Montreal BASEBALL FANGROUP (MEBFG)

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

 

Early years

 

 

 

 

The Expos won their first game, on the afternoon of April 8, 1969, against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium, beating the Mets by a score of 11–10. The Expos took the field for the first time with Bob Bailey playing first base, Gary Sutherland playing second base, Maury Wills playing shortstop, Coco Laboy playing third base, Mack Jones playing left field, Don Hahn playing centerfield, Rusty Staub playing right field, John Bateman at catcher and Mudcat Grant on the mound. The first manager was former Philadelphia Phillies manager Gene Mauch. Wills had the first hit in Expos history and also scored the first run. The first home run in franchise history came from an unlikely source — relief pitcher Dan McGinn. Bailey had the first RBI, and Don Shaw was credited with the win. Carroll Sembera pitched the final inning against the Mets and recorded the first save.

The first game at Jarry Park was played on April 14 — an 8–7 Expos win over the St. Louis Cardinals, broadcast nationwide on CBC television and radio. A crowd of 29,184 jammed every corner of Jarry Park to watch the first major league baseball game ever played outside the United States. Parc Jarry was only intended as a three-year temporary facility until what became Olympic Stadium could be completed, and so the stands were left completely exposed to the elements. As a result, the Expos frequently had to postpone games in April and September because there was no protection for the fans. Another problem was its orientation; first basemen were often blinded by the setting sun, forcing stoppages of play. When it became apparent that Olympic Stadium wouldn't be ready for 1972, the league threatened to yank the franchise. However, the Expos managed to get a reprieve at the 1971 winter meetings. They would get a reprieve at all winter meetings until Olympic Stadium was ready for the 1977 season.

Following that first series in Montreal, the Expos went to Philadelphia to play the Phillies. On April 17, Bill Stoneman pitched the first no-hitter in the club's history, as the Expos won 7–0. Stoneman's feat gave the Expos the record for the earliest no-hitter recorded by any major league baseball franchise — only ten days after their very first game. It was Stoneman's fifth major league start and he finished with eight strikeouts and five walks. Stoneman's second no-hitter

came at the end of the 1972 season on October 2;

he beat the New York Mets in Montreal at Jarry Park.

It was the first-ever major league no-hitter pitched in Canada

and another 7–0 score, and Stoneman had nine strikeouts

(and seven walks).

 

Rusty Staub and Mack Jones became

the darlings of the Montreal fans during

the early years of the team. Staub was

affectionately known as "Le Grand Orange"

(in tribute to his red hair), and with Jones in left field,

its bleachers at Jarry Park came to be known as "Jonesville."

Staub was traded in 1972 to the New York Mets in

exchange for 3 young prospects: first

baseman-outfielder Mike Jorgensen, infielder

Tim Foli, and outfielder Ken Singleton. While the trade landed

Montreal three youngsters that would help the still maturing

expansion team, many Montrealers were saddened to lose a

popular player. Staub was reacquired by Montreal in July 1979. At his first game back in Montreal, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Staub received a long and heartfelt standing ovation from the adoring fans, welcoming "Le Grand Orange" back. Staub left the team for good after the 1979 season. His number 10 was eventually the first one retired by the Expos.

The Expos moved into Olympic Stadium in 1977. Due to its roots as a track-and-field Olympic venue, and its multi-purpose design to serve as home to both the Canadian Football League Montreal Alouettes and the Expos, the stadium was less than ideal for baseball. As was the case with most multi-purpose stadiums, the different sizes and shapes of baseball and football fields required the lower boxes to be further away from the baseball diamond than with a baseball-specific stadium. In the case of Olympic Stadium (and later, Toronto's Exhibition Stadium and Skydome/Rogers Centre), compared with American stadiums, the problem was increased by the greater length and width of Canadian football fields. The biggest problem was with the planned retractable roof, which was originally supposed to be installed in time for the 1976 Olympics. However, it was not installed until 1987, and did not retract until 1988. Even after completion, it could not be used with winds above 25 miles per hour, and thus could not be closed to allow play to continue during rain accompanied by high winds. By 1992, the Expos and the Régie des Installations Olympiques, the provincial government agency that operates the stadium, decided to leave the roof permanently closed.

The Expos posted 10 straight losing seasons under Mauch (1969–75), Karl Kuehl and Charlie Fox (1976) and Dick Williams (1977–78). However, in 1979 under Williams the Expos posted a 95–65 record, the most single-season wins by the team in Montreal, and the first of five

consecutive winning seasons. The Expos spent 88 days in first

place (including 63 in a row) before finishing second in the

NL East, two games behind the eventual

world champion Pirates.