Montreal BASEBALL FANGROUP (MEBFG)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Montr%C3%A9al_Expos

 

Promise of the 1980s

 

 

The Expos made their only postseason appearance in Montreal franchise history during the split season of 1981. In the 1981 playoffs, the Expos defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 3–2 in the divisional series, but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3–2 in the National League Championship Series, on a game postponed from Sunday to Monday afternoon due to rain. The difference in the game was a ninth-inning home run by Dodger Rick Monday. The game has since been referred to as Blue Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On June 15th 1981 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, and a new life as 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, which allowed them to beat out 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. The two teams battled evenly through four games setting up decisive 5th Game at Stade Olympique. On 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 this day this is a great debate among fans Ray Burris was still doing ok and Fanning decided to pull Burris and replace him with the Ace of the team Steve Rogers.

 

Montreal was led through the 1980s by a core

group of young players, including catcher

Gary Carter, outfielders Tim Raines and Andre Dawson,

third baseman Tim Wallach and pitchers Steve Rogers

and Bill Gullickson. The promising aspects of the Expos

gave rise to the name "Team of the 80s". Attendance at

Olympic Stadium went up each year from 1979 to 1983

(excluding the strike year in 1981), and the fans would

express their excitement in song — "The Happy Wanderer"

everyone together now, Val-deri,Val-dera,

being a fan favourite after offensive explosions.

In spite of the team's talent, the Expos were unable to finish above third place from 1982 to 1991. They had up-and-down years, with a winning percentage of .484 in 1984 under managers Bill Virdon and Jim Fanning and 1986 under Buck Rodgers, but above .500 seasons in 1985, 1987, and 1990 under Rodgers.

Gary Carter was traded to the New York Mets in December 1984 for Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham, and Floyd Youmans. Andre Dawson left as a free agent after the 1986 season.