May 28: Manager John Boles is fired. Hall of Famer Tony Perez is named interim manager.

June 1: Tony Perez accepts manager position for the 2001 season.

Oct. 6: Manager Tony Perez steps down as manager. He returns to previous role as front-office Baseball Operations assistant.

Nov. 5: David Dombrowski resigns as President and General Manager of the Florida Marlins and accepts the position as President of the Detroit Tigers.

Feb. 12: Baseball owners approve the sale of the Florida Marlins to Jeffrey Loria. Loria names David Samson President of the Marlins.

Feb. 14: Jeffrey Loria names Larry Beinfest the General Manager and Jeff Torborg as the Manager of the club.

Mar. 27: Marlins trade RHP Matt Clement and RHP Antonio Alfonseca to the Cubs for RHP Julian Tavarez, LHP Dontrelle Willis, RHP Jose Cueto and C Ryan Jorgensen.

Apr. 16: Trailing 6-0 to the Phillies at home, the Marlins rallied to a 7-6 victory. Overcoming a six-run deficit tied a club record for best comeback.

May 2: Once again the Marlins matched their greatest comeback. Down 6-0 at St. Louis, the Marlins pulled out a 9-6 victory.

June 22: Second baseman Luis Castillo's club record 35-game hitting streak is snapped after going 0-for-4 against the Tigers at Pro Player Stadium. Castillo, who was selected to the All-Star Game, had the longest hitting streak ever by a player not born in the United States. His streak is a record for a second baseman, and it matches the 10th longest streak in history. Castillo's streak also was the most since 1987.

July 11: The Marlins trade OF Cliff Floyd to the Expos for RHP Carl Pavano, RHP Justin Wayne, INF Mike Mordecai, LHP Graeme Lloyd, RHP Don Levinski and INF Wilton Guerrero. The same day RHP Ryan Dempster is dealt to the Reds for OF Juan Encarnacion, INF Wilton Guerreer and LHP Ryan Snare.

Sept. 20: Outfielder Kevin Millar goes 0-for-3 with two walks at Atlanta, bringing to an end his 25-game hitting streak, which is second best in club history.

Nov. 18: GM Larry Beinfest announces two blockbuster trades involving eight players and three teams. First, the Marlins acquired pitcher Mike Hampton and center fielder Juan Pierre from the Rockies for catcher Charles Johnson, center fielder Preston Wilson, infielder Pablo Ozuna and pitcher Vic Darensbourg. Immediately after securing that deal, the Marlins sent Hampton to the Braves for relief pitcher Tim Spooneybarger and minor league pitcher Ryan Baker.

Oct. 25: Florida's Josh Beckett pitches the Marlins to a 2-0 win in Game 6 of the World Series, marking the first time since 1981 that New York has been eliminated from the postseason at Yankee Stadium.

After winning the 2003 World Series, the Marlins entered 2004 with high hopes and a retooled roster. Retaining a core of stars from their title team, the Marlins fell short of reaching the postseason, but they posted the third winning season in franchise history, boasting an 83-79 record. Pitchers Carl Pavano and Armando Benitez turned in record-setting performances. Pavano went 18-8 with a 3.30 ERA, and his 18 wins established a season high by a Marlin. Benitez became the club's season saves leader with 47 (in 51 saves attempts). Pavano, Benitez, Mike Lowell and Miguel Cabrera each enjoyed All-Star seasons, with Cabrera belting 33 homers (second-most ever in a season by a Marlin) while driving in 112 runs. Luis Castillo won his second straight Gold Glove at second base.

What was set up to be an historic year in Marlins history didn't live up to its billing, with Florida struggling down the stretch and falling shy of the playoffs for a second straight year. The year was spiced with many outstanding moments, however, including a 9-0 win in the opener and the debut of their newly signed star slugger Carlos Delgado at first base.

Along the way, the Marlins got some outstanding individual performances from emerging ace Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, among others. Florida had a franchise-record four players at the All-Star Game in Detroit, sending catcher Paul Lo Duca, Willis, Cabrera and speedy Luis Castillo. Josh Beckett set a career high with 15 wins, while Willis (22 wins, 2.63 ERA) finished second in voting for the NL Cy Young Award. Cabrera had the best year of his short career, finishing third in batting average at .323 and hitting 33 home runs to boot.

The disappointing close to the year left the Marlins in limbo, and manager Jack McKeon was reassigned in the organization, opening the door for new manager Joe Girardi.

Sporting the league's youngest team, the Marlins were predicted before the season to lose more than 100 games. Instead, the youthful squad greatly exceeded expectations, often in historical fashion. After getting off to an 11-31 start, the Marlins found themselves at 73-72 on Sept. 12, making them the first team in the modern baseball era to improve to better than .500 after being as much as 20 games under .500. Also, for the first time in MLB history, four rookies topped double digits in wins: Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. On Sept. 6, Sanchez threw the fourth no-hitter in franchise history, beating Arizona, 2-0, at Dolphin Stadium. Miguel Cabrera finished second in the N.L. in batting average, and set a franchise season mark with his .339 average. Dan Uggla became the first Rule 5 pick to be selected to the All-Star Game in the season in which he was drafted. Hanley Ramirez won the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award, and Joe Girardi was voted N.L. Manager of the Year.