Josh Beckett is about to get his place in Marlins history.
The former Miami ace will be inducted into the Marlins Hall of Fame on Sunday at LoanDepot Park, a fitting tribute for a pitcher who helped power the franchise’s 2003 championship run and left a lasting mark over his first five MLB seasons.
Beckett spent those first five years in Miami from 2001 through 2005, going 41- wins with a 3.46 ERA. He brought a nasty fastball and curveball that kept hitters off balance and, more often than not, out of answers.
For Marlins fans, though, the name Beckett will always be tied most tightly to 2003.
That was only the second time in franchise history the Marlins reached the postseason as a wild card, and the roster had plenty of talent around him: Luis Castillo, Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Lowell, Derrek Lee, Jeff Conine, Miguel Cabrera, and Dontrelle Willis. Still, the team entered the playoffs with little outside belief behind it. In series against the San Francisco Giants, the Chicago Cubs, and the New York Yankees, it was mostly the Marlins believing in themselves.
Beckett was right at the center of it. At just 23 years old, he delivered one of the defining performances of the run against the Cubs in the National League Championship Series.
With Miami trailing 3-1, Beckett shut down Chicago at home to force a Game 6, allowing just a walk on two hits while striking out 11 in a complete-game shutout. The Marlins rolled to a 4-0 win that Saturday afternoon.
Two days later, with 72-year-old manager Jack McKeon taking another swing with his young starter, Beckett answered again. On just two days’ rest, he gave up one run over four innings and helped Miami outlast the Cubs 9-6 to reach the World Series.
The next stop was New York, and Beckett didn’t flinch.
On Oct. 25, 2003, during a 56-degree night in New York, he handled Game 6 of the World Series with complete command. The Yankees’ lineup, loaded with Jason Giambi, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, and more, never solved him. Working with catcher Rodriguez and a clear game plan, Beckett threw a complete-game shutout, allowing five hits in a 2-0 Marlins win.
It was the kind of performance that hadn’t been matched in the World Series since Jack Morris in 1991, and it earned Beckett World Series MVP honors.
Sunday’s ceremony will be a meaningful one for Beckett and his family, and for Marlins fans who have never forgotten what he did in 2003.
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