| 2003 National League Championship Series |
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The 2003 National League Championship Series was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to 15 , 2003 to determine the champion of the National League , between the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the wild-card qualifying Florida Marlins . The Cubs, by virtue of being a division winner, had the home field advantage. The two teams were victorious in the NL Division Series (NLDS), with the Cubs defeating the Eastern Division champion Atlanta Braves 3 games to 2, and the Marlins defeating the Western Division champion San Francisco Giants 3 games to 1. The series is most remembered for a fan interference in the eighth inning of Game 6. Coming into the game, the Cubs led the series three games to two with the final two games at Wrigley Field in Chicago . The Cubs also had their best two pitchers, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood , slated to start the final two games. Leading 3-0 and just five outs away from their first World Series since 1945 , Steve Bartman reached for a foul ball hit by Luis Castillo off of Mark Prior, preventing Cub outfielder Moises Alou from catching it. Castillo proceeded to walk and Prior and the Cubs never recovered from the incident. The Marlins went on to score eight runs in the inning and won the game 8-3. The Marlins went on to win Game 7 and went on to defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series . Chicago manager Dusty Baker , who won the NL pennant in 2002 with the San Francisco Giants, fell short in his bid to become the first manager ever to take different teams to the World Series in consecutive years. Managers: Dusty Baker (Chicago), Jack McKeon (Florida) Umpires: Jerry Crawford , Chuck Meriwether , Fieldin Culbreth , Mike Everitt , Larry Poncino , Mike Reilly Series MVP: Iván Rodríguez Television: Fox ( Thom Brennaman , Steve Lyons , and Al Leiter announcing) Game 1, October 7 Wrigley Field , Chicago, Illinois Game 2, October 8 Wrigley Field , Chicago , Illinois Game 3, October 10 Pro Player Stadium , Miami, Florida Game 4, October 11 Pro Player Stadium , Miami , Florida Game 5, October 12 Pro Player Stadium , Miami , Florida Game 6, October 14 Wrigley Field , Chicago , Illinois Game 7, October 15 Wrigley Field , Chicago , Illinois "YOU CAN'T BLAME STEVE BARTMAN " In April 2005 , ESPN2 launched the series '' The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... '' by examining the top five reasons why Bartman should not be blamed for the Cubs' playoff collapse. Reruns of the episode have since been aired on ESPN Classic , which now televises the show. ESPN's case for exonerating Bartman was as follows:
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