The Expos

[Shortstop]

September-October 1973

If the Expos could not be a part of the post-season, they would still have a major role in determining just who would, with 15 games against the three contenders. Elimination from the post-season, practically a given since May, became reality on September 12. Montreal split the record during a 12-game home stand, and reduced the Mets' lead in the division from six games to four.

They would incredibly sweep the Mets at Shea Stadium after a day's break, although there would be heartache again for Bert Blyleven, who would finish his season limping into the dugout with a stress fracture to his ankle, once again denying him an opportunity for 20 wins in a season. Although he has lost 19 games, this was perhaps his best season in Montreal with an ERA of 3.64.

If the Mets sweep was great news for Phillies fans, Montreal would dash their hopes as they continued their form, keeping New York's lead at four games, helped in no small measure by Don Money hitting for the cycle. Montreal's influence on the division race ended on September 29 with a 6-4 win against Philadelphia in another three-game series, this time inside Veterans Stadium. The Expos would finish the season with nine games against the Pirates. On the same day that the Mets won the division, the Expos lifted themselves off the bottom with a 8-7 win at Three Rivers Stadium.

The season would eventually finish on October 10 with the Expos in fourth place. Their 74-88 record was a great improvement on the 1972 disaster.

NL West
1. New York (97-65)
2. Philadelphia (90-72)
3. Chicago (89-73)
4. Montreal (74-88)
5. St Louis (73-89)
6. Pittsburgh (72-90)

NL West
1. San Francisco (102-60)
2. Los Angeles (89-73)
3. Cincinnati (80-82)
4. Houston (78-84)
5. Atlanta (77-85)
6. San Diego (51-111)

AL East
1. Boston (109-53)
2. Baltimore (93-69)
3. Detroit (86-76)
4. New York (86-76)
5. Cleveland (72-90)
6. Milwaukee (49-113)

AL West
1. Oakland (109-53)
2. California (99-63)
3. Chicago (78-84)
4. Minnesota (74-88)
5. Texas (63-99)
6. Kansas City (54-108)

Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead. That was the first thing that came to mind following the New York Mets' victory over San Francisco in the League Championship, denying the Giants a fifth straight trip to the World Series. With the Angels improving dramatically this year, could this spell the end to the Giants' dominance of recent years?

Giddy on their success, the Mets would be no match for the Red Sox, who secured their second title in as many years in a 4-1 series result.

[Shortstop]

1973 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Luebber, Steve            MON    0 1.000     3    3   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    1    0 1.000 1.000
Hacker, Rich              MON    6  .333    12    4   1   1   0    1    2    0   0    0    0  .583  .385
Staub, Rusty              MON  162  .322   627  202  36   1  24   85   73    2   1  100  101  .498  .403
Powell, Paul              MON  159  .317   653  207  36   3  15   86  123   24   9  115   67  .450  .395
Evans, Dwight             MON  150  .276   554  153  25   1  26   94   92    2   1   78  106  .466  .377
Broberg, Pete             MON    2  .273    11    3   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    2    0  .273  .273
Money, Don                MON  156  .260   599  156  34   3  22   67   90    4   1   69   94  .437  .335
Harrah, Toby              MON  140  .255   548  140  25   6  13   88   66   14  11   81   57  .394  .358
Lane, Marvin              MON  132  .251   291   73  13   4  10   37   63    0   0   40   34  .426  .342
Ballinger, Mark           MON    0  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    1    0  .250  .250
Jestadt, Garry            MON   57  .240    75   18   6   0   0    6   14    1   0    7    7  .320  .305
Nettles, Graig            MON  147  .233   468  109  10   0  17   57   62    2   2   44   69  .363  .315
Hermoso, Remy             MON   89  .230   326   75  15   0   0   16   59    2   1   30   16  .276  .268
Stanley, Fred             MON   83  .217   207   45   3   0   0   31   31    1   1   17    6  .232  .322
Kline, Steve              MON   39  .213    94   20   0   0   0    2   25    0   0    2    3  .213  .227
Munson, Thurman           MON  156  .175   600  105  10   1   9   29   73    1   1   34   53  .240  .211
Ross, Tony                MON   21  .157    70   11   1   0   0    3    7    0   0    7    0  .171  .203
Bateman, John             MON   30  .146    41    6   1   0   1    4    4    0   0    3    5  .244  .217
Dawson, Andre             MON    8  .143     7    1   0   0   0    1    3    0   0    0    0  .143  .250
Blyleven, Bert            MON   38  .141    99   14   0   0   0    4   41    0   0    4    4  .141  .173
Renko, Steve              MON   41  .129    85   11   0   0   0    2   27    0   0    1    3  .129  .149
Rogers, Steve             MON    6  .050    20    1   0   0   0    1   10    0   0    0    1  .050  .095
Stoneman, Bill            MON   36  .048    63    3   0   0   0    6   34    1   0    6    0  .048  .130
McConnell, Josh           MON    7  .000    18    0   0   0   0    1    3    0   0    1    0  .000  .053
Laxton, Bill              MON    0  .000     4    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    2    0  .000  .000
McGinn, Dan               MON    0  .000     8    0   0   0   0    1    4    0   0    0    0  .000  .111

1973 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Blyleven, Bert            MON  294.1  3.64   38  38  17  19   0  237   98 11.59
Kline, Steve              MON  275.1  3.46   39  39  16  15   0  111   70 10.07
Stoneman, Bill            MON  219.1  4.68   36  36  11  12   0  169  133 13.71
Renko, Steve              MON  252.0  5.50   41  41   8  18   0  158  136 14.64
Laxton, Bill              MON   62.2  4.16   43   0   6   2   6   43   43 13.36
McGinn, Dan               MON   69.2  5.94   45   0   5   5   2   50   44 16.67
Broberg, Pete             MON   68.0  4.10   35   2   3   3   2   35   44 14.56
Luebber, Steve            MON   73.2  6.60   51   0   3   6   1   39   41 16.49
Strohmayer, John          MON   41.2  3.46   41   0   2   3  30   23   22 12.31
Rogers, Steve             MON   51.2  7.49   14   6   2   4   0   32   32 18.46
Ballinger, Mark           MON   22.1  8.06   16   0   1   1   0   17    8 16.12
Todd, Jackson             MON    5.2 14.29    4   0   0   0   0    3    1 17.47
Adamson, Mike             MON    1.0  9.00    1   0   0   0   0    1    3 36.00

[Shortstop]

Off-Season Activities
Attendance - 1,740,159 (average of 21,483 per game)
Profit - $67,000
Cash - $1,848,246
Franchise Value - $14.8M
Farm System Rating - D
Medical Staff Rating - C-
Scouting Staff Rating - D+
Team Payroll/Budget - $4.14M/$3.03M
Average Age of Team - 23.6 (youngest in major leagues - next youngest are the Mets at 27.2)

Awards
Steve Kline was awarded the NL Pitcher Gold Glove with a fielding average of .986

Player Movements
C Thurman Munson (84) resigned for $185,000 at Arbitration
1B Rusty Staub (91) resigned for $365,000 over four seasons with a player option and no-trade clause
SS Remy Hermoso (78) resigned for $230,000 at Arbitration
3B Toby Harrah (87/93) resigned for $300,000 at Arbitration
SS Don Money (92/93) resigned for $354,000 over four seasons with a player option
CF Paul Powell (86/92) resigned for $350,000 at Arbitration
C John Bateman (69) declined his player option to renew his contract and was released
LF Graig Nettles (80) resigned for $266,000 at Arbitration
2B Garry Jestadt (69) was released without a contract offered
3B Ken Reitz (55/80) was released without a contract offered
SP Bert Blyleven (87/91) resigned for $400,000 at Arbitration
SP Steve Kline (85) resigned for $368,000 over three seasons with a player option
SP Steve Renko (89) resigned for $306,000 at Arbitration
SP Bill Stoneman (85) resigned for $302,000 over two seasons with a player option
SP Steve Rogers (82) was released without a contract offered
RP John Strohmayer (83) resigned for $200,000 at Arbitration
RP Bill Laxton (81/86) resigned for $200,000 at Arbitration
RP Dan McGinn (67) was released without a contract offered

The emphasis in 1974 will be to see whether the Expos can continue their development with a stable roster. Despite doubling our funding in developmental areas, we are still one of the lowest-spending teams in the league, although our payroll has blown out in recent times.

[Shortstop]

Your 1974 Montreal Expos


Line-up
For the first time, the Expos return all eight starters.
CF - Paul Powell (87/93)
3B - Toby Harrah (86/93)
1B - Rusty Staub (90)
RF - Dwight Evans (93/95)
2B - Don Money (93/94)
LF - Graig Nettles (80)
C - Thurman Munson (81)
SS - Remy Hermoso (77)

Bench
C - James Kendricks (57/66)
IF - Fred Stanley (72)
LF - Marvin Lane (77/81)
2B - Bob Sheldon (67/71)
IF - Tony Ross (57/67)
RF - Josh McConnell (63/70)

Rotation
1. Bert Blyleven (87/92)
2. Steve Kline (86)
3. Steve Renko (89)
4. Bill Stoneman (87)

Bullpen
Mopup - Pete Broberg (77/84)
Closer - John Strohmayer (83)
Setup - Bill Laxton (81)
Short - Steve Luebber (78/82)
Short - Mark Ballinger (74)
Middle - Jackson Todd (71/83)
Long - Hank Smalridge (60/81)

Notable Prospects
A
SP - Jackson Todd (66/84)
R
OF - Andre Dawson (67/89)
1B - Pete Lacock (57/81)
SP - Bill Travers (55/96)
SP - Shane Rawley (50/89)
SP - Jim Clancy (48/91)

[Shortstop]

Predicitions
1. New York (98-64)
2. Chicago (87-75)
3. Pittsburgh (82-80)
4. Philadelphia (81-81)
5. St Louis (74-88)
6. Montreal (70-92)

AMERICAN LEAGUE - Oakland over Baltimore in 4 games
NATIONAL LEAGUE - New York over Los Angeles in 5 games
WORLD SERIES - New York over Oakland in 7 games

[Shortstop]

April 1974

With just six games at Parc Jarry in April, it would be quite difficult for the Expos to get off to a fast start in 1974. However, after starting 7-4 Montreal suddenly had a share of the lead in the NL East. The results soon started to turn against Rusty Staub's young team, although at least this year they would not have to wait until June before playing a team from their own division.

NL East
1. Philadelphia (17-10)
2. New York (15-9)
3. Chicago (15-12)
4. Montreal (12-15)
5. Pittsburgh (12-15)
6. St Louis (10-17)

NL West - Houston lead by a game from Los Angeles and San Francisco
AL East - Boston hit the ground running at 22-7, four clear of the Tigers
AL West - California lead Chicago by 2. Oakland have started 13-14.

Expos Leaders
ERA - Bert Blyleven (3.02)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (3)
Saves - John Strohmayer (3)
Average - Paul Powell (.322)
Home Runs - Toby Harrah (5)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (5)

[Shortstop]

May 1974

Bert Blyleven earned a contract extension at the start of the month and will now stay in Montreal at least until the end of the 1976 season.

May would be a baseball fan's dream in Montreal, with the Expos playing at Parc Jarry on all but seven days of the month - three of which were rest days. The fans who regularly came to watch the play would be baffled as to why the Expos could not build any consistency - a 12-16 record for the month, 11-13 at home. They also saw the team's ERA creep up past 5.00 for the first time this season. In fact, the Expos would only record one shutout during this month.

NL East
1. New York (38-14)
2. Philadelphia (37-18)
3. Chicago (27-27)
4. Pittsburgh (26-29)
5. Montreal (24-31)
6. St Louis (24-33)

NL West - San Francisco lead the Dodgers, with the other teams under .500. San Diego are on track for 60 wins for the first time in franchise history.
AL East - A contest this year! Perhaps! Boston lead the Tigers by a single game, with the Yankees not far behind
AL West - California lead Oakland and Chicago by 2.5 games.

Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Kline (3.96)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (6)
Saves - John Strohmayer (4)
Average - Rusty Staub (.313)
Home Runs - Toby Harrah (11)
Stolen Bases - Toby Harrah (5)

[Shortstop]

Draft Choices

1st Round - SP Devon Fleck (76/90), Jefferson PA
2nd Round - C Harris Burcham (69/77), Rochester NY
3rd Round - LF Tony Johnson (55/86), Memphis TN
4th Round - SP Charlie Lea (52/84), Orleans France
5th Round - 2B Tony Bernazard (54/80), Caguas, Puetro Rico
6th Round - P Scott Sanderson (51/81), Dearborn MI

June 1974
June would see the Expos play at home on just three occasions. Therefore only a few hardy supporters would witness the first ever Expos no-hitter, thrown by Renko at Riverside Stadium on June 2. During the same game, Don Money hit for the cycle, thus creating two slices of history for the Montreal club. Generally speaking the Expos performed well on the road without excelling, and the end of the month found themselves 20 games behind the Phillies.

NL East
1. Philadelphia (56-26)
2. New York (55-26)
3. Chicago (45-37)
4. Pittsburgh (42-40)
5. Montreal (34-45)
6. St Louis (29-52)

NL West - San Francisco lead Los Angeles by 1.5 games, while San Diego is off the bottom of the table for the first time ever.
AL East - Boston lead the Yankees by 8 games
AL West - Oakland lead California by 2 games

Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Kline (3.42)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (7)
Saves - John Strohmayer (6)
Average - Rusty Staub (.318)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (17)
Stolen Bases - Toby Harrah (8)

[Shortstop]

July-August 1974
Rusty Staub got a return invitation to the All-Star Game, held in Pittsburgh. Representing the National League for the fifth time in his career, he went 3/4 and scored two runs in the NL's 5-3 win.

July turned out to be a major disappointment for the Expos, winning just 7 games and remaining a second tier team in the National League. August, on the other hand, saw some strong play from the Expos, and despite the absence of Rusty Staub due to a broken finger, the team performed well. Included in the results were series victories against the Mets (x 2) and Pirates.

Dwight Evans continued to show his improvement this season, having secured a starting position at the beginning of the year. He is currently batting .330 with 30 home runs and 113 RBIs.

The Expos dream of a post-season spot ended officially on August 31. They would instead turn their attention to becoming the spoiler in the division race between the Phillies and Mets.

NL East
1. Philadelphia (86-46)
2. New York (82-50)
3. Pittsburgh (66-60)
4. Chicago (68-63)
5. Montreal (53-76)
6. St Louis (53-82)

NL West - San Francisco continue to head off the Dodgers, by 5.5 games
AL East - Boston continue their dominance, leading Detroit by 13.5 games
AL West - Oakland have timed their run to perfection, and now lead California by 7.5 games. Time is running out for the Angels.

Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Kline (3.44)
Wins - Bert Blyleven (11)
Saves - John Strohmayer (12)
Average - Dwight Evans (.330)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (30)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (13)

[Shortstop]

September-October 1974
A dreadful 2-10 start to the month meant that the Expos would be certain of finishing the season with another poor losing record. The 82-80 season of 1971 seemed so long ago now. At least the fans would look forward to the state-of-the-art Stade Olympique opening in a couple of years.

Montreal eventually finished the last 33 days of the season with just nine wins, and lost their 100th game of the season on their last regular season game, in typical fashion. Trailing the Giants by 2 runs with the bases loaded, the Expos went down swinging, with Evans, Dawson and then Munson consigning the 1974 season to the history books.

NL East
1. Philadelphia (107-55)
2. New York (98-64)
3. Chicago (88-74)
4. Pittsburgh (78-84)
5. St Louis (65-97)
6. Montreal (62-100)

NL West
1. San Francisco (102-60)
2. Los Angeles (94-68)
3. Houston (77-85)
4. Cincinnati (74-88)
5. Atlanta (68-94)
6. San Diego (59-103)

AL East
1. Boston (104-58)
2. Detroit (92-70)
3. New York (89-73)
4. Baltimore (82-80)
5. Cleveland (67-95)
6. Milwaukee (59-103)

AL West
1. Oakland (103-59)
2. California (94-68)
3. Minnesota (84-78)
4. Chicago (82-80)
5. Texas (64-98)
6. Kansas City (52-110)

AMERICAN LEAGUE - Oakland beat Boston 3-0
NATIONAL LEAGUE - Philadelphia beat San Francisco 3-1
WORLD SERIES - Oakland beat Philadelphia 4-3

The Phillies' fairytale run through the World Series (their first apperance since 1950) ended in heartbreak, with the Athletics - the former Philadelphia AL club - shutting out the Phillies in the final two games at Veterans Stadium. It is the Oakland club's third World Series title in five years, previously winning in 1970 and 1971. The American League has now won the last five World Series titles, with San Francisco the last NL victor in 1969.

[Shortstop]

1974 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Harrah, Toby              MON  153  .269   616  166  17   2  25   84   75   13   8  104   99  .425  .363
Evans, Dwight             MON  157  .321   589  189  41   7  34  101   93    6   3  114  123  .587  .419
Money, Don                MON  134  .259   553  143  26   4  20   37   75    4   3   63   91  .429  .304
Munson, Thurman           MON  146  .187   552  103  20   0   4   45   80    2   1   41   38  .245  .254
Powell, Paul              MON  126  .264   522  138  26   2  12   69   94   17   5   81   55  .391  .351
Staub, Rusty              MON  120  .303   502  152  33   1  13   45   50    2   0   80   55  .450  .360
Nettles, Graig            MON  146  .265   442  117  11   1  16   45   55    1   1   57   67  .403  .333
Lane, Marvin              MON  134  .265   359   95  16   4   7   43   70    8   1   43   37  .390  .344
Sheldon, Bob              MON   96  .249   333   83  15   3   0   21   62    7   1   26   25  .312  .299
Hermoso, Remy             MON  105  .226   332   75   9   1   1   12   81    3   1   26   29  .268  .257
Lynn, Fred                MON   95  .222   225   50  11   4   8   18   40    0   1   29   39  .413  .282
Stanley, Fred             MON   70  .209   139   29   4   0   0   11   26    0   0    8    5  .237  .267
Blyleven, Bert            MON   43  .066   106    7   0   0   0    0   45    0   0    3    1  .066  .066
Renko, Steve              MON   41  .167    78   13   0   0   0    3   25    0   0    6    4  .167  .198
Kline, Steve              MON   36  .169    77   13   0   0   0    1   24    0   0    3    5  .169  .177
Stoneman, Bill            MON   30  .058    52    3   1   0   0    3   29    0   0    4    0  .077  .109
Carter, Gary              MON   38  .082    49    4   1   0   0    5    7    0   0    5    5  .102  .182
Burcham, Harris           MON   17  .200    35    7   1   0   0    2    8    0   0    3    3  .229  .243
Blair, Dennis             MON   11  .000    24    0   0   0   0    1   10    0   0    0    3  .000  .037
Dawson, Andre             MON   11  .333    12    4   2   1   0    1    4    0   0    1    1  .667  .467
Ballinger, Mark           MON    0  .000     8    0   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    0    1  .000  .000
Hacker, Rich              MON    8  .143     7    1   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    1    0  .143  .143
LaCock, Pete              MON    4  .000     7    0   0   0   0    3    0    1   0    1    0  .000  .364
Broberg, Pete             MON    0  .000     7    0   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Rhoden, Rick              MON    1  .000     4    0   0   0   0    1    2    0   0    0    0  .000  .200
Roenicke, Gary            MON    1  .000     3    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Smalridge, Hank           MON    0  .000     3    0   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .250
Luebber, Steve            MON    0  .500     2    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .500  .500
Ross, Tony                MON    3  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
McConnell, Josh           MON    1 1.000     1    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0 1.000 1.000
Strohmayer, John          MON    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    1    0  .000  .000
Laxton, Bill              MON    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    0    1  .000  .500

1974 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Blyleven, Bert            MON  322.1  4.22   43  43  14  21   0  216  122 11.78
Renko, Steve              MON  260.1  5.36   41  41   7  21   0  173  131 13.62
Kline, Steve              MON  242.2  3.75   36  36  12  12   0   83   60 11.76
Stoneman, Bill            MON  176.0  5.16   30  30   7  13   0  135   92 13.86
Laxton, Bill              MON   91.2  5.01   77   0   9   7   4   77   59 13.94
Blair, Dennis             MON   80.0  8.55   15  11   1   6   0   29   50 17.55
Broberg, Pete             MON   73.0  5.55   43   0   3   7   1   41   53 17.88
Luebber, Steve            MON   66.0  6.95   46   0   2   2   2   32   55 16.50
Ballinger, Mark           MON   59.0  3.97   37   0   2   1   3   43   18 10.83
Strohmayer, John          MON   43.1  3.12   33   0   5   5  15   19   16 10.38
Smalridge, Hank           MON   23.0  9.78   17   0   0   4   1   13   15 20.35
Rhoden, Rick              MON   17.1  9.35    5   1   0   1   0    6   11 18.17

[Shortstop]

Off-Season Activities
Attendance - 1,729,026 (average of 21,346 per game)
Loss - $568,000
Cash - $1,279,155
Franchise Value - $22.9M
Farm System Rating - C-
Medical Staff Rating - C-
Scouting Staff Rating - D+
Team Payroll/Budget - $4.16M/$5.05M
Average Age of Team - 24.6 (youngest in major leagues - next youngest are the Mets at 27.7 - at least we're getting older)

Awards
Don Money was awarded the NL Shortstop Gold Glove for 1974

Player Movements
C Thurman Munson (81) resigned for $210,000 at Arbitration
3B Toby Harrah (90/93) resigned for $425,000 at Arbitration
LF Marvin Lane (82/85) resigned for $225,000 at Arbitration
CF Paul Powell (86/90) resigned for $344,000 at Arbitration
RF Dwight Evans (93/94) resigned for $470,000 at Arbitration
2B Remy Hermoso (77) released without a contract offered
LF Graig Nettles (78) resigned for three years at $246,000
SS Rich Hacker (66) released without a contract offered
1B Pete Lacock (58/81) released without a contract offered
SP Steve Renko (89) resigned for $285,000 at Arbitration
RP John Strohmayer (80) resigned for $210,000 at Arbitration
RP Bill Laxton (79) resigned for $208,000 at Arbitration
RP Steve Luebber (83) resigned for $150,000 at Arbitration
SP Pete Broberg (77/84) released without a contract offered
RP Mark Ballinger (75) released without a contract offered

Trade Movement

Expos Get - RP Larry Anderson (74/94) and $500,000
Dodgers Get - C Gary Carter (75/88) and SP Jackson Todd (62/81)

Expos Get - RP Jamie Easterly (71/90)
Braves Get - LF Graig Nettles (78) and $450,000

Expos Get - C Milt May (85) and $50,000
Pirates Get - C Thurman Munson (81), SS Fred Stanley (74) and RP Jake Gibson (50/77)

In retrospect, it wasn't such a difficult decision to get rid of Munson. May was simply younger, cheaper and - we believe - better. Although Munson was the solid catcher we needed at the time, he simply hasn't progressed since coming north of the border, and only batted .175 and .187 in his last two seasons here.

Another trade saw two underperforming pitchers traded for an up-and-coming star. Oh, and a whole lot of cash as well.

Expos Get - SP Jerry Reuss (90/93) and $350,000
Cardinals Get - SP Steve Renko (88), RP Bill Laxton (79), RP Joe Kerrigan (63/83) and Hank Smalridge (60/80)

With Reuss eligible for free agency at the end of the season, we took a gamble and signed him up for four seasons at $365,000.

The other major news of the off-season came on November 26, when outfield Dwight Evans put his name on a new four-year contract worth $725,000 each season. There is also the opportunity for Evans to extend his stay right up until the end of the 1981 season. The 23-year old was also savvy enough to request a no-trade clause built into his contract, after seeing more than a few players sweep through the Expos in his short career.

[Shortstop]

Predicitions for 1975
1. New York (98-64)
2. Philadelphia (88-74)
3. Chicago (81-81)
4. Pittsburgh (77-85)
5. St Louis (75-87)
6. Montreal (73-89)

AMERICAN LEAGUE - Oakland to beat Detroit in 3 games
NATIONAL LEAGUE - Los Angeles to beat New York in 5 games
WORLD SERIES - Oakland to beat Los Angeles in 6 games

[Shortstop]

Line-up
CF - Paul Powell (87)
3B - Toby Harrah (91/94)
1B - Rusty Staub (88)
RF - Dwight Evans (93/94)
SS - Don Money (93)
LF - Marvin Lane (82)
C - Milt May (86)
2B - Bob Sheldon (80/82)

Bench
C - Harris Burcham (57/62)
OF - Andre Dawson (75/93)
OF - Fred Lynn (78/93)
LF - Gary Roenike (52/79)
RF - Mark Webster (47/57)
C - James Kendricks (48/57)

Rotation
1. Bert Blyleven (92/93)
2. Steve Kline (85)
3. Jerry Reuss (89/92)
4. Bill Stoneman (78)

Bullpen
Mopup - Theo Frearson (64/82)
Closer - John Strohmayer (74)
Setup - Steve Luebber (84)
Short - Larry Anderson (74/93)
Short - Jamie Easterly (72/89)
Middle - Bill Travers (63/93)
Long - Dennis Blair (71/84)

[Shortstop]

April 1975

With the Stade Olympique slowly taking shape, the Expos began the season on the road, where two close losses and a big win to the Giants could be considered a success. Jerry Reuss performed well on his debut, allowing just three hits and no earned runs in a game eventually won in extra innings by San Francisco. San Diego were the first visitors to Parc Jarry and duly lost two of the three games played. Montreal fans could feel happy with the 3-3 start, although they would miss Reuss for the rest of the month with a pulled groin, which Expos officials were quick to point out was an injury sustained on the field and not in the middle of the night!

Montreal continued to buck the expectations set by the media, winning at least one game in each series during the month before being swept by Atlanta in a home series were the locals were outscored by 36 runs to 12. Although closing pitcher Strohmayer had three saves to his credit, he also had four losses to his name, all of which were close losses where Kline, Blyleven and Reuss saw their good work squandered.

John Strohmayer was packed off to the Phillies with Steve Luebber and $500,000 in return for closer Mac Scarce. The Expos fans hoped his ERA lived up to his name.

NL East
1. Philadelphia (19-8)
2. New York (16-11)
3. St Louis (15-12)
4. Chicago (15-14)
5. Pittsburgh (13-17)
6. Montreal (11-16)

NL West - Los Angeles lead Cincinnati by 2 games
AL East - Baltimore lead Boston and the surprising Indians by 1 game
AL West - California lead Oakland by half a game

Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Kline (1.83)
Wins - Steve Kline (3)
Saves - John Strohmayer (3 - traded to Philadelphia on April 30)
Average - Rusty Staub (.297)
Home Runs - Milt May (4)
Stolen Bases - Toby Harrah (1)