glove. New York catcher Jorge Posada hit a dribbler down the first base line. Beckett was able to pick it up and tag Posada out to conclude the 2003 Major League Baseball season.

The only two runs of the night were manufactured by the Marlins. Florida drew first blood on a fifth-inning RBI single from Luis Castillo that drove home Alex Gonzalez, who avoided the tag at the plate. The following inning, the Marlins got an unearned run on a sacrifice fly as Juan Encarnacion drove home Jeff Conine, who had reached on an error.

From 10 games under early in the season to world champions with the 27th-highest payroll in baseball, the Florida Marlins under Jack McKeon became one of the most unlikely world champions of baseball's modern era. The veteran McKeon replaced Jeff Torborg as manager 38 games in and found a way to get the most out of his young team.

Florida trailed by at least a game in every series, including three games to one to the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series, before ultimately claiming baseball's ultimate prize. That culminated on Oct. 25, 2003.

Mike Ferguson is the founder of Marlins Memories. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.



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