Fansided

30 luckiest sports franchises

By David Austin Bumpus

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 24: Andrew Luck
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 24: Andrew Luck /
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UNITED STATES – OCTOBER 25: Ecstatic Florida Marlins hoist their game-winning pitcher and MVP, Josh Beckett (in grey cap), on their shoulders after he pitched a complete game and shut out the New York Yankees, 2-0, in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium to win the World Series. (Photo by Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
UNITED STATES – OCTOBER 25: Ecstatic Florida Marlins hoist their game-winning pitcher and MVP, Josh Beckett (in grey cap), on their shoulders after he pitched a complete game and shut out the New York Yankees, 2-0, in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium to win the World Series. (Photo by Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) /

4. Florida/Miami Marlins

Back when the Miami Marlins were known as the Florida Marlins, they lucked out on one of the most infamous moments in baseball history against the Chicago Cubs. If not for a certain moment at Wrigley Field in the National League Championship Series, we may not be calling the Marlins a title-winning team in this century.

The Marlins were great in 2003, with Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis, Ivan Rodriguez and plenty of other talented stars carrying their team to some great success in the regular season. Their 91-71 regular season record earned them a second-place finish in the NL East, and earned them a spot as a Wild Card team in the National League bracket.

The team made a run to the NLCS against the Cubs, and battled one of the more memorable Cubs teams of all-time in a key series with a spot in the 2003 World Series on the line. The Cubs had won their division, and earned a third seed in the postseason. They knocked off the top-seeded Atlanta Braves to get to the NLCS, and looked like they could finally break their World Series drought.

However, one man extended the curse for the Cubs: Steve Bartman. Bartman deflected a key foul ball that Moises Alou could’ve had a play on in left field at Wrigley, and basically gave the Marlins an eight-run inning in an elimination game where they were down 3-0. It went down in history as one of the unluckiest moments in baseball history, but, with one team’s misfortune, another team benefits.

The Marlins won the NLCS in seven games, and went on to beat the New York Yankees in six games to take home the World Series. The team has only had two postseason appearances, and has won the World Series in each. However, if it hadn’t been for Steve Bartman, the Marlins may only have one title in their franchise’s history,

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