9 must-see Marlins artifacts on display at Hall

The Marlins are in their 28th season and counting. Man, did they have some great teams over the years. Who can forget the 1997 Marlins or the 2003 club, both of which went from the Wild Card to World Series champions. The Marlins have also had their share of great stars, from Giancarlo Stanton’s booming bat to Kevin Brown’s dominance on the mound.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s collection of more than 40,000 three-dimensional pieces contains artifacts that tell the story of the game’s legendary players, moments and triumphs. Whether you’ve visited before or you’ve always wanted to check it out, there's always a great reason to plan a visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum -- the spiritual home of America’s Pastime in beautiful Cooperstown, N.Y.

Here is the Starting Nine for the Marlins franchise:

1. Brownie points
Fun facts: Marlins pitcher Kevin Brown wore this cap on June 10, 1997, when he tossed a 9-0 no-hitter against the Giants in San Francisco. Brown was nearly perfect that day, but Marvin Benard was hit by a pitch with two outs in the eighth inning.

2. Craig’s shoes
Fun facts: With the score knotted at 2 in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, the Marlins loaded the bases when Edgar Rentería lined a single up the middle, scoring Craig Counsell, who touched home plate with these shoes. The run gave Florida its first World Series crown.

3. Pitching ace
Fun facts: Just two years after defecting from Cuba, rookie sensation Liván Hernández wore this Marlins jersey in Game 1 of the 1997 World Series, earning the victory over the Indians. Eight days later, Florida secured its first World Series title, while Hernández was named the series MVP.

4. Road Runner
Fun facts: On May 2, 2013, Marlins outfielder Juan Pierre dug these spikes into the dirt and stole third with a head-first slide against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. With the theft, Pierre became just the 14th player to steal 600 or more bases since the introduction of the modern stolen base rule in 1898.

5. Tim’s helmet
Fun facts: Tim Raines is best known with the Expos, but after announcing his retirement following the 2002 season, he also retired this Marlins batting helmet, the last flapless model in the big leagues. Earflaps were made mandatory in 1983, but a grandfather clause exempted those whose careers began before the rule was adopted.

6. Protective helmet
Fun facts: On Sep. 11, 2014, Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was struck in the face by a pitch, breaking his jaw. Over the next few seasons, he wore special batting helmets with protective face masks featuring the letter, “G,” for Giancarlo. Stanton wore this helmet in 2016, one year before he hit 59 homers and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award.

7. Ichiro’s jersey
Fun facts: Wearing this jersey, Ichiro Suzuki hit a triple off the right-field wall at Colorado’s Coors Field on Aug. 7, 2016, becoming just the 30th Major Leaguer and first member of the Marlins to join the elite 3,000-hit Club.

8. Name change
Fun facts: Wearing this cap on Sep. 28, 2011, pitcher Chris Volstad started the final game ever played by the Florida Marlins. The next year the club moved to the newly constructed Marlins Park and changed its name to the Miami Marlins.

9. Special ring
Fun facts: Commemorating their second World Series title in 2003, the Marlins created championship rings made of 14-carat white and yellow gold and featured 228 diamond chips, 13 rubies and a rare teal diamond as the eye of the Marlin.