The Expos

April 1972

Relief pitcher John Strohmayer would miss the first three months of the season after suffering a broken tibia during spring training. Rick Rhoden would be promoted into the bullpen to cover for his absence. Injuries would also trouble outfielder Floyd Wicker, who would miss the first two months.

For the first time the Expos would open the season on the road, and would win just one game at San Diego and Atlanta. Steve Renko would be on the mound for the home opener and collected the win against the Astros. However, the form of the Expos generally spluttered along and April finished with Montreal once again on the bottom of the pile at 8-19. Pitching appears to be the main problem facing Montreal, with the ERA sitting at an unacceptable 5.36.

National League East
1. New York (21-6)
2. Philadelphia (18-12)
3. Chicago (14-10)
4. St Louis (12-12)
5. Pittsburgh (15-15)
6. Montreal (8-19)

National League West
San Francisco lead Atlanta by 4 games

American League East
Boston lead Baltimore by 2 games

American League West
Oakland lead Minnesota by 1.5 games

Expos Leaders
ERA - Bert Blyleven (5.03)
Wins - Steve Renko (3)
Saves - Bill Laxton (2)
Average - Paul Powell (.313)
Home Runs - Graig Nettles (8)
Stolen Bases - Toby Harrah (4)

May 1972

It seemed to be highly appropriate. With Montreal sitting at a woeful 8-19, the last thing that Canada's team needed was its high profile recruit spending an extended period on the sideline. However, Thurman Munson would have a lot of time on his hands after breaking his elbow in the closing stages of a loss to Cincinnati. The popular pitcher would now have a lot of time on his hands, and vowed to spend it studying for his pilot's licence.

The month began on a poor note, with Houston getting the benefit of six straight wins over Montreal. The losing streak only ended in the last game of a home series against Chicago on May 12 - the Expos' first win since April 28. In that time, the Expos had drifted out to a .250 record for the worst record in the major league.

The other big recruit, Don Money, would also face extended time on the sidelines after stretching his knee ligament in that win against Chicago. However, he would 'only' miss 24 days. Expos fans were grateful for that, at least.

The injury toll continued to mount on the road. Toby Harrah's left knee literally exploded, in his words, on the Astrodome turf. Mack Jones suffered the inglorious fate of a dislocated collar bone, but true to form bounced back and was back in the side after less than a week out, despite initial fears that he may have to retire.

The 10-18 month saw two notable personal performances. Marvin Lane drove in five runs while going 4/5 in a 8-0 win against Los Angeles, while Carl Morton pitched a one-hitter against the Cardinals in a 2-1 win.

National League East
1. New York (37-18)
2. Chicago (35-17)
3. St Louis (32-23)
4. Philadelphia (32-23)
5. Pittsburgh (26-32)
6. Montreal (18-37)

National League West
San Francisco lead Houston by 4.5 games

American League East
Boston lead Baltimore by a game

American League West
Oakland lead Chicago by 6.5 games

Expos Leaders
ERA - Bert Blyleven (4.66)
Wins - Dan McGinn (4)
Saves - Dan McGinn (3)
Average - Rusty Staub (.299)
Home Runs - Graig Nettles (12)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (6)

June 1972

The month of June is draft month, and by virtue of their surprising season in 1971, Montreal held the 11th overall pick. Andre Dawson became the Expos first choice of the draft as the Montreal front office concentred on both sides of the ball (to use a football expression)

1st Round - RF Andre Dawson (67/93), Miami FL
2nd Round - C Gary Carter (62/81), Culver City CA
3rd Round - RP Dan Schatzeder (53/87), Elmhurst IL
4th Round - RP Joe Kerrigan (48/87), Philadelphia PA
5th Round - SP Dennis Blair (55/79), Middletown OH
6th Round - LF Gary Roenicke (51/84), Covina CA

June also saw the Expos barely scrape .333 for the month, and their run of form included a seven game losing streak at Parc Jarry. Despite the performances of the team, the fans stayed faithful with attendances staying around 20,000. However, with Money and Thurman still on the sidelines, the shell of the 1971 team continued to bumble their way through the season.

National League East
1. Chicago (54-28)
2. Philadelphia (47-35)
3. New York (47-35)
4. St Louis (47-38)
5. Pittsburgh (37-45)
6. Montreal (27-55)

National League West
San Francisco lead Cincinnati by 8.5 games

American League East
Boston lead Baltimore by 5.5 games

American League West
Oakland lead Chicago by 8.5 games

Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Renko (4.80)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (5)
Saves - Dan McGinn (6)
Average - Rusty Staub (.296)
Home Runs - Graig Nettles (15)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (7)

July 1972

Rusty Staub received the call to play for the National League in the All-Star Game, continuing Montreal's record of providing a player to the big game in each season of their existence. Staub was the final out and the American League won 6-5.

The Expos, on the other hand, played average baseball all month and continued to hold up the bottom of the National League East. In another example of the team suffering bad luck at the most inopportune times, Bill Stoneman was ruled out for the rest of the season just a day after striking out eleven batsmen. Severe eblow tendonitis isn't an injury that pitchers really bounce back from, and I fear that we may have seen the last of Bill in an Expos uniform.

National League East
1. Chicago (65-39)
2. Philadelphia (65-43)
3. New York (58-47)
4. St Louis (54-53)
5. Pittsburgh (45-60)
6. Montreal (38-66)

National League West
San Francisco lead Cincinnati by 19 games

American League East
Boston lead Baltimore by 15.5 games

American League West
Oakland lead Chicago by 8 games

Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Renko (4.34)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (8)
Saves - Dan McGinn (8)
Average - Rusty Staub (.297)
Home Runs - Rusty Staub (18)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (11)

August 1972

August was notable for two reasons. Thurman Munson finally returned to the Expos line-up on the 26th against the Phillies at Parc Jarry, although he would strike out four times in a 9-3 loss. The very next day, the Expos were removed from playoff calculation, and appeared on track for 100 losses.

The attendance figures started to lead south with fans preferring to spend the final days of summer elsewhere. Despite this, Montreal's financial figures were in excellent shape, recovering from the large spending in the off-season.

However, almost everybody's minds were already on 1973.

National League East
1. Chicago (89-46)
2. New York (75-57)
3. Philadelphia (76-59)
4. St Louis (67-65)
5. Pittsburgh (56-76)
6. Montreal (48-87)

National League West
San Francisco have all but secured the title, leading Cincinnati by 20.5 games

American League East
Boston also are running away, with a 98-34 record. They lead Baltimore by 24 games.

American League West
Oakland lead Chicago by 12.5 games in the closest division race of 1972

Expos Leaders
ERA - Bert Blyleven (4.37)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (11)
Saves - Dan McGinn (9)
Average - Rusty Staub (.289)
Home Runs - Graig Nettles (24)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (11)

September-October 1972

With four dead division races, the general interest in baseball nosedived during the latter stages of the season. Almost everybody who was anybody had their money on a third Bayside series in a row - it was generally assumed that the Curse of the Bambino would stop the Red Sox before their fans got too excited.

100 losses became a reality for Montreal on September 22, with the Pirates sweeping a three-game series. The focus for Expos fans shifted from the field and onto the front office. Despite being just four seasons old, they expected better from the team. Hadn't they had a winning season just twelve months previously? Why did the GM gut the successful team and plunder the hard-earned cash of the club in signing two fringe players? Together, Money and Thurman had combined for 18 home runs and 96 runs batted in. Rusty Staub, by comparison, had 20 home runs and 79 runs batted in all by himself.

It was generally assumed that spending on scouting and farm teams would increase dramatically and there would be no major shake-ups of the playing staff for the 1973 season.

It was the worst finish in Montreal's short history....but even then it would be good only for a fourth overall pick in 1973.

National League East
1. Chicago (108-54)
2. New York (94-68)
3. Philadelphia (91-71)
4. St Louis (84-78)
5. Pittsburgh (70-92)
6. Montreal (55-107)

National League West
1. San Francisco (110-52)
2. Los Angeles (80-82)
3. Houston (80-82)
4. Cincinnati (78-84)
5. Atlanta (76-86)
6. San Diego (46-116)

American League East
1. Boston (118-44)
2. New York (92-70)
3. Baltimore (91-71)
4. Detroit (82-80)
5. Cleveland (60-102)
6. Milwaukee (49-113)

American League West
1. Oakland (107-55)
2. Chicago (93-69)
3. California (82-80)
4. Minnesota (74-88)
5. Texas (73-89)
6. Kansas City (51-111)

Despite featuring four 100-win clubs for the first time, the post-season had that air of predictability about it. However, Boston thumbed their noses at convention and swept Oakland in three games to advance to the World Series, where they would face the Giants.

Just over a week later, Boston would paint the town red as the Red Sox won Game 6 to bury 64 years of misery and disappointment. Tellingly, Boston would win all three extra-innings games in this World Series.

Montreal Expos 1972 Short Statistics
Statistics listed are for Montreal Expos games only
Players no longer with team are marked *

John Bateman - .254, 9 HR, 29 RBI
Dwight Evans - .238, 10 HR, 44 RBI
Toby Harrah - .258, 12 HR, 56 RBI
Remy Hermoso - .222, 12 RBI
Garry Jestadt - .245, 7 HR, 54 RBI
Mack Jones - .251, 16 HR, 58 RBI
Marvin Lane - .280, 3 HR, 26 RBI
Don Money - .251, 12 HR, 67 RBI
Thurman Munson - .240, 6 HR, 31 RBI
Graig Nettles - .240, 25 HR, 74 RBI
Paul Powell - .253, 5 HR, 46 RBI
Rusty Staub - .282, 22 HR, 83 RBI
Floyd Wicker - .218, 3 HR, 30 RBI

Mark Ballinger - 4-3, 4.67 ERA, 1 SV
Bert Blyleven - 11-21, 4.35 ERA
Pete Broberg - 2-9, 7.47 ERA
Bill Laxton - 1-6, 3.71 ERA, 8 SV
Steve Luebber - 1-3, 6.43 ERA, 1 SV
Dan McGinn - 7-7, 5.14 ERA, 9 SV
Carl Morton - 9-25, 5.11 ERA
Steve Renko - 11-16, 4.22 ERA
Rick Rhoden - 0-0, 10.80 ERA
Steve Rogers - 3-6, 5.13 ERA, 2 SV
Bill Stoneman - 4-9, 4.57 ERA
John Strohmayer - 0-0, 3.24 ERA, 1 SV
Jackson Todd - 2-1, 3.36 ERA
Bill Travers - 0-1, 9.00 ERA

Off-Season Activities
Attendance - 1,402,718 (average of 17,317 per game)
Profit - $705,000
Cash - $1,361,771
Franchise Value - $13.5M
Farm System Rating - D
Medical Staff Rating - C-
Scouting Staff Rating - D+
Team Payroll/Budget - $2.34M/$2.83M
Average Age of Team - 24.2 (youngest in major leagues - next youngest is Oakland at 27.4)

Player Movements
3B Toby Harrab (84/93) resigned for $245,000 at Arbitration
LF Floyd Wicker (66) released without a contract offered
RF Graig Nettles (82) resigned for $266,000 at Arbitration
SS Remy Hermoso (78/80) resigned for $135,000 at Arbitration
CF Mack Jones (73) released after contract talks broke down
1B Pete Lacock (56/84) resigned for $1,000 over two seasons
SP Bert Blyleven (86/93) resigned for $300,000 at Arbitration
SP Carl Morton (87) awarded $317,000 at Arbitration
SP Steve Renko (88/92) resigned for $285,000 at Arbitration
SP Steve Rogers (73/74) resigned for $155,000 at Arbitration
RP Dan McGinn (76) resigned for $110,000 at Arbitration
SP Bill Stoneman (83/87) resigned for $275,000 at Arbitration

Free Agent Signings
3B Ken Reitz (59/83) signed for $22,000 over one season

Carl Morton did not really justify his $317,000 pricetag at Arbitration, and the Expos began to shop him around to other clubs. St Louis made a four-player deal, including the promising Jorge Roque (CF, 76/83). The thought of Morton suddenly striking form and punishing the Expos everytime he face them did not really seem appealing. The best offer eventually came from the Yankees. In return, we got a young pitcher who had acquired a 12-6 record over three seasons. During this four seasons in Montreal, Morton had a 41-88 record with a 4.88 ERA.

Trade Movements
Expos Get - SP Steve Kline (82/86) and $420,000
Yankees Get - SP Carl Morton (87)

Following the departure of Mack Jones, the players were invited to vote for his successor as club captain. Rusty Staub was an overwhelming choice as leader, which was appropriate given the amount of respect he is afforded by players and the community at large. He isn't affectionally called Le Grande Orange by the locals for nothing.

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Your 1973 Montreal Expos
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Line-up
CF - Paul Powell (81/88)
3B - Toby Harrah (85/94)
1B - Rusty Staub (90)
RF - Dwight Evans (87/94)
2B - Don Money (90/93)
LF - Graig Nettles (83)
C - Thurman Munson (80)
SS - Remy Hermoso (79/81)

Bench
C - John Bateman (69)
IF - Fred Stanley (70)
LF - Marvin Lane (74/81)
IF - Garry Jestadt (72)
OF - Andre Dawson (64/90)
SS - Rich Hacker (63)

Rotation
1. Bert Blyleven (85/93)
2. Steve Renko (91)
3. Steve Kline (84/88)
4. Bill Stoneman (83/87)

Bullpen
Mopup - Steve Rogers (76/78)
Closer - John Strohmayer (83)
Setup - Bill Laxton (81/86)
Short - Dan McGinn (72)
Short - Steve Luebber (77/82)
Middle - Pete Broberg (75/86)
Long - Mark Ballinger (72/76)

Notable Prospects
A
SP - Jackson Todd (66/84)
R
C - Gary Carter (63/84)
1B - Pete Lacock (57/81)
SP - Rick Rhoden (56/93)
RP - Jake Gibson (47/83)
SP - Bill Travers (52/94)

Pre-Season Predictions
1. Philadelphia (93-69)
2. New York (92-70)
3. Chicago (90-72)
4. Pittsburgh (79-83)
5. St Louis (76-86)
6. Montreal (72-90)

AMERICAN LEAGUE - Oakland over Boston in 5 games
NATIONAL LEAGUE - Philadelphia over Los Angeles in 5 games
WORLD SERIES - Oakland over Philadelphia in 4 games

April 1973

Riverfront Stadium was the location of the opening of the 1973 season, with the local team looking for a return to post-season action for the first time since winning the pennant in 1961. After nine days, with six games played in between, it seemed that the Reds were indeed heading for happier days, courtesy of sweeping the Expos. However, Montreal would turn things around in less than a week, sitting just two games back by the end of the second fortnight of the season.

Even four straight losses at one stage (including a 18-1 mauling at Dodger Stadium) could not shake the Expos from their proximity to the top of the division, remaining just two games behind the Phillies and Cubs. Of even greater significance was the fact that Montreal had 'only' suffered one injury - a torn elbow ligament would sideline Remy Hermoso until after the All-Star Game.

By the end of the month, the Expos had proven that though they were nowhere near championship calibre, they were certainly no slouches, with a swag of very high scoring wins to their credit:

April 22 - W 17-7 v LAD
April 25 - W 14-2 @ SDP
April 27 - W 10-0 @ SDP
April 30 - W 8-7 v SFG

Rusty Staub had an excellent month, batting .400 and driving in 27 runs, including a team-high 9 homers. Bert Blyleven went 4-3 with a tidy ERA of 2.40, while closer John Strohmayer had yet to concede a single earned run while saving three games.

There was one curious aspect about Montreal's season to date - they had yet to face a single NL East team and would not do so until June 6. The real challenges were yet to come.

National League East
1. Chicago (17-13)
2. Philadelphia (17-13)
3. Montreal (13-14)
4. Pittsburgh (11-13)
5. New York (11-16)
6. St Louis (10-20)

National League West
Cincinnati and San Francisco share the lead from Los Angeles (1.5 games)

American League East
Boston lead Baltimore by 2 games

American League West
Oakland lead California by 6 games

Expos Leaders
ERA - Bert Blyleven (2.40)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (4)
Saves - John Strohmayer (3)
Average - Rusty Staub (.400)
Home Runs - Rusty Staub (9)
Stolen Bases - Toby Harrah (2)

May 1973

Montreal continued their road to recovery and respectability in May, and despite at one stage losing six in a row managed to finish the month with 12 losses and 15 wins.

Relief pitcher Bill Laxton had to be carried from Parc Jarry in an ambulance after rupturing a disc in his back while pitching against the Dodgers. Luckily for him he should only be out for two months.

Bert Blyleven continues to impress, with a 8-6 record and an ERA of 2.97. Steve Kline's performances have also been good to date, with an ERA just a shade under 4. The other outstanding contributor on the mound is John Strohmayer, who is having a career season - an ERA of 0.86 with six saves!

National League East
1. Chicago (35-19)
2. New York (31-23)
3. Philadelphia (28-24)
4. Montreal (25-29)
5. Pittsburgh (24-30)
6. St Louis (24-31)

National League West
San Francisco lead Los Angeles by 5.5 games

American League East
Boston lead Baltimore by 3 games

American League West
California lead Oakland by a game after the A's went .500 in May. Surely normal transmission will be resumed shortly?

Expos Leaders
ERA - Bert Blyleven (2.97)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (8)
Saves - John Strohmayer (6)
Average - Rusty Staub (.335)
Home Runs - Don Money (13)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (7)

Draft Results

1st Round - SP Theo Frearson (74/95), Baltimore MD
2nd Round - RP Hank Smalridge (64/88), Houston TX
3rd Round - SP Shane Rawley (55/96), Racine WI
4th Round - 2B Tony Ross (65/75), Atlantic City NJ
5th Round - 1B Chris Nyman (54/87), Pomona CA
6th Round - SP Jim Clancy (47/91), Chicago IL

June 1973

Tony Ross was a surprise starter against the Houston Astros just a day after his drafting by Montreal, at 18 years of age becoming the youngest Expos player. He would not get a hit at any of his three at-bats.

Montreal finally got some NL East action when the Phillies came to visit for a 6-game series. However, the visitors would have the last laugh with five wins. A twelve-game roadtrip then saw the Expos play some competitive baseball, including a sweep of the Cubs. There would also be some close-your-eyes moments, including a 5-13 loss to the Giants and a 2-15 slaughter to the Cardinals.

National League East
1. Chicago (46-33)
2. New York (46-33)
3. Philadelphia (47-35)
4. Pittsburgh (38-42)
5. St Louis (39-43)
6. Montreal (36-43)

National League West
San Francisco lead Los Angeles by 2.5 games

American League East
Boston lead Baltimore by 3 games

American League West
Oakland lead California by 3.5 games

Expos Leaders
ERA - Bert Blyleven (3.77)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (12)
Saves - John Strohmayer (15)
Average - Rusty Staub (.324)
Home Runs - Rusty Staub (17)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (12)

July 1973

The season paused on July 9 for the All-Star Game, this time to be held at Royals Stadium in Kansas City. For the first time, an Expos player competed in the Home Run Showdown, with Le Grande Orange eventually finishing fourth behind Boston's Carlton Fisk, Detroit's Bill Freehan and Cincinnati's Johnny Bench. The next day, Staub went hitless but experienced success with the National League winning 3-1.

After the resumption of league play, the Expos continued their slow-but-steady form, although never moving off the bottom of the NL East. Montreal went 7-15 in a month where their biggest losing margin was 4 runs.

National League East
1. New York (61-40)
2. Philadelphia (60-47)
3. Chicago (57-47)
4. St Louis (52-52)
5. Pittsburgh (49-52)
6. Montreal (43-58)

National League West
San Francisco lead Los Angeles by 8.5 games.
San Diego are already eliminated with a dreadful 17-84 record.

American League East
Boston lead Baltimore by 11 games

American League West
Oakland lead California by 5 games in a race that could go down to the wire

Expos Leaders
ERA - Bert Blyleven (3.61)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (14)
Saves - John Strohmayer (20)
Average - Rusty Staub (.338)
Home Runs - Rusty Staub (19)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (14)

August 1973

If Montreal were to crack the .500 barrier this season, this would be the month where they made their move. And while they largely failed in this task, the results demonstrated that the Expos were continuing to build up towards becoming a regular contender.

However, in order to be a contender, they would have to learn to win on the road. Going 0-9 'in America' during the month was not a good way to finish the month, although Montreal did balance that with some solid home form, including a sweep of the Pirates and series wins against St Louis, Atlanta, New York and Chicago.

Notably, for the first time in many years, the entire playing roster was healthy and available for service.

National League East
1. New York (77-52)
2. Philadelphia (73-59)
3. Chicago (72-60)
4. St Louis (65-67)
5. Pittsburgh (61-68)
6. Montreal (54-75)

National League West
San Francisco lead Los Angeles by 12 games

American League East
Boston lead Baltimore by 14.5 games and appear to be headed back to defend their title, much to the annoyance of Yankees fans.

American League West
Oakland lead California by 9 games and appear to have baseball's weakest division in their pocket again.

Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Kline (3.59)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (15)
Saves - John Strohmayer (24)
Average - Rusty Staub (.324)
Home Runs - Rusty Staub (22)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (21)