Al Leiter spent just parts of three total seasons with the Florida Marlins over two stints, but when it comes to pitching, he holds a notable franchise first and started perhaps the biggest game in club history.
A native of New Jersey born on Oct. 23, 1965, Leiter turns 60 years old today. He was 30 when he joined the Marlins.
Leiter spent his first nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. A two-time World Series champion with Toronto in 1992 and 1993, Leiter signed as a free agent with the Marlins prior to the 1996 season—a season that would serve as his best in the big leagues.
For the first time in his career, Leiter was an All-Star in 1996, becoming the first left-handed pitcher to represent the Marlins in the Midsummer Classic. For the season, Leiter set a career-high for wins, going 16-12 with a 2.93 ERA in a career-best 215Â â…“ innings pitched.
That season, Leiter led baseball with 119 walks but he also allowed the fewest hits per nine innings (6.4). The lasting moment from Leiter’s first season in South Florida came on May 12 when he tossed the first no-hitter in Marlins history in Florida’s 11-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.
Leiter’s 1997 season wasn’t as good statistically as he finished 11-9 with a 4.34 ERA. Still, Leiter helped the Marlins make the postseason for the first time and in Game 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Guardians at Pro Player Stadium, it was Leiter who got the ball. Although the lefty from New Jersey didn’t factor in the decision, he put forward a quality start, allowing just two runs on four hits in six innings while striking out seven. Florida was able to erase an early two-run deficit to down Cleveland 3-2 in 11 innings. For the third time in his career, Leiter was a World Series champion.
After spending parts of his first three seasons with the Yankees, Leiter was sent back to the “Big Apple” following the 1997 season. In a deal that involved pitchers A.J. Burnett and Jesús Sánchez. Leiter was traded to the New York Mets where he’d spend seven seasons. In 2000, he was an All-Star for the second time and pitched for a third team in the World Series as the Mets fell to the Yankees in five games in the famed “Subway Series.”
For Leiter, his final season would be something of a reunion tour. Prior to the start of the 2005 season, he again signed with the Marlins as a free agent. At 39 years old, Leiter struggled for Florida, going 3-7 with a 6.64 ERA.
Leiter was traded back to the Yankees in the middle of the season and had the opportunity to pitch in the postseason for one final time. After not pitching in the postseason during his first stint with the Bronx Bombers, Leiter appeared in four games in 2005 and went 1-0 as New York fell to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in five games in the American League Division Series.
With a 30-28 career record and 4.07 ERA for the Marlins, Leiter remains 10th in franchise history with a .517 winning percentage (min. 50 decisions to qualify).
The first Marlin to throw a no-hitter and the only member of the franchise to start on the mound in Game 7 of the World Series turns 60 years old today.Â