MIAMI -- The Florida Marlins got their money's worth, and so did baseball fans.

In a Game 7 that got more thrilling with each pitch, the Marlins delivered the World Series trophy they spent nearly $100 million to capture. But it was the way they won it that not even billionaire owner Wayne Huizenga could have bargained for.

Florida's Edgar Renteria is carried off the field by World Series MVP Livan Hernandez, left, and Gary Sheffield. (AP)

Down to their last at-bat, the Marlins sprung to life just in time, beating the long-suffering Cleveland Indians 3-2 Sunday night on Edgar Renteria's RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning.

While the 5-year-old Marlins became the youngest expansion team to win a championship, the Indians only added to a half-century of heartbreak.

Cleveland was just a double-play grounder away from its first championship since 1948, but Craig Counsell's sacrifice fly in the ninth tied it at 2. The wild-card Marlins then took advantage of an error by second baseman Tony Fernandez to score the winning run on Renteria's bases-loaded hit.

"I guess every little boy imagines this might happen at one time. It's a total fantasy for me," Marlins manager Jim Leyland said. "I was a little concerned. We haven't given up all year -- tonight wasn't the time to give up. When we walked into the clubhouse tonight, we knew we were going to be world champions."

A SEE-SAW SERIES finished with the teams alternating wins for all seven games. Devoid of drama for the first six games, Game 7 packed an entire season's worth of thrills into one night that kept getting better as the clock passed midnight.

The Marlins had never had a winning year until their spending spree, and it paid off -- barely. They eclipsed the mark of the New York Mets, who won in their eighth season in 1969, as the fastest to the top.

This was just the third Game 7 to go to extra innings. It happened in 1991 in one of the most memorable games ever, the night Jack Morris pitched all 10 innings to lead Minnesota over Atlanta 1-0, and also in 1924.

Florida led the majors with 26 wins in their final at-bat. One of them came in the Marlins' first postseason game when Renteria's two-out single in the ninth inning beat San Francisco in the opener of the division series.

"I feel so excited because the team won," Renteria said.

Jay Powell pitched one inning for the victory. Charles Nagy, passed over in favor of rookie Jaret Wright for the Game 7 start, lost in his first relief appearance since 1990.

FLORIDA PITCHER Livan Hernandez became just the second rookie to win the Series MVP award, joining Larry Sherry of Los Angeles in 1959. The trophy was even more special for the 22-year-old Hernandez, who won Games 1 and 5, because his mother was allowed by Cuban officials to visit the United States for the final game.

THE HERO ... The Marlins bullpen -- Dennis Cook, Antonio Alfonseca, Felix Heredia, Robb Nen and Jay Powell -- does it one more time, holding Cleveland to two hits and two walks in five innings, with only one runner reaching third base. ... & THE GOAT Baseball teams salivate to have a guy like Jose Mesa for the chance he was presented with Sunday - get the final three outs of the World Series. But he allowed the tying run to score on two singles and a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, then nearly lost the game in the 10th before Charles Nagy bailed him out.

"The victory, I give to her," he said, shouting so his translator could hear him. "This trophy, it's hers."

Indians manager Mike Hargrove found no joy on his 48th birthday. Born a year after the Indians' last title, his club added the most devastating defeat to a city that has only known losing for too long. It was their second World Series loss in three years.

"I don't really know what to tell the team, other than they played hard all year long," Hargrove said. "We overcame long odds to get where we're at. We played hard, we didn't give the game away, it could've gone either way. It just happened to go the Marlins' way."

Cleveland relief ace Jose Mesa was just a double-play grounder away from clinching the championship in the ninth, but Counsell tied it with a deep fly to right.

BOBBY BONILLA, one of Florida's high-priced free agents, singled to start the 11th against Nagy. One out later, Counsell hit a grounder to the right side and Bonilla may have screened Fernandez, racing to third when the ball rolled past the second baseman's glove.

"I tried to shield it somewhat," Bonilla said. "I'm not running that well, I have the hamstring, the way I was running, I wasn't going to get to second anyway."

Visions of Bill Buckner's misplay in the 1986 Series stirred as the Indians intentionally walked Jim Eisenreich to load the bases. Devon White grounded into a force play at the plate before Renteria lined an 0-1 pitch past Nagy for the victory.

The Marlins raced on to the field in triumph while Indians first baseman Jim Thome crouched alone in front of the mound.

Fernandez gave the Indians the lead in third with a two-run single off Florida starter Al Leiter.

Bonilla made it 2-1 in the seventh with a home run, the only run allowed by the 21-year-old Wright.

THOME DREW a leadoff walk in the third and Marquis Grissom followed with a single on another full count. That brought up Wright, and once again a Cleveland pitcher came through at the plate.

A day after starter Chad Ogea had two hits and drove in two runs in a 4-1 win, Wright put down a sacrifice bunt to the right side. First baseman Darren Daulton, starting ahead of Jeff Conine because of his bat and not his glove, bobbled the ball and cost himself a chance to make a play at third.

The runners were forced to stay at second and third when Omar Vizquel popped up. But Fernandez delivered them with a soft single to center field.

The Marlins had a threat in the opening inning when Renteria doubled and Gary Sheffield walked with one out.

Daulton hit a grounder to Fernandez, and the second baseman flipped to Vizquel for a force play. Sheffield also was called out on the play for interference when he veered wide and slid at Vizquel. Sheffield briefly argued with second base umpire Joe West.

NOTES: Game 7 of the 1924 Series went 12 innings with Washington beating the Giants 4-3. ... The game started 25 minutes late so NBC could finish its coverage of the NFL. ... Plate umpire Ed Montague's late father, Ed Sr., played infield for the Indians in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Ed Sr. later became a longtime scout for Giants and signed Willie Mays. ... It was 80 degrees with 88 percent humidity at gametime. ... Vizquel tied a Series record by stealing two bases in the fifth inning. He stole five bases in the Series and was not caught.