World Series
Priceless
Florida, a team with no expectations, puts its tiny payroll against New York's record one and captures its second title.
By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 26, 2003
NEW YORK - This turned out to be quite the Fish story.
The Florida Marlins, the team nobody expected to go anywhere, clinching the World Series championship on the infield at Yankee Stadium after a 2-0 victory in Game 6 on Saturday, then going back out there to celebrate for an hour after the game, team owner Jeffrey Loria taking a victory lap around the bases.
"We've got a bunch of guys on our team that truly believed in us and we just stuck it out," said pitcher Josh Beckett, named Series MVP after a five-hit complete-game shutout. "Nobody thought we could beat San Fran, nobody thought we could beat the Cubs, and nobody definitely thought we could beat the Yankees.
"And here we are."
For everything the Marlins did to get here, from the brash decision to sign Ivan Rodriguez, to replacing manager Jeff Torborg with 72-year-old Jack McKeon, to coming from 10 games out in late May and making uncharacteristic in-season acquisitions to win the wild card, to upsetting the Giants and the Cubs in the playoffs, to winning their second championship in a seven-year span, this season will be remembered as much for what the Yankees didn't do.
With a record $180-million payroll and the accompanying grand expectations, they failed to capture the championship owner George Steinbrenner so badly wanted, and there are sure to be changes.
Probably many.
"Change is natural in baseball; how much remains to be seen," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "A lot of people can take pride in a number of accomplishments, but we fell short of our ultimate goal. That's a disappointment there. A big disappointment."
"We don't know what's going to happen," veteran catcher Jorge Posada said.
The Marlins, considerable underdogs at each stage with a $50-million payroll and a roster of mostly unrecognizable names, adopted the phrase that they were going to shock the world, and they did a pretty good job of it, at least the large part New Yorkers consider their own. They were the first visiting team to celebrate a championship at the Stadium since the 1981 Dodgers.
"It makes you sick," Yankees star Derek Jeter said in the solemn home clubhouse. "How else can you feel?"
Down a hallowed hall, the Marlins were feeling pretty good, smoking championship cigars, wearing championship T-shirts and hats and spraying championship champagne.
"Nobody would believe this but here we are," Derrek Lee said. "World champs."
"To win the World Series is priceless," reliever Chad Fox said. "It's unbelievable."
They won Saturday's game because of Beckett, whose nine shutout innings provided a pretty suitable answer to all the critics who said he shouldn't have started on three days' rest.
"To shut out the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium in Game 6 of the World Series the way he did is one of the great pitching performances of all time," Marlins general manager Larry Bienfest said.
They also did it the way they often did during their magical season - with clutch hitting, slick defense and some opportunistic play.
Luis Castillo, hitless in his past 14 at-bats, singled in the first run. The second was set up by an error by Jeter, the sure-handed shortstop, and a bad decision on a bunt by Andy Pettitte.
"Everybody said we didn't have this, we didn't have that, but who's on top now?" centerfielder Juan Pierre said amid a wet and wild celebration. "We're on top. We shocked the world."
The Yankees hoped to ride Pettitte's left arm to force a seventh game. But though Pettitte pitched well over seven innings, their offense was miserable. They left nine on base, including four in scoring position.
"It came down to pitching," Posada said. "We pitched a heck of a Series and they pitched a little bit better."
"We battled, we had our chances," Jason Giambi said. "They came up with the big hit and the big pitch when they needed to. We couldn't get over the top."
The Marlins scored first in the fifth, the rally, like many of their others, starting with two outs. Alex Gonzalez and Pierre singled and Castillo singled hard to right.
Karim Garcia had a play on Gonzalez at the plate, but his one-hop throw was to the first-base side of home, and by the time Posada went to his right to catch the ball and reach back across the plate with his glove, Gonzalez slid by and touched the plate with his left hand.
They added an unearned run in the sixth. Jeff Conine reached when Jeter misplayed his routine grounder, went to second on a walk, third when Pettitte fielded Lee's hard bunt but chose to throw to second to attempt a double play they didn't get, and scored on Juan Encarnacion's sacrifice fly.
The way Beckett was pitching, that was all they needed.
"Nobody gave us a chance," McKeon said. "And here we are, world champs."
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