Franchise Timeline

2000

Feb. 3: Marlins announce a continued focus on the Bicentennial site in downtown Miami as the possible location for a new baseball-only ballpark. The team hosts a design charrette to further address concerns relating to the location of the ballpark and begins to develop a site plan that addresses or mitigates core community concerns.

Mar. 1: David Dombrowski is named the third President in club history, becoming President and General Manager.

Mar. 4: Marlins announce their funding plan for a new, state-of-the-art, retractable roof ballpark in Downtown Miami. A key component of the proposed plan is the establishment of an independent "trust," empowered to initiate a tax referendum. The legislation allows the right of self-determination for the citizens of Miami-Dade County by assuring that the plan can only be implemented by the vote of the people.

Apr. 5: Marlins announce they will no longer pursue a Cruise Passenger Surcharge as part of their financing plan for a new ballpark after Florida Governor Jeb Bush states his opposition to the proposal.

June 5: For the first time, the Marlins have the first overall pick in the first-year player draft and select first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, a 16-year-old native of Bonita, California. The Eastlake High School product agrees to terms with the Marlins that day.

June 21: The Florida Legislature passes a bill that creates a nine-member Community Improvement Authority in Miami-Dade County to study ways to finance a new ballpark. Two of the members are to be appointed by the Governor, three by the County Commission, two by the City Commission and one each by the Mayors of Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami.

July 23: Marlins Special Assistant to the General Manager Tony Perez is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Perez is the first Marlins employee to be so honored.

Sept. 8: Marlins Manager John Boles receives a one-year contract extension through the 2002 season.

2001

May 13: A.J. Burnett pitches a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over San Diego.

May 28: Manager John Boles is fired. Hall of Famer Tony Perez is named interim manager.

June 1: Tony Perez accepts manager position for the 2001 season.

Oct. 6: Manager Tony Perez steps down as manager. He returns to previous role as front-office Baseball Operations assistant.

Nov. 5: David Dombrowski resigns as President and General Manager of the Florida Marlins and accepts the position as President of the Detroit Tigers.

2002

Jan. 16: Major League Baseball Owners approve sale of the Boston Red Sox to current Marlins owner John Henry, pending the sale of the Marlins to Jeffrey Loria.

Feb. 12: Baseball owners approve the sale of the Florida Marlins to Jeffrey Loria. Loria names David Samson President of the Marlins.

Feb. 14: Jeffrey Loria names Larry Beinfest the General Manager and Jeff Torborg as the Manager of the club.

Mar. 27: Marlins trade RHP Matt Clement and RHP Antonio Alfonseca to the Cubs for RHP Julian Tavarez, LHP Dontrelle Willis, RHP Jose Cueto and C Ryan Jorgensen.

Apr. 16: Trailing 6-0 to the Phillies at home, the Marlins rallied to a 7-6 victory. Overcoming a six-run deficit tied a club record for best comeback.

May 2: Once again the Marlins matched their greatest comeback. Down 6-0 at St. Louis, the Marlins pulled out a 9-6 victory.

June 22: Second baseman Luis Castillo's club record 35-game hitting streak is snapped after going 0-for-4 against the Tigers at Pro Player Stadium. Castillo, who was selected to the All-Star Game, had the longest hitting streak ever by a player not born in the United States. His streak is a record for a second baseman, and it matches the 10th longest streak in history. Castillo's streak also was the most since 1987.

July 11: The Marlins trade OF Cliff Floyd to the Expos for RHP Carl Pavano, RHP Justin Wayne, INF Mike Mordecai, LHP Graeme Lloyd, RHP Don Levinski and INF Wilton Guerrero. The same day RHP Ryan Dempster is dealt to the Reds for OF Juan Encarnacion, INF Wilton Guerreer and LHP Ryan Snare.

Sept. 20: Outfielder Kevin Millar goes 0-for-3 with two walks at Atlanta, bringing to an end his 25-game hitting streak, which is second best in club history.

Nov. 18: GM Larry Beinfest announces two blockbuster trades involving eight players and three teams. First, the Marlins acquired pitcher Mike Hampton and center fielder Juan Pierre from the Rockies for catcher Charles Johnson, center fielder Preston Wilson, infielder Pablo Ozuna and pitcher Vic Darensbourg. Immediately after securing that deal, the Marlins sent Hampton to the Braves for relief pitcher Tim Spooneybarger and minor league pitcher Ryan Baker.

2003

Oct. 25: Florida's Josh Beckett pitches the Marlins to a 2-0 win in Game 6 of the World Series, marking the first time since 1981 that New York has been eliminated from the postseason at Yankee Stadium.

2004

After winning the 2003 World Series, the Marlins entered 2004 with high hopes and a retooled roster. Retaining a core of stars from their title team, the Marlins fell short of reaching the postseason, but they posted the third winning season in franchise history, boasting an 83-79 record. Pitchers Carl Pavano and Armando Benitez turned in record-setting performances. Pavano went 18-8 with a 3.30 ERA, and his 18 wins established a season high by a Marlin. Benitez became the club's season saves leader with 47 (in 51 saves attempts). Pavano, Benitez, Mike Lowell and Miguel Cabrera each enjoyed All-Star seasons, with Cabrera belting 33 homers (second-most ever in a season by a Marlin) while driving in 112 runs. Luis Castillo won his second straight Gold Glove at second base.

2005

What was set up to be an historic year in Marlins history didn't live up to its billing, with Florida struggling down the stretch and falling shy of the playoffs for a second straight year. The year was spiced with many outstanding moments, however, including a 9-0 win in the opener and the debut of their newly signed star slugger Carlos Delgado at first base.

Along the way, the Marlins got some outstanding individual performances from emerging ace Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, among others. Florida had a franchise-record four players at the All-Star Game in Detroit, sending catcher Paul Lo Duca, Willis, Cabrera and speedy Luis Castillo. Josh Beckett set a career high with 15 wins, while Willis (22 wins, 2.63 ERA) finished second in voting for the NL Cy Young Award. Cabrera had the best year of his short career, finishing third in batting average at .323 and hitting 33 home runs to boot.

The disappointing close to the year left the Marlins in limbo, and manager Jack McKeon was reassigned in the organization, opening the door for new manager Joe Girardi.

2006

Sporting the league's youngest team, the Marlins were predicted before the season to lose more than 100 games. Instead, the youthful squad greatly exceeded expectations, often in historical fashion. After getting off to an 11-31 start, the Marlins found themselves at 73-72 on Sept. 12, making them the first team in the modern baseball era to improve to better than .500 after being as much as 20 games under .500. Also, for the first time in MLB history, four rookies topped double digits in wins: Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. On Sept. 6, Sanchez threw the fourth no-hitter in franchise history, beating Arizona, 2-0, at Dolphin Stadium. Miguel Cabrera finished second in the N.L. in batting average, and set a franchise season mark with his .339 average. Dan Uggla became the first Rule 5 pick to be selected to the All-Star Game in the season in which he was drafted. Hanley Ramirez won the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award, and Joe Girardi was voted N.L. Manager of the Year.

2007

After a 2006 season which saw them defy expectations time and again, the Marlins entered '07 hanging on to the belief that they could compete with anyone. It didn't turn out that way. Injuries ravaged the starting rotation and the Marlins struggled all season, ultimately finishing in last place in the National League East for the first time since 1999. Josh Johnson experienced Tommy John ligament replacement surgery and Anibal Sanchez had right shoulder surgery. Ricky Nolasco dealt with a sore elbow all season. Suddenly, the strength of the team -- the starting rotation -- was minus three key players. Despite a disappointing finish, there certainly were a number of highs -- Kevin Gregg emerged as a dominant closer, Hanley Ramirez developed into a legitimate superstar and Miguel Cabrera proved why he already was one -- but none of them could ultimately overcome the odds heavily stacked against the Marlins. On the downside, Dontrelle Willis and Scott Olsen had disappointing campaigns. What was encouraging was an otherwise disappointing season ended on a high note. The team won five of six to end the season -- sweeping the Cubs and taking two of three with the Mets at Shea Stadium. Still, after the season, the franchise went in a different direction. The year was capped by trading their two biggest stars -- Cabrera and Willis -- to the Tigers for a half-dozen youngsters. The deal brought hope, just as it brought uncertainty.

2008

Being the underdog brought out the best in the 2008 squad. Manager Fredi Gonzalez earned high praises -- finishing third in the NL Manager of the Year voting -- by guiding the franchise to its first winning season since 2005. The 84 wins also marked the third most ever by a Marlins' squad. Only in 1997 (92) and 2003 (91) did Florida teams win more games. With the lowest payroll and one of the youngest teams in the league, the Marlins relied on power to propel them to third place in the NL East. The Marlins belted a franchise-record 208 home runs. The team also set a Major League record by having four infielders reach at least 25 home runs -- Hanley Ramirez (33), Dan Uggla (32), Mike Jacobs (32) and Jorge Cantu (29). Ramirez became the second Marlin ever to be voted in by the fans as an All-Star starter. In 1993, Gary Sheffield was the fans choice. Uggla became an All-Star for the second time. The team held onto first place for much of the early part of the season. The rotation finally fell together in July with Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez returning from arm surgeries. Johnson dealt with Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in August of 2007, while Sanchez underwent a right shoulder procedure in June of 2007. Rookie Chris Volstad, a first-round pick in 2005, was promoted from Double-A in July, and he showed why many feel he is a future star. Ricky Nolasco also came up big, posting a 15-win season. On Aug. 19 at San Francisco, Nolasco snapped the Marlins' MLB record of going 301 straight games without a shutout. Against the Giants, the right-hander went the distance, tossing a two-hit shutout in a 6-0 win. For the second straight season, the Marlins foiled the Mets' playoff hosts. In the final game of the season -- and the last game ever at Shea Stadium -- Florida won 4-2. Wes Helms belted a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning, and Uggla also added a solo shot in the inning to provide the decisive runs.

2009

For the second consecutive year, the 2009 season saw the Marlins hang around for most of the season in the race for the playoffs, but eventually come up just short. Florida was as close as 3 1/2 games back of first place in the National League East on Aug. 11 and hung around for the Wild Card pretty much all season. The 87 wins were the third-most in franchise history. Chris Coghlan, who batted .321 with 162 hits, 84 runs and a .390 on-base percentage, became the third Marlins player to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez continued to add to a budding resume, winning the NL batting title with a .342 batting average and adding 24 home runs, 106 RBIs and 27 stolen bases to claim his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award. Ramirez was the first NL shortstop to win a batting title since Dick Groat in 1960. Ramirez and Johnson represented the Marlins at the All-Star Game in St. Louis. After a long list of legal battles, the Marlins were finally guaranteed a new ballpark for the start of the 2012 season in March. Dan Uggla became the fastest second baseman to 100 home runs in Major League history, in terms of games played. Uggla finished with 30-plus homers for the third consecutive season. The Marlins acquired Nick Johnson right before the non-waiver Trade Deadline, and the veteran first baseman gave the team a real boost, putting up a .477 on-base percentage in 35 games with Florida.