The Florida Marlins first took to the field in 1993, joining the Colorado Rockies as the 13th and 14th franchises in the National League. In only their fifth season, the Marlins won the 1997 NL Wild Card berth, and proceeded to defeat the Cleveland Guardians in seven games to win their first World Series title. After a 16–22 start to the 2003 season, the Marlins fired manager Jeff Torborg, replacing him with 72-year-old Jack McKeon. The Marlins rallied to win the NL Wild Card with a 91–79 mark, and they proceeded to upset the Giants in the NLDS, then stun the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS before winning the 2003 World Series against the Yankees in six games.

The Marlins moved from the multipurpose Sun Life Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens to loanDepot Park in 2012, rebranding as the Miami Marlinss as part of their stadium agreement. Throughout the ’00s and ’10s, the Marlins were stocked full of rising talent who achieved success elsewhere, including Miguel Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich. Rising pitcher José Fernández’s career was tragically cut short when he perished in a boating accident in September 2016. The Marlins started looking to improve on a 57-win campaign in 2019, when they still managed to win their season series against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies.