20 years after shocking World Series title, ex-owner Jeffrey Loria reflects on Marlins tenure

PHILADELPHIA — Former Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria had no idea. It was complete news to him. The word hadn’t spread to Paris, apparently. 

Just three years after being lauded as an industry leader for hiring Kim Ng as the first female general manager in baseball history, the Marlins unceremoniously dumped her two weeks after earning their first postseason berth in a full season. 

Oh, technically Ng departed on her own, refusing to accept a demotion with the planned hiring of a head of baseball operations while accepting a one-year mutual option, but it was a rude way of telling her that they didn’t believe in her. Who knows, maybe they never really wanted to hire her in the first place. 

And now, they have gotten rid of Ng and the man responsible for hiring her, Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. 

“She did the right thing leaving, she did a wonderful job," Loria told USA TODAY Sports after being informed of the move. "There may have been some other people pulling strings there, but it’s not a nice way to reward somebody that got you to the playoffs."

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How about Jeter, who resigned with a year left on his five-year, $25 million contract? 

“Let me just say it’s a long way to go from shortstop to CEO and head of baseball operations," Loria said. “I couldn’t believe Jeter fired everybody, even the great talent evaluators. How could he let Andre Dawson and Tony Perez go? I shake my head at some of the things that happened."

This is the 20-year anniversary of the Marlins’ stunning World Series championship, bringing a 72-year-old out of retirement (Jack McKeon) to manage in mid-season, calling up a 20-year-old third baseman (Miguel Cabrera) from Class AA to learn a new position in the major leagues, inadvertently making a household name out of a Chicago Cubs fan (Steve Bartman), knocking off the mighty New York Yankees with an unconventional pitching decision, and introducing a gaudy World Series ring that is now the standard for all sports teams. 

“Twenty years has flown by," said Loria, who wrote a 432-page memoir, “From The Front Row: Reflections of a Major League Baseball Owner and Modern Art Dealer. “It went quickly. When you get to my age (82), every year goes quickly."

Loria, who sold the Marlins for $1.2 billion in 2017 after purchasing the franchise for $158.5 million, watches plenty of games on his iPhone, but doesn’t miss it after being an owner for 17 years with the Montreal Expos and Marlins.

He cringes about what is happening in Miami. He believes that Jeter ruined the ballpark by removing their home run sculpture behind the center-field fence. He wonders what owner Bruce Sherman is doing after firing so many of his employees, and now forcing Ng out. And he worries whether the franchise will ever be successful. 

“I wished them good luck when I left," Loria says, "but I don’t know if they should be doing what they’re doing, whatever that is."

The Marlins created shock waves in the industry when they parted company with Ng, leaking that their reasoning was they were upset with their drafts and farm development under her watch. They then turned around and fired several other employees, including amateur scouting director D.J. Svihlik, who has been with the organization since 2017. 

So much for the good vibes of a 20-year reunion.

Really, it all started when Loria, on the advice of traveling secretary Bill Beck, hired McKeon, who had been out of baseball for three years. The Marlins were 16-22, Loria wanted to fire Jeff Torborg, and Loria listened to Beck telling him that he should interview McKeon. 

“So I called him, told me to meet on Collins Avenue, and there is an older gentleman sitting there with a plaid shirt and different plaid pants," Loria says. “I said, 'Jack?' He said, 'Jerry?’ 

"And that’s how our beautiful relationship started."

McKeon led the Marlins to a wild-card berth back at a time where there was only one wild card team, beat the San Francisco Giants in the NL Division Series, shocked the Cubs after trailing 3 games to 1, and then turned the baseball world upside down by beating the Yankees with a payroll three times the size of Miami. 

“It’s something I’ll cherish forever," Loria says. “I can still see almost every play, every innings, all of the excitement in Chicago to hearing Pudge Rodriguez say, 'We’re going to win this one for you, Jack.'"

It was Rodriguez, the Hall of Fame catcher, along with several players, who asked Loria during their playoff run whether their potential World Series rings would have white or yellow yellow diamonds. 

“Just win the [expletive] World Series,’’ Loria said, “and you’ll see." 

What they didn’t realize was that Loria, the art dealer, would design a ring that would forever change sports. The ring weighed a stunning 100.6 grams with the gem weight of 4.75 carats, including 228 white diamonds. 

It wasn’t so much a ring, but a portable trophy. 

“I was the art dealer trying to create something great," Loria said. “I wanted it to be special, I wanted it to be sculptural. I said, 'Boys, you’re going to get the biggest, greatest thing you ever saw, but just win the damn World Series.'

“Now, as you notice, it changed championship rings, with that tremendous, big style, in all of sports.’’ 

It never would have been possible, Loria says, if not for the hiring of McKeon and the call-up of 20-year-old Cabrera. He was playing at Class AA, strictly as a third baseman, and the Marlins needed an outfielder. Loria suggested Cabrera, which was shot down by GM Larry Beinfest. 

“I told him he had no choice, Cabrera came up, hit a walk-off homer in the 10^th inning, and that was the start of his Hall of Fame career." 

It was in the World Series against the Yankees that Loria decided to exercise his authority again. He was on the bench during batting practice before Game 1, and noticed that the Marlins were awestruck by Yankee Stadium, a fear that they didn’t belong. 

Loria turned to McKeon and said, “I think we have a problem. They’re playing Frank Sinatra’s 'New York, New York.’ My players are coming in from center field where they were in Monument Park, looking over at the Yankee dugout, and looked totally intimidated. Some of these players had never even been to New York." 

So, Loria asked McKeon if he could address the team. 

McKeon’s response: “It’s your [expletive] team, Jeffrey. You’re the owner. You can do what you want.’’ 

Loria walked into the clubhouse carrying a baseball bat, picked up the bat, and smashed it on the table. 

“Look, you’ve got the best record in baseball the second half of the season," Loria shouted. “You’ve got a leader in your manager. If you believe in him and yourself, you will the Series. 

“Oh, and just to let know, all of those players’ names you saw in Monument Park are dead." 

Loria interjected himself one more time before the Series was over after McKeon decided to start ace Josh Beckett on short rest. It was a huge risk. McKeon could have waited until Game 7 with Beckett on regular rest, but the way McKeon figured it, they had no chance winning a Game 7 at Yankee Stadium. 

Loria, knowing that Beckett, 23, would be nervous, telephoned him in his hotel room the morning of the game. 

“I said, “Josh, you’ve got the worst taste of clothes on the team,'" Loria recalled. “I said, ‘Why don’t you come with me. We’ll go to Barneys, get you some new shirts.’ Really, I was just trying to distract him. 

“Well, I walk into the stadium late that afternoon, he was just in front of the clubhouse TV, watching cartoons. I knew then that nobody would stop him."

Beckett threw a five-hit, complete-game shutout, beating the Yankees, 2-0, and walked away with the World Series MVP award.

Highlights of the Marlins’ championship will be shown often during this year’s World Series. They’ll show Cabrera being knocked down by Roger Clemens, staring him down, and then hitting a home run. They’ll show Beckett’s brilliant performance. 

And they’ll surely show McKeon, chomping on his cigar, leading the Marlins to one of the most unlikely World Series championships in history. 

“Jack is my hero," Loria said. “I mean it. Not only does he belong in the Hall of Fame, but he belongs to go in on a gold chair. You look at what he’s done for the game, his role as a GM and manager, winning a World Series, how does he not belong?"

If Loria was still owner, McKeon, 92, would have managed the Marlins for at least a game after he turned 88, making him the oldest manager in history, surpassing Connie Mack. 

Then again, if Loria was still owner, he’d be vehemently against putting an expansion franchise in Montreal (“they don’t deserve one"), strongly considering one in Indianapolis (“right in the middle of the country"), and do everything possible to make sure the Tampa Bay Rays get their new ballpark for owner Stu Sternberg (“a wonderful, brilliant man"). 

“It doesn’t matter what I think anymore," Loria said. “I had my time. It was wonderful. I still love the game. I miss the game. I miss the camaraderie. I cheer for the Dodgers because of [president] Stan Kasten. I cheer for the Mets. Stevie Cohen is a friend of mine. 

“But to be a baseball owner again? No, thank you. I’ve had enough. I’ve got the memories, and no one can ever take that away."

Pedro Martinez speaks up

Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez is imploring Dominican Republic officials and Major League Baseball to increase their security to stop the rage of armed robberies at baseball’s academies in the Dominican Republic. 

There have already been four MLB facilities – St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins, Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers_who have been victimized by armed robberies. The Dominican Republic police is searching for men who have entered the complexes with gun to steal cash, jewelry, cell phones and baseball equipment. 

“This has become really dangerous," Martinez told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s become alarming and concerning, not to just MLB, but all of us. We send our kids to these academies, feel like they’re protected, and things are happening. 

“I don’t know what is happening, or what is leading to this, but it needs to be stopped by the authorities in the Dominican Republic quickly so it does not escalate. MLB needs to also get involved to give more protection for these kids and those who work in the academies." 

Martinez is the centerpiece of TBS’ alternative stream featuring cultural conversations through the experiences of top former and current Latino players throughout the ALCS, called ALTcast: Peloteros. It has featured players such as Albert Pujos, Yonder Alonso, Enrique Hernandez and Nestor Cortes. 

“We appreciate the opportunity to be handed the platform,’’ Martinez said, “to share our knowledge and experiences of the big leagues. We love baseball 24/7, and want to pass the baton. We want the next generation of players to be as good as we were, and be more prepared. It’s more challenging now with social media. Every phone is a camera, every phone is a microphone, and you can be all over the world in seconds. That can be challenging. 

“So I want to be the daddy for every young player out there. You don’t have to be Latino, I just want to be around them, make sure they’re ok, like a father figure, and offer some sort of advice and information to help their careers."

This is why Martinez believes it’s so important for security to be beefed up at these facilities to assure that no one gets hurt, greatly damaging the sport in a country that lives and breathes baseball. 

“This never used to happen when I was back in the academy in the Dominican with the Dodgers," Martinez said. “We didn’t come from anything. There was not one player who was middle or upper class. But because we played baseball, we were spoiled. We were treated like royalty. We were untouchable. 

“We came from the same areas, the same ghettos as the people that are robbing these players. No one touched us. I don’t know what’s going on, but it needs to be addressed." 

Martinez wants other Latin star voices to be heard in these telecasts. He wants to let them know the difficulties of growing up impoverished in the Dominican, and suddenly thrust into professional baseball without knowing a word of English, and expected to act like you were born and raised in the United States. 

Craig Barry, the executive vice president and chief content officer of Turner Sports, thought it was important to have Martinez and Latin baseball stars to share their experiences during the NLCS. It’s the baseball version of ESPN's popular Manningcast.

“Our mandate was to be authentic and honest, and have a representation of the culture," Barry said. “Everybody has really enjoyed the experience, not just the traditional broadcast approach." 

It’s possible the alternate broadcast becomes a staple for TBS regular season games, and, yes, there's an open invitation out to NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, the most popular broadcaster in all of sports. 

One day, Pedro and Charles together, can you imagine? 

“I’m a free spirit, and I just love getting out of the box," Martinez says. “I love to let everyone know how I feel, how I would respond to situations, our passion,, and how we perceive the game. 

“To me, it’s like I’m watching a game with a couple of buddies on the sofa and expressing my emotions."

Around the basepaths

– The Houston Astros plan to do everything possible to lock up All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve to a contract extension to keep him in the organization for the duration of his career. 

Altuve and third baseman Alex Bregman each are eligible for free agency after the 2024 season, but the Astros privately say their focus is squarely on Altuve. Altuve, who has been with the organization since 2007, will be paid $26 million in the final year of his seven-year, $163.5 million extension. 

– In an era when managers have had the least power and autonomy in baseball history, there is Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox, who yields the most power of any manager in the game. He is part of the interview process for the Red Sox’s vacant baseball operations position, with Craig Breslow of the Chicago Cubs (a Theo Epstein protégé) and Thad Levine of the Minnesota Twins considered the co-favorites. 

– Will Venable, the Texas Rangers’ associate manager, is in no hurry to leave Texas. He has declined interview requests for the Cleveland Guardians and New York Mets’ managerial vacancies.

– It’s difficult to find any baseball executives who still believe that San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin and GM A.J. Preller will be working together by opening day. 

There still is tension bubbling beneath the surface. 

– The Padres are considering shifting shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who they signed to an 11-year, $280 million contract last winter, to second base or first in 2024, clearing a spot for Ha-Seong Kim. Bogaerts has played shortstop exclusively since 2014 and has never played second base or first base. 

– Hard to believe there has not been a former Mets manager who has gotten another managerial job since Bobby Valentine, who was fired after the 2002 season. 

Buck Showalter is trying to break that streak. 

– The Cardinals are speaking to future Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina about a potential major-league coaching job, but it appears to be a longshot. 

– There’s no current player who has a better shot of going straight from the field to the manager’s chair than Astros catcher Martin Maldonado once he retires. 

– Phillies starter Zack Wheeler joins the chorus of baseball veterans who believe that teams are doing a disservice to young starters by not letting them pitch longer in games, and getting out of their own jams. 

“Coming up as a top prospect, I was babied a little bit and that’s, I guess, normal,” Wheeler said. “I guess if I was drafting somebody who I thought had potential and a really good arm, I would probably do the same thing. But at the same time, I think maybe today they're holding back a little bit too much. … 

“You need a starter who can go five, six, seven innings, at least a couple that can go deeper. Just throughout the season, those one or two innings more than other starters sometimes add up over the season. But it’s not my call. I don't make that investment, so I can’t tell you how to do it. 

“But just from being a starter and running through that process, I would like to see the leash unraveled a little bit more. You have to pitch in tough situations. You have to pitch fatigued.” 

– Fabulous Hall of Fame Era Committee ballot: 

Managers

• Cito Gaston 
• Davey Johnson 
• Jim Leyland 
• Lou Piniella 

Umpires

• Ed Montague 
• Joe West 

Executives

• Hank Peters 
• Bill White 

Piniella, Leyland and West are considered the early favorites to land in Cooperstown. 

The inductees will be announced Dec. 3. 

– The Giants are putting a full-court press on 25-year-old Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who’s expected to be posted in a few weeks. 

– Yankees president Randy Levine ripped the two Florida teams this past week at a Sportico sports conference, saying he’s tired of paying the Marlins and Rays revenue-sharing money. 

“A lot more focus has to be on individual teams to do better and not just rely on revenue sharing,” Levine said. “You can’t have two Florida teams averaging 15,000 fans. You can’t have it. You don’t go into an NFL stadium or an NBA arena and see that.  

“And I think that there’s been a dependency issue that’s got to get better. … The commissioner has done an incredible job, but now it’s on individual teams. Instead of complaining and whining, ‘We need more money,’ you got to take some responsibility.” 

The Rays averaged 17,781 fans this season while the Marlins averaged 14,355 fans. 

– The Dodgers, whose No. 1 target this winter remains Shohei Ohtani, say that simply winning the NL West is no longer acceptable. 

They have won 211 regular-season games in two years but only one in October, after being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks this year. 

“For a team this talented to play 27 innings where we do not hold a lead," Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said, “it’s something we have to figure out."

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