1997 World Series
Team (Wins) Managers Season Florida Marlins (4) Jim Leyland 92–70, .568, GB: 9 Cleveland Indians (3) Mike Hargrove 86–75, .534, GA: 6
Dates	October 18–26
Venue(s)	Pro Player Stadium (Florida) Jacobs Field (Cleveland)
MVP	Liván Hernández (Florida)
Umpires	Ed Montague (NL, crew chief),Dale Ford (AL),Joe West (NL),Greg Kosc (AL),Randy Marsh (NL),Ken Kaiser (AL)
Hall of Famers	Marlins:Jim Leyland (manager) Indians:Jim Thome
Broadcast
Television	NBC (United States) MLB International (International)
TV announcers	Bob Costas,Joe Morgan andBob Uecker (NBC) Gary Thorne andKen Singleton (MLB International)
Radio	CBS WQAM (FLA) WKNR (CLE)
Radio announcers	Vin Scully andJeff Torborg (CBS) Joe Angel andDave O'Brien (WQAM) Herb Score andTom Hamilton (WKNR)
ALCS	Cleveland Indians overBaltimore Orioles (4–2)
NLCS	Florida Marlins overAtlanta Braves (4–2)
World Series program
← 1996 World Series 1998 →

The1997 World Series was thechampionship series ofMajor League Baseball's (MLB)1997 season. The 93rd edition of the World Series, it was abest-of-seven playoff between theAmerican League (AL) championCleveland Indians and theNational League (NL) championFlorida Marlins. The Marlins, who wereunderdogs, defeated the Indians, four games to three, to win their first World Series championship. Game 7 was decided inextra innings on awalk-off single hit byÉdgar Rentería. The series began on October 18 and ended on October 26 (though Game 7 ended just after midnight local time October 27). Marlins pitcherLiván Hernández was named theWorld Series Most Valuable Player.

The Indians advanced to the World Series by defeating theNew York Yankees in theAL Division Series, three games to two, and then theBaltimore Orioles in theAL Championship Series, four games to two; it was Cleveland's second World Series appearance in three years. The Marlins advanced to the World Series by defeating theSan Francisco Giants in theNL Division Series, three games to none, and then theAtlanta Braves in theNL Championship Series, four games to two; the Marlins set an MLB record by reaching a World Series in just their fifth season of existence. This was the fourth time in World Series history a Game 7 went into extra innings, and was the most recent occasion until the2016 World Series, in which theIndians also lost in extra innings. The Marlins' championship made them the firstwild card team to ever win the World Series.

This was the only World Series thatPaul Beeston would preside over as CEO of MLB. The previous four World Series had been presided over jointly by the league presidents (firstDr. Bobby Brown and thenGene Budig for the AL,Leonard Coleman for the NL).

NLFlorida Marlins (4) vs. ALCleveland Indians (3)

The first World Series game in the state ofFlorida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound. Fresh off hisNLCSMVP performance,Liván Hernándeztook the mound for the Marlins and quickly gave up a run in the first thanks to a double by leadoff manBip Roberts and an RBI single byDavid Justice. Indian starterOrel Hershiser got by the first two innings unscathed. However, after the Marlins tied the game in the third onEdgar Renteria'sRBI groundout with two on, they scored four runs in the fourth.Moisés Alou's three-runhome run off the left fieldfoul pole put the Marlins up 4–1 andCharles Johnson followed with a home run to make it 5–1. AfterManny Ramírez's home run in the fifth cut the lead to 5–2, Hershiser allowed a one-out walk and single in the bottom of the inning beforeJeff Conine's RBI single made it 6–2 Marlins.Jeff Juden relieved Hershiser and after a force-out at second, threw a ball four wild pitch that letBobby Bonilla score from third.Jim Thome's home run cut the lead to 7–3 in the sixth, then the Indians got another run in the eighth offJay Powell whenMarquis Grissomwalked with two outs and scored onBrian Giles's double, but Florida closerRobb Nen came in the ninth and got out of ajam by striking outSandy Alomar Jr. and Thome with two men aboard.

Game 2 matched up FloridaaceKevin Brown againstChad Ogea, who had lost two games in theALCS. Both teams scored in the first, thanks toRBI singles byDavid Justice for the Indians afterOmar Vizquel doubled with one out andJeff Conine for the Marlins with two on. Ogea barely escaped further damage whenMoisés Alou got under a hangingcurveball, but merely flied out to thewarning track, missing his second three-run homer in as many nights by inches. After that, Ogea settled in and did not allow any more runs in6+2⁄3 innings. Brown pitched well until the fifth when the Indians took the lead by stringing together three singles byMatt Williams,Sandy Alomar Jr., andMarquis Grissom. Later in the inning, with runners on second and third,Bip Roberts drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle giving the Tribe a 4–1 lead. The three-run lead ballooned to five when Alomar hit a laser into the left field stands for a two-run home run in the sixth. The Indians' 6–1 win tied the series heading to Cleveland.

Game 3 was a wild affair that ended with the Marlins grabbing a 2–1 series lead.Charles Nagy of the Indians facedAl Leiter of the Marlins. Both pitchers fared poorly, with Leiter giving up seven runs (four earned) in4+2⁄3 innings and Nagy gave up five in six innings. In the top of the first,Gary Sheffield started the scoring with a home run to left. In the bottom half, the Indians retaliated with two runs thanks to two broken bat RBI singles byMatt Williams andSandy Alomar Jr. Nagy's bases loaded walk to Sheffield tied the game in the third, before Florida took a 3–2 lead in the fourth onDarren Daulton's home run. However, the Indians got a gift in the bottom of the fourth, when they drew fourfree passes, then a throwingerror bythird basemanBobby Bonilla onManny Ramírez's single allowed two more runs to score. The Tribe went up 7–3 onJim Thome's two-run home run to right in the fifth inning, which also knocked Leiter out of the game. His home run was nullified in the sixth byJim Eisenreich's two-run home run that cut the lead to 7–5. In the seventh,Craig Counsell hit a leadoff single offBrian Anderson and moved to second on a groundout, thenÉdgar Rentería's single andGary Sheffield's double offMike Jackson (who was charged with a blown save) each drove in a run, making the score 7–7. In the ninth, Bonilla drew a leadoff walk off relieverEric Plunk and scored on Daulton's single aided by an error that let Daulton go to third. After a strikeout to Alou (his third of the night) andintentional walk to pinch-hitterCliff Floyd, an error by first baseman Thome on Plunk'spickoff attempt allowed Daulton to score. AfterCharles Johnson singled,Alvin Morman relieved Plunk and an error by second basemanTony Fernández on Counsell's ground ball allowed Floyd to score. After Morman retiredDevon White, a walk to Rentería loaded the bases beforeJosé Mesa relieved Morman and allowed two-run singles to Sheffield and Bonilla aided by a wild pitch that gave the Marlins at 14–7 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Indians loaded the bases on a walk and two singles with one out offRobb Nen beforeTony Fernández'ssacrifice fly andMarquis Grissom's single scored a run each, thenBip Roberts' two-run double cut the lead to 14–11, butOmar Vizquel grounded out to end the game.Dennis Cook got the win in relief by tossing a scoreless eighth and Plunk got the loss. This was the highest scoring game for 20 years until the fifth game of the2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers; it was also the fourth time a team had scored seven runs in the ninth inning of a postseason game and the first since the1990 ALCS.^[8] Marlins batter Gary Sheffield had five RBIs in the game to lead all batters.

This back-and-forth World Series continued that way in Game 4. Both teams were greeted by snow duringbatting practice and freezing temperatures throughout this contest. The official gametime temperature of 35 °F (3.3 °C) remains as of 2024^[update] the coldest recorded in World Series history. As the game progressed, media outlets reportedwind chill readings as low as 18 °F (−7.8 °C).^[9] Two rookies opposed each other on the mound,Jaret Wright for the Indians andTony Saunders for the Marlins. In the bottom of the first,Omar Vizquel singled with one out beforeManny Ramírez's two-run home run put the Indians up 2–0.Matt Williams then singled with two outs and scored onSandy Alomar's double. In the third, Ramírez drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on an error and scored onDavid Justice's single. After another walk, Alomar's single scored Justice. After a third walk loaded the bases,Antonio Alfonseca relived Saunders and allowed an RBI single toTony Fernández. The Marlins got on the board in the fourth onJim Eisenreich's RBI single with two on, thenMoisés Alou's two-run home run after a walk in the sixth cut the Indians' lead to 6–3, but that was as close as the Marlins got. In the bottom of the inning, Alomar's bases-loaded groundout offEd Vosberg made it 7–3 Indians. Next inning, Fernández hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a ground out and scored onBrian Giles's single. In the eighth, Williams' two-run home run after a walk capped the game's scoring at 10–3 as the Indians tied the series at two games apiece which guaranteed a return to Florida. Wright allowed three runs in six sharp innings andBrian Anderson wrapped up Wright's win with a three-inning save.

Game 5 was a rematch of Game 1's starting pitchersLiván Hernández andOrel Hershiser. The Marlins struck first whenDarren Daulton hit a ground-rule double and scored onCharles Johnson's single. After a walk toCraig Counsell,Devon White's RBI double made it 2–0 Marlins. The Indians cut it to 2–1 in the bottom of the inning whenJim Thome tripled and scored onSandy Alomar's single. Next inning, Alomar launched a towering three-runhome run after two walks to Thome andMatt Williams to put the Indians up 4–2. In the sixth,Moisés Alou hit his second three-run home run off Hershiser in as many games and his third home run of the Series to put the Marlins up 5–4.Eric Plunk then walkedCraig Counsell with the bases loaded to force inJeff Conine, with the run charged to Hershiser. The Marlins added to their lead in the seventh when Alou hit a leadoff single offJeff Juden, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on Johnson's single. Next inning, Alou's single scored pinch-runnerAlex Arias (running for Bonilla) with two on offJosé Mesa extended the lead to 8–4. Livan pitched terrifically in the middle innings, not allowing any runs until the ninth. Anerror and single put two on with no outs for the Indians.Robb Nen in relief allowed a two-run single toDavid Justice (both of the runs charged to Hernández), then a two-out RBI single to Thome before Alomar flew out to right to end the game and give the Marlins a 3–2 series lead heading back toFlorida.

Game 6's attendance of 67,498 was the highest single-game attendance for the World Series since Game 5 of the1959 World Series, when 92,706 people filled the football-orientedLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Series returned to the warmer climate ofMiami for Game 6.Kevin Brown opposedChad Ogea again and again Brown inexplicably struggled while Ogea flourished. Chad himself drove in the first two runs with a bases-loaded single in the second, andManny Ramírez hit a sacrifice fly in the third (afterOmar Vizquel hit a leadoff double and stole third) and the fifth (after a leadoff double and subsequent single).Darren Daulton'ssacrifice fly with two on in the fifth that scoredMoisés Alou from third gave the Marlins their only run of the game. With the Tribe leading 4–1 in the sixth, Ogea ran into serious trouble. The Marlins put runners on second and third with two out as relieverMike Jackson replaced Ogea. Marlins catcherCharles Johnson stepped to the plate and proceeded to hit a sharp grounder that was headed for left field and looked like a base hit. Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel, who won the Gold Glove that year, dove for the ball, grabbed it, sprung to his feet, and hurled a perfect strike to first base just before Johnson arrived. The play ended the threat and broke the Marlins' spirits. In the ninth, closerJosé Mesa wrapped up the win despite allowing a triple toDevon White to tie the Series at 3–3. This was the last playoff game won by Cleveland when facing elimination until Game 4 of the2024 American League Division Series.^[10]

For the decisive final matchup of the World Series, the first time since 1991 that a Game 7 would be played, the Marlins sentAl Leiter to the mound to start. Leiter had been the starter for the Marlins in the high-scoring Game 3 in Cleveland, where he gave up a total of seven runs and did not make it out of the fifth inning, but was spared a potential loss when the Marlins rallied to win.

For the Indians, former All-StarCharles Nagy was next up in the rotation. He had also started Game 3, pitching six innings, but he had given up five runs, three on home runs. Meanwhile, rookie standoutJaret Wright was available on short rest if managerMike Hargrove so desired to use him. He had already pitched in and won Game 3, giving up three runs in six innings, and had also yet to lose a decision in the postseason. Hargrove ultimately chose the prospect over the veteran and Wright got the start.

The Marlins managed one hit in the 1st inning, a double off the bat ofÉdgar Rentería. That was the only hit Wright gave up through six innings, and the Indians staked him to a 2–0 lead in the third. With nobody out,Jim Thome walked andMarquis Grissom singled him to second. After Wright bunted the runners into scoring position, Leiter struck outOmar Vizquel for the second out. The next batter,Tony Fernández, singled to drive both runners in.

The Indians threatened again in the fifth inning, as Vizquel singled with one out. He stole second while Fernandez batted, putting himself in scoring position. Leiter struck Fernandez out, then gave an intentional walk toManny Ramirez to put two runners on. Vizquel then managed to steal third base, but Leiter struck outDavid Justice to end the inning. He would leave the game after retiring the Indians in order in the sixth.

Meanwhile, not only had Wright allowed a single hit through six innings, but he had also managed to keep the Marlins off of the bases. Entering the seventh inning, he had only allowed a total of four baserunners; in addition to the Rentería double, he had walkedGary Sheffield in the first and Leiter in the fifth, andDarren Daulton had reached on a three-base error when Ramirez misplayed a line drive.

The Marlins finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh asBobby Bonilla hit Wright's first pitch over the right-center field wall for a home run to cut the lead to 2–1. After striking outCharles Johnson and walkingCraig Counsell, Wright was removed from the game in favor ofPaul Assenmacher who was scheduled to pitch toCliff Floyd. Marlins manager Jim Leyland elected to sendKurt Abbott to the plate after the pitching change; Assenmacher retired him on a fly ball, then gotDevon White swinging to end the inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, Cleveland again threatened. AfterAntonio Alfonseca walkedMatt Williams to lead off the inning andSandy Alomar Jr. reached on a fielder's choice to take Williams off the bases,Félix Heredia gave up a single to Thome which advanced Alomar to third. He was then pulled in favor of closerRobb Nen. Nen induced a groundball from Grissom to Rentería at shortstop, who elected to throw Alomar out at home, thanks in part to a great pick and tag by Johnson. He then gotBrian Giles to fly out to end the inning.

The Indians sent closerJosé Mesa to the mound to try to win the series in the bottom of the ninth inning.Moisés Alou led off with a single, and Bonilla struck out swinging on a 3–2 pitch. Johnson then followed with a single to advance Alou to third, bringing Counsell to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch, Counsell hit a deep fly ball to right that nearly went over the wall, which would have won the series for the Marlins. Although Ramirez was able to catch the ball on the warning track for the second out, Alou was able to score from third without a throw and the score was tied at 2. Mesa managed to get out of the inning by retiringJim Eisenreich.

Nen struck out the side in the top of the 10th inning. In the bottom of the frame, Mesa gave up back-to-back one-out singles, and after striking outJohn Cangelosi looking on a 3-2 pitch, Hargrove elected to finally use his ace starter and brought Nagy into the game to face Alou, who flied out to end the inning. After walking Williams, leading off the top of the 11th inning,Jay Powell retired Cleveland in order thanks to an alert fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt by Alomar, which Powell fielded and threw out the lead runner at 2nd, followed by a Jim Thome inning-ending double play.

Bonilla led off the bottom off the eleventh by singling to center.Gregg Zaun, who replaced Johnson after pinch running for him in the bottom the ninth, stepped in for his first at bat and was asked to bunt Bonilla over. Zaun popped the ball up on the bunt attempt, however, and Bonilla barely beat Nagy’s throw back to first to try to double him off.

Counsell followed with a slow ground ball to the second base side. Bonilla momentarily stopped running as the ball rolled toward him, so as not to be called out for interference if the ball touched him. In doing so, Bonilla briefly screened Fernandez from seeing the grounder and the second baseman could not field the ball cleanly resulting in an error. The winning run was now in scoring position with one out.

Hargrove then called for an intentional walk to Eisenreich to load the bases for White. He then pulled the infield in instead of playing for an inning-ending double play; White was one of the faster baserunners in the league at the time and could beat a relay throw to first, and with the bases loaded the Indians could simply force the slower Bonilla out at the plate. This is indeed what happened, as White grounded to second and Fernandez threw home to get the second out.

While the bases were still loaded, as White reached on the fielder’s choice, there were now two outs and Nagy faced Rentería with a chance to get out of the jam and extend the game. Rentería, behind 0-1, hit a hard line drive back up the middle. Nagy tried to field the ball, but it hit off of his glove and went into center field. Counsell scored the series winning run, then leaped into the air in celebration.

After Game 7, the trophy presentation, usually taking place in the winning team's locker room regardless of venue, took place on the field for the first time ever before the crowd of 67,204. It was presided over by then-Chairman of the Executive CommitteeBud Selig, who first did the honors in1995 and would officially becomeCommissioner of Baseball in 1998. This is now a standard procedure whenever the champions are the home team of the deciding game (the only exception being1999, when theNew York Yankees chose to celebrate in their locker room, likely due to the controversy involving Yankees outfielderChad Curtis andNBC Sports reporterJim Gray during an interview following Game 3). However, this would not become a regular practice until 2001 as the next three World Series (1998, 1999, and 2000) had the trophy presentation in the winning teams clubhouse.

It was the first time since1962 that the two teams alternated wins throughout the World Series.

In only their fifth season of existence, the Marlins were the quickest expansion team to reach (and win) the World Series until2001, when theArizona Diamondbacks did it in their fourth year. Coincidentally, both World Series ended with a game-winning RBI single withCraig Counsell being on the basepath for each.

1997 World Series(4–3):Florida Marlins (N.L.) beatCleveland Indians (A.L.)

Liván Hernández was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1997 World Series. Chad Ogea became the first pitcher sinceMickey Lolich in1968 to have at least two hits and two RBIs in a World Series. The Marlins won despite not havingAlex Fernandez, their number-two starter, who did not pitch due to a rotator cuff injury.

On October 31, 1997, most of the key contributors of the 1997 Marlins were traded, includingMoisés Alou, who was sent to theHouston Astros, andAl Leiter to theNew York Mets, in afire sale so infamous that it has come to synonymize the term in the baseball world. The Marlins also lostJeff Conine to theKansas City Royals in free agency andDarren Daulton who retired. World Series MVP hurler Liván Hernández, however, stayed with the team for two more years. The Marlins finished 54–108 in1998, the worst performance ever by a defending World Series champion. As a result, these Marlins are mockingly referred to as the first "Rent-A-Team" to win the World Series. Midway through the 1998 season, the Marlins would tradeJim Eisenreich,Bobby Bonilla,Gary Sheffield, andCharles Johnson to theLos Angeles Dodgers forTodd Zeile andMike Piazza. Piazza would be traded shortly after to the Mets in return for prospects, one of which wasPreston Wilson.

Jim Leyland, responding to reports that he would retire if the Marlins won the World Series, told NBC during the celebration, "My wife doesn't like me that much. I can't retire." However, he resigned in the wake of their awful performance in 1998. He managed theColorado Rockies in1999, then scouted for several years before joining theDetroit Tigers as manager in2006. Leyland led the Tigers to World Series appearances in2006 and2012. Leyland was hired as Tigers manager byDave Dombrowski, the architect of the 1997 Marlins. Dombrowski would later build another World Series-winning team, the2018 Boston Red Sox, and also oversaw a World Series appearance from the2022 Philadelphia Phillies.

Marlins ownerH. Wayne Huizenga, who dodged questions about selling the team during the on-field celebration, ultimately sold the team toJohn W. Henry after the 1998 season. Henry in turn sold it to formerMontreal Expos ownerJeffrey Loria in 2001 as part of a deal to purchase theBoston Red Sox. Loria would return the team to a World Series victory in2003. That season started with only one of the 1997 World Series players left on the roster: pitcherRick Helling. Helling was traded mid-season to theTexas Rangers. However, the team traded with theBaltimore Orioles forJeff Conine. Conine would be the only 1997 Marlin to participate in the 2003 World Series victory. The 1997 and 2003 seasons marked the Marlins' only trips to the postseason until2020, when the Marlins lost theNLDS to theAtlanta Braves.

The failure ofJosé Mesa to save Game 7 ultimately ignited a heated feud with teammateOmar Vizquel. In Vizquel's autobiography, the veteran shortstop called Mesa a "choker." The two men ended their longtime friendship. Mesa later vowed to "...hit him every time" he faced him, and also stated that he wanted to kill Vizquel. Though Mesa did not actually bean Vizquel every time he subsequently faced him, he did hit him with pitches at least twice.

The Indians would go on to win the AL Central three of the following four years, returning to the ALCS the following season. However, they were defeated in six games by therecord-setting New York Yankees. They would not advance to another World Series until 2016, where they gave up a 3-1 series lead and allowed theChicago Cubs to win their first World Series in 108 years. Coincidentally, the Indians suffered a Game 7 defeat in extra-innings, just like the 1997 team.

The core of the 1990s Indians teams would break up in the early 2000s, most notably withManny Ramirez joining theBoston Red Sox in 2001 andJim Thome joining thePhiladelphia Phillies in 2003. The 1997 Indians failed to end theCleveland sports curse, which stood at 33 years since the1964 Cleveland Browns won the city's most recent championship. The Curse would eventually end in 2016, when theCleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Title, giving the city its first major sports title in 52 years.

The total attendance of 403,627 fans is the second-largest in World Series history. The high attendance is due to the fact that the series went the full seven games and the large seating capacity at Pro Player Stadium. All four games played in Miami had over 67,000 in attendance. This Series only trails the1959 World Series, which drew 420,784 spectators. That Series had three of its six games played at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum and drew over 92,000 for each game played at the Coliseum.

Edgar Rentería, the player who drove in the winning run to win the World Series for the Marlins, would win aWorld Series MVP 13 years later as aSan Francisco Giant in the2010.

NBC, as per the terms of the then-current broadcasting contract, televised the World Series nationally. It was the first World Series telecast to air exclusively on NBC since1988; they were originally scheduled to air the1995 World Series alone as part of itsjoint venture withABC and Major League Baseball dubbedThe Baseball Network, but the1994 strike cancelled that year'sWorld Series and NBC and ABC ultimately alternated coverage of the 1995 World Series.Bob Costas led the broadcast, withBob Uecker andJoe Morgan as analysts.Hannah Storm andKeith Olbermann hosted the pregame show, with Olbermann andJim Gray serving as field reporters for the respective teams. Storm and Gray presided over the on-field celebration after Game 7.

CBS Radio, which had covered the World Series consecutively since1976, did so for the final time in 1997. The national radio broadcasting rights would move over toESPN thefollowing season.Vin Scully, in what would prove to be his last World Series call before he retired in2016, was the lead broadcaster for the eleventh time for CBS.Jeff Torborg joined Scully as analyst, making his third and final appearance.John Rooney hosted the studio segments for the series for the eleventh consecutive World Series.^[12]

This was the last World Series forIndians Radio Network announcerHerb Score,^[13] as he retired at season's end.^[14] Score's broadcast partner,Tom Hamilton, would take over as lead announcer and he remains in that position as of the2024 season.^[15] It also marked the final game carried by Indians flagship stationWKNR (1220); the broadcast rights would be moved toWTAM for the1998 season.^[16]

• Cleveland sports curse
• Curse of Rocky Colavito
• 1997 Japan Series

• 1997 World Series atWorldSeries.com viaMLB.com
• 1997 World Series atBaseball Almanac
• 1997 World Series atBaseball-Reference.com
• The 1997 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) atRetrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1997 atThe Sporting News. Archived fromthe original in May 2006.
• 1997 Florida Marlins
• 1997 Cleveland Indians
• Did the 1989 film Back to the Future II predict that the Florida Marlins would win the 1997 World Series?

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