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1981 Montreal Expos
First Half: 30-25, Finished 3rd
Second Half: 30-23, Finished 1st
Overall: 60-48, Finished 2nd in NL East
Manager: Dick Williams (44-37) and Jim Fanning (16-11), NL East Attendance: 1,534,564 (3rd of 12)
National League East Champs
Lost NL Championship Series (3-2) to Los Angeles Dodgers
Won NL Division Series (3-2) over Philadelphia Phillies
Ballpark: Big O
Scores: http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MON/1981-schedule-scores.shtml
Highlights: Strike shortened season the Expos reach the Post Season for the first and only time in the history of the Montreal Expos.
On June 15th when the season was halted by a players strike the Expos stood in third Place with a 30-25 record, four games out of first. The strike would last for two months, and when the players returned it was Expos Catcher Gary Carter who started baseball's second Half with a bang by smacking two homers in the All-Star Game played at Cleveland. The Expos would go into the second half with a new Manager Jim Fanning, Baseball decided to play a split season awarding the first players teams before and after the strike with a spot in the post season. The Expos would battle down to the final weekend of the season again. On the final day of the season Wallace Johnson delivered a two run triple off New York Mets relief pitcher Neil Allen to give the Expos a 30-23 record, they beat the St. Louis Cardinals by a half game to earn the second Half title. In the Eastern Division Series the Expos would beat out the first half Champion Philadelphia Phillies in five games to advance to the first ever International LCS, as Warren Cromartie grabs a line drive at first base at Philadelphia's Veterans' Stadium for the last out. In the NLDS, October 19th Game 5 was played damp, gray afternoon, as in the series the game was deadlocked into the eighth Inning. However Dodgers outfielder Rick Monday would blast a Game Winning home run off Steve Rogers to break hearts all through out Canada in what would forever be known as "Blue Monday".
April 29, 1981: Steve Carlton struck out Tim Wallach for the 3000th strikeout of his career.May 10, 1981: Charlie Lea pitched a no hitter against the San Francisco Giants, defeating them 4-0 at Olympic Stadium. The last out was recorded by Andre Dawson in center field. Lea would go on to shut out the Giants again a week later on four hits in San Francisco for good measure.
May 29, 1981: Ellis Valentine was traded by the Expos to the New York Mets for Jeff Reardon and Dan Norman.
June 8, 1981: 1981 Major League Baseball Draft
Mark McGwire was drafted by the Expos in the 8th round.
February 18, 1981: Ray Burris was signed as a free agent by the Expos.
