Claim: The Miami Marlins are an American League team.

The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami , Florida . The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball -LRB- MLB -RRB- as a member of the National League -LRB- NL -RRB- East division . Their home park is Marlins Park . Though one of only two MLB franchises to have never won a division title -LRB- the other is the Colorado Rockies -RRB- , the Marlins have won two World Series championships as a wild card team .   The team began play in the 1993 season as the Florida Marlins and played home games from their inaugural season to the 2011 season at Joe Robbie Stadium , which they shared with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League -LRB- NFL -RRB- . The stadium was later called Pro Player Park , Pro Player Stadium , Dolphin Stadium , Dolphins Stadium , Land Shark Stadium , and Sun Life Stadium during their tenancy . Since the 2012 season , they have played at Marlins Park in downtown Miami , on the site of the former Orange Bowl in Little Havana , Florida . The new park , unlike Sun Life Stadium -LRB- which was criticized in its baseball configuration for poor sight lines in some locations -RRB- , was designed foremost as a baseball park . The new park 's name is a temporary one until naming rights are purchased . Per an agreement with the city and Miami-Dade County -LRB- which owns the park -RRB- , the Marlins officially changed their name to the `` Miami Marlins '' on November 11 , 2011 . They also adopted a new logo , color scheme , and uniforms .   The Marlins have the distinction of winning a World Series championship in both seasons they qualified for the postseason , doing so in 1997 and 2003 -- both times as the National League wild card team . They defeated the American League -LRB- AL -RRB- champion Cleveland Indians in the 1997 World Series , which was notable for shortstop Édgar Rentería driving in second baseman Craig Counsell for the series-clinching run in the 11th inning of the seventh and deciding game . The 2003 season was notable for the firing of manager Jeff Torborg after 38 games . The Marlins were in last place in the NL East with a 16 -- 22 record at the time . Torborg 's successor , 72-year-old Jack McKeon , led them to the NL wild card berth in the postseason ; they defeated the New York Yankees four games to two in the 2003 World Series .