2003 heroes Beckett, Willis headed to Marlins Legends HOF
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MIAMI – Nearly 23 years have passed since the Florida Marlins stood atop the baseball world as World Series champions for the second time in franchise history.
Two key members of that underdog team – Josh Beckett and Dontrelle Willis – will be immortalized this season as members of the 2026 Marlins Legends Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Saturday night at FanFest.
The Marlins Legends Hall of Fame honors former players, coaches, managers and staff members who made significant achievements and contributions to the organization and the South Florida community. The inaugural class of 2025 included World Series champions Jeff Conine, Luis Castillo, Jim Leyland and Jack McKeon.
Beckett, whom the Marlins selected second overall in the 1999 MLB Draft, went from a cocky flamethrowing hurler into the 2003 World Series hero.
Hampered by blisters for much of his five-year career with the Marlins (2001-05), Beckett finally put it together in 2003. He went 9-8 with a 3.04 ERA in 24 games (23 starts), but he saved his best performances for the bright lights of the postseason.
Beckett had never pitched on three days’ rest, but that’s what McKeon asked of the 23-year-old in World Series Game 6 against the Yankees. Beckett needed just 107 pitches for his second shutout of the postseason, as he tagged out Jorge Posada for the final out to silence the Yankee Stadium crowd. It stands as the only shutout to clinch a World Series since 1991.
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Entering 2026, Beckett remains in the Top 10 in franchise history in the following categories:
- bWAR (10.7, eighth), ERA (3.46, second), wins (41, ninth), WHIP (1.235, fourth), K/9 (8.97, first), strikeouts (607, eighth), shutouts (two, 10th), ERA+ (118, second) and FIP (3.38, second).
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Willis, meanwhile, arrived in the Marlins' organization via the March 2002 trade with the Cubs for longtime reliever Antonio Alfonseca and Matt Clement. A year later, he came out of nowhere – Double-A Carolina, to be exact – to inject life into a floundering 2003 club in early May. The D-Train quickly enraptured baseball fans with his kooky delivery and sideways cap.
Willis, then 21, made the National League All-Star team and captured NL Rookie of the Year honors by going 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 27 starts. Two years later, he composed arguably the best single-season pitching performance in Marlins history by leading the Majors in wins (22), complete games (seven) and shutouts (five) while finishing second in NL Cy Young voting. Willis is the only 20-game winner in franchise history.
Like Beckett, Willis spent five seasons (2003-07) with the Marlins and is present on the pitching leaderboards:
- bWAR (17.2, third), ERA (3.78, sixth), wins (68, second), WHIP (1.359, 10th), innings (1,022 2/3, third), strikeouts (757, fourth), starts (162, third), complete games (15, first), shutouts (eight, first), ERA+ (111, fourth) and FIP (3.98, ninth).
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Beckett (Sept. 6) and Willis (Sept. 13) will be honored in a pregame ceremony during the 2026 season, and they will have a plaque featured in the Marlins Museum, which is located on the landing area of the Legends Level (fifth floor) behind home plate.