Montreal Expos

The Montreal Expos (French: Les Expos de Montréal) were a professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (NL) East division from 1969 to 2004. Immediately after the minor league Triple-A Montreal Royals folded in 1960, political leaders in Montreal sought an MLB franchise, and when the National League evaluated expansion candidates for the 1969 season, it awarded a team to Montreal. Named after the Expo 67 World's Fair, the Expos originally played at Jarry Park Stadium before moving to Olympic Stadium in 1977. The Expos failed to post a winning record in any of the franchise’s first 10 seasons. The team won its only division title in the strike-shortened 1981 season, but lost the 1981 National League Championship Series (NLCS) to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team was sold in 1991 by its majority, founding owner, Charles Bronfman, to a consortium headed by Claude Brochu. Felipe Alou was promoted to the team's field manager in 1992, becoming MLB's first Dominican-born manager. He led the team to four winning seasons, including 1994, where the Expos had the best record in baseball before a players' strike ended the season. Alou became the Expos leader in games managed (1,409). After the 1994 strike, the Expos chose to sell off their best players, and attendance and interest in the team declined. After a failed attempt to disband the team, then a failure to secure funding for a new ballpark, Major League Baseball bought the team ahead of the 2002 season. In their final two seasons, the team played 22 home games each year at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On September 29, 2004, MLB announced the franchise would move to Washington, D ., for the 2005 season, and the Expos played their final home game in Montreal. The Expos posted an overall win–loss record of 2,753–2,943–4 ( ) during their years in Montreal. Vladimir Guerrero leads the franchise in both home runs and batting average, and Steve Rogers in wins and strikeouts. Three pitchers threw four no-hitters: Bill Stoneman (twice), Charlie Lea, and Dennis Martínez, who pitched the 13th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. The Expos retired four numbers in Montreal, and nine former members have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tim Raines' plaques depicting them with Expos caps.

Infobox

Logo

Logo Cap insignia

League

National League (1969–2004) East Division (1969–2004)

Ballpark

Jarry Park Stadium (1969–1976) Olympic Stadium (1977–2004) Hiram Bithorn Stadium (San Juan, Puerto Rico) (2003–2004)

Established

1969

Relocated

2005 (to Washington, D .; became the Washington Nationals)

Nickname(s)

The 'Spos, Nos Amours

East Division titles

1 1981

Colours

Red, white, blue

Mascot

Souki (1978) Youppi! (1979–2004)

Retired numbers

8 10 10 30 42

Ownership

List of owners Charles Bronfman (1969–1990) Claude Brochu (1991–2001) Jeffrey Loria (2001–2002) Major League Baseball (2002–2004)

General manager

List of general managers Jim Fanning (1969–1976) Charlie Fox (1976–1978) John McHale (1978–1984) Murray Cook (1984–1987) Bill Stoneman (1987–1988) Dave Dombrowski (1988–1991) Dan Duquette (1991–1994) Kevin Malone (1994–1995) Jim Beattie (1995–2001) Larry Beinfest (2001–2002) Omar Minaya (2002–2004)

Manager

List of managers Gene Mauch (1969–1975) Karl Kuehl (1976) Charlie Fox (1976) Dick Williams (1977–1981) Jim Fanning (1981–1982, 1984) Bill Virdon (1983–1984) Buck Rodgers (1985–1991) Tom Runnells (1991–1992) Felipe Alou (1992–2001) Jeff Torborg (2001) Frank Robinson (2002–2004)

Website

montreal (2004 archive)

Tables

· Players › Retired numbers

Gary Carter C 1974–84 & 1992

Andre Dawson RF/CF 1976–86

Rusty Staub RF 1969–71 & 1979

Tim Raines LF 1979–90 & 2001

Jackie Robinson 2B Retired 1997