2003 Marlins reflect on Bartman play

MIAMI — The famous Steve Bartman play in Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field often has been told from the Cubs’ point of view, but it’s never really told from that of the Marlins, who went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series that year.

While Cubs fans consider it another blunder in a long history that stretches back to their last World Series victory in 1908, for the Marlins, it was just another improbable occurrence in an improbable 2003 championship season, their second in the franchise’s first 11 seasons.

“Obviously, we were in dire straits at that moment. We’re down, 3-0. Mark Prior’s pitching a gem. He’s got five outs to get the Cubs to the World Series,” recalled Jeff Conine, the Marlins’ left fielder in that game. “We were just looking for that opening, looking for that opening to take advantage of. We were in the dugout facing down the third-base line, so we had the best angle seeing it of them all.”

Conine was part of panel on Thursday morning during the annual SABR Convention at the Hyatt Regency Miami that gathered members of the 2003 team. Manager Jack McKeon and center fielder Juan Pierre were also on the panel moderated by Dave Van Horne, the longtime award-winning play-by-play man for the Expos and still for the Marlins.

Van Horne was in the broadcast booth that fateful night of Oct. 14 at Wrigley, and he now calls the inning in which the Marlins scored eight times to turn around the seven-game series “the most exciting 27 minutes we’ve ever played.”

The Wild Card-winning Marlins had 91 wins that season, finishing second in the NL East behind the Braves. They went on to defeat …

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