first, Vizquel, third, Liván, Costas, years, three, right, field, Baseball, second, played, League

200px
The 1997 World Series was widely regarded as one of the most exciting Series in recent memory. It featured the Cleveland Indians, who were heading to their second World Series in three years. Their opponents were the Florida Marlins, who had set a record by reaching the Series in only their fifth season of operation. The Marlins were huge underdogs as they capped a stunning season by beating the Indians in seven games, four games to three. The final of Game 7 was decided in extra innings on an Edgar Rentería single. This World Series was the first won by a wild card team. It is sometimes called "The Latino Series," "The Hispanic Series" and "The Latin Series" because of the many players of Latin-American descent that figured prominently in this World Series.

Managers: Mike Hargrove (Cleveland), Jim Leyland (Florida)

Umpires: Ed Montague (NL), Dale Ford (AL), Joe West (NL), Greg Kosc (AL), Randy Marsh (NL), Ken Kaiser (AL)

Series MVP: Liván Hernández (Florida)

Television: NBC (Bob Costas, Joe Morgan and Bob Uecker announcing)

Game 1

October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium (Florida Marlins)
Game 7 turned out to be a classic World Series seventh game with the Marlins capturing the Crown. Early on it didn't look promising for Florida however. In the third inning, starter Al Lieter allowed a walk to Jim Thome and a hit by Marquis Grissom. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third and with two outs Tony Fernandez laced a 2run single to center. Indians starter Jaret Wright was lights out for 6 innings holding the 2-0 lead. Bobby Bonilla blasted a titanic homerun off Wright in the 7th cutting the lead to 2-1. In the 9th, Jose Mesa was brought in to close out the series and bring Cleveland its first title since 1948. Moises Alou led off the inning with a single. With one out, Charles Johnson lined a single to right that advanced Alou to third base. Then Craig Counsell hit a sacrifice fly to right that tied the score at 2 consequently sending the contest into extra frames The Indians blew a golden chance in the 10th, when with 1 out and Alomar on third, Grissom grounded to short. With the infield drawn in, shortstop Edgar Renteria fired home to catcher Charles Johnson who tagged out Alomar trying to score. The bottom of the 11th started with a one out single by Bobby Bonilla off game 3 starter Charles Nagy. Counsell then hit a roller toward second. Fernandez moved in and to his left to field the ball but it skipped under his glove for an error. As the ball headed for right field, Bonilla scampered to third. A necessary intentional walk filled the bases with one out. Devon White then hit into a force play (shortstop to catcher) for out number two of the inning. But the next batter, Edgar Renteria, was able to deliver the series winning tally with a line single into center. Counsell came home with his both fists raised in the air as the Marlins took the series and won the Championship.

Trivia

*Game 7 was played on Indians manager Mike Hargrove's birthday.

*This was third time in the 1990s that the World Series-winning run was scored on the final at-bat (as was the case in 1991 and 1993).

*NBC commentators made light of Indians outfielder Bip Roberts' bout with the flu during the course of the series.

*Soon after Game 7 was complete, rumors on the internet started to spread that the 1989 (released four years before the Florida Marlins made their debut) film Back to the Future Part II accurately predicted their 1997 World Series victory. In reality, the movie stated that, in 2015, a Miami team would lose to the Chicago Cubs.

*Midway through one of the games in Miami, "surprise guest" Joe DiMaggio joined NBC's Bob Costas, Joe Morgan, and Bob Uecker in the television booth. DiMaggio joked that Morgan was a "Hall of Famer", Costas was a "Future Hall of Famer", but he didn't know what to think of when it came to Uecker. Ironically enough, the Baseball Hall of Fame would present Uecker with its Ford C. Frick Award several years later.

*NBC's West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer disturbed Major League Baseball when he publicly wished the World Series to end in a four game sweep so that it wouldn't derail NBC's fall entertainment schedule. (Game 5 fell on a Thursday, which had long been the highest rated night on NBC's schedule, if not on all of television.)

*Many Marlins players wrote the #32 on their caps in support of pitcher Alex Fernandez, who tore his rotator cuff during the first round of the playoffs.

*The Game 4 temperature in Cleveland, Ohio was fifteen degrees Fahrenheit (minus 9 degrees Celsius), setting a new record for the coldest game in World Series history.

*Game 7 of the 1997 World Series was the second longest seventh game ever played in any World Series to date.

*Liván Hernández's mother, who resided in Cuba at the time, was permitted to attend Game 7 on a visa before having to leave early for security reasons.

*Even though Liván Hernández was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1997 World Series, Moisés Alou in retrospect, was the true star as he led the Marlins by hitting .321 with three home runs and nine RBIs.

*Game 7 forced the scheduled National Football League game between the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins to be played the following night.

*The Marlins became the first team ever to win a World Series seventh game after trailing entering the 9th inning.

*If the Indians had held on to win, the MVP likely would have been either Sandy Alomar, Jr. (.367 batting average, 2 home runs, 10 RBI) or Chad Ogea (2 wins, 1.54 ERA).

*Indians pitcher Chad Ogea became the first pitcher since Mickey Lolich in 1968 to have at least two hits and two RBIs in a World Series.

*Unless you count the 1995 World Series (which was broadcast under the short-lived revenue sharing joint-venture The Baseball Network), then the 1997 World Series marked the first time that NBC televised a World Series in 9 years (the last being in 1988).

*The 1997 World Series marked the first time (during the television era at least) that the trophy presentation ceremony was done on the field as opposed to in the victors' clubhouse.

*The fall-out of Indians' closer José Mesa failing to save Game 7 ultimately ignited a heated fued between Mesa and his teammate Omar Vizquel. In Vizquel's autobiography, the Indians' shortstop publicly blamed Mesa for being a "choker" and blowing the 1997 World Series for the Cleveland Indians. Soon afterwards, Mesa and Vizquel ended their longtime friendship. Mesa has since vowed to "...hit him every time he faced him" and also stated that he wanted to kill Vizquel. On April 22, 2006, when pitching to Vizquel, now a member of the San Francisco Giants, Mesa, now a member of the Colorado Rockies, made good on his promise and plunked Vizquel in the back. As of June 11, 2006, Mesa has kept his promise and beaned Vizquel all three times the two have faced off.

*1997 World Series was highly profiled as the Latino World Series. 22 Latino players participated.

*On October 31, 1997 most of the fan favorites of the 1997 Marlins were traded, including Moisés Alou who was traded to the Houston Astros, and Marlins ace Al Leiter to the New York Mets, World Series MVP hurler Liván Hernández was lucky enough to stay with the team for two more years.

*Jeff Conine and Luis Castillo would be the only two memebers from the 1997 Marlins to be part of the 2003 World Champion Marlins.

*Liván Hernández's brother Orlando Hernández would enter the United States about a month later, and sign with the New York Yankees. His Major League debut would be on June 3, 1998 at Yankee Stadium in New York, he would win three World Series with the Yankees (1998, 1999, 2000) he would also win his fourth World Series Ring with the Chicago White Sox in 2005.

*The 1997 World Series was the first series played in the state of Florida (the Tampa Bay Devil Rays would make their debut one year later).

Quotes of the Series

"Thome hits it into deep right field, Gary Sheffield is back, at the wall, leaps, he got it!!....its the play of the series, is the play of the 1997 World Series." - Bob Costas (NBC Sports) commentating on Marlins right rielder Gary Sheffield robbing a home run from Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome.

"A liner off of Nagy's" glove, into center-field. The Florida Marlins have won...the World Series!!!" - NBC Sports announcer Bob Costas calling Edgar Renteria series winning hit.

"The Men in Teal are for real!!!"-Costas after Renteria's hit, while Jim Leyland is being carried by his players on the field

"I love you Miami!!!"-- Liván Hernández while lifting the 1997 World Series MVP Award

Game 1

Trivia

Quotes of the Series

External links