The Miami Marlins have so far won three (3) Wild Card Berths. The first one was won in 1997, followed by the second in 2003 and then the last in 2020.
1997
A wild card berth was obtained in 1997, nine games behind the division champion Atlanta Braves. The trade deadline signings of Darren Daulton and Jim Eisenreich offered experience and clutch hits. Luis Castillo (2B) and Édgar Rentera (SS) had one of the best double plays in the NL. Sickness and a damaged rotator cuff prevented Alex Fernandez from playing in the National League Championship Series, but the Marlins won 4–2.
In Game 5, Liván Hernández, a rookie pitcher, outdueled perennial Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux 2–1.
The Marlins defeated the Cleveland Indians in seven games in the 1997 World Series. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 11th, Édgar Rentera’s soft liner deflected off Cleveland pitcher Charles Nagy’s glove and into center field, scoring Counsell and giving the Marlins the win.
2003
On May 9, the Marlins brought up high-kicking southpaw Dontrelle Willis from Double-A Carolina Mudcats. Miguel Cabrera (also of the Mudcats) came through in a big way, blasting a walk-off home run against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Pro Player Stadium. Both Willis and Cabrera would subsequently be vital to the Marlins’ postseason triumph.
Former Marlin Jeff Conine returned from Baltimore, as did Texas Rangers closer Ugueth Urbina. These moves kept the Marlins in the race for the NL wild card, finishing 10 games behind the Braves.
2020
The 2020 Miami Marlins season was their 28th in the National League and 9th as the “Miami” Marlins. The Marlins played in the National League East Division at Marlins Park. The Marlins clinched second place in the NL East on September 25 with a 4–3 win over the New York Yankees in 10 innings.
Despite not improving their victory count from the last year (thanks in part to the epidemic), they made the playoffs in the 60-game season. The Marlins joined the 2017 Minnesota Twins as the only teams in MLB history to make the playoffs despite losing at least 100 games. It was then that they lost their first postseason series to the Atlanta Braves, sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card Series.
