The 2003 World Series MVP turns 45 today!

It’s been more than a decade since Josh Beckett last took a big-league mound and two decades since he last pitched for the Florida Marlins. Born May 15, 1980, Beckett turns 45 years old today.

The second overall pick by the Marlins in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft out of Spring High School in Texas, it didn’t take long for Beckett to work his way to the majors. On Sept. 4, 2001, the hard-throwing right-hander shined in his big-league debut, allowing just a hit in six shutout innings to pick up the win in the Marlins’ 8-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Beckett spent his first five seasons with the Marlins, compiling a 41-34 record with a 3.46 ERA. For a good portion of his time in South Florida, Beckett battled blisters. Although he never made an All-Star Game as a member of the club, Beckett unquestionably left his mark.

Beckett’s most memorable moments for Florida came in the 2003 postseason. Beckett went 2-2 in seven postseason games with a hold, a 2.11 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.

The 2003 World Series MVP, Beckett is most remembered for his Game 6 performance as he tossed a five-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over the New York Yankees to clinch the second championship in franchise history.

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Simply getting to the World Series might not have been possible without Beckett’s efforts in the National League Championship Series. Trailing three games to one to the Chicago Cubs, he helped the Marlins get the series back to Chicago with a two-hit shutout in Game 5—a 4-0 victory for the Marlins. In Game 7, Beckett allowed just a run in four innings of relief as Florida rallied to win the final three games and the National League pennant.

Postseason accolades aside, Beckett’s finest season in Marlins teal came in 2005 when he posted a 15-8 record, 3.38 ERA and 166 strikeouts in more than 178 innings. Beckett posted the highest totals for wins, starts (29), innings and strikeouts of his Marlins tenure that year.

Packaged in a trade with Mike Lowell to the Boston Red Sox for prospects, including Hanley Ramírez and Aníbal Sánchez, Beckett would go on to be a three-time All-Star as a member of the Red Sox. He won his second World Series and led all of baseball with 20 wins in 2007. Later dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers with Carl Crawford and Adrián González, a No. 1 overall pick by the Marlins, Beckett spent his final two and a half seasons out west. 

Among qualified players, Beckett is still among the Marlins’ all-time leaders in several categories, including third in ERA, ninth in wins, eighth in WAR among pitchers and eighth in strikeouts (607). His 8.97 strikeouts per nine innings average remains a club record.

The Marlins have returned to the postseason just twice since the magical run of 2003. Perhaps the most vivid image from that run is Beckett being hoisted while waving his championship cap high above his head following the title-clinching win. Beckett turns 45 today. 

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