- 7 weeks ago
From perfect games to heartbreaking near-misses, the Expos left an indelible mark on baseball history. Join us as we count down the most memorable moments from Montreal's beloved baseball franchise! Our countdown includes Dennis Martínez's perfect game, the bittersweet 1994 season, Blue Monday, and more that made "Nos Amours" a Canadian institution.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00They were called nos amours, and for three decades, Montrealers had a love affair with baseball.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Montreal Expos moments
00:10that made us believe in baseball and fill us with heartbreaking nostalgia.
00:14Dennis Martinez, El Presidente, has pitched a perfect game this afternoon in Los Angeles.
00:21Number 10, the Washington Nationals win the World Series.
00:25The best moment is the moment of realization. It was a long time coming.
00:30There isn't a baseball fan around who didn't write off Washington's team last night, last spring, or any time over the last 95 years.
00:38The team's owner was born one year after Washington won its last World Series in 1924.
00:43When the Nats won the 2019 World Series, it felt like a ghostly echo of what might have been.
00:48Fifteen years after the Expos final game, the franchise that once called Montreal home finally reached the mountaintop.
00:54For longtime fans north of the U.S. border, it was bittersweet vindication.
00:58A championship earned under a different name in a different city, but still carrying the Expos' DNA.
01:04Fifty years I've been waiting for this.
01:06I love it, man. That's great.
01:07Fifty years.
01:08You know, I watched the Expos for 36 years, and I never won a World Series.
01:13And then I picked up the Nationals, of course, when they moved, and I moved with them.
01:16As the Nationals hoisted the trophy, Canadian social media feeds lit up in Expos' colors, blue, red, and white.
01:23Though the banner rose above Washington, the victory reverberated through Montreal like a long-delayed exhale.
01:29The body may have been moved south, but the heart remains forever in Quebec.
01:33Ladies and gentlemen, your 1994 Montreal Expos!
01:45To celebrate this honor, may we direct your attention to left field, where a banner is unveiled.
01:51It all began with the crack of a bat in April 1969.
02:13Predating the Toronto Blue Jays by eight years, Montreal became the first Major League Baseball city outside the United States
02:19when the Expos played their inaugural game against the New York Mets.
02:23The excitement was palpable, as curious baseball fans packed in, eager to see how the brand-new team would fare on the grand stage.
02:30Well, who would have wagered, and we don't want to wager on baseball,
02:34that the first Expo to hit a home run in the 1969 season would be a pitcher?
02:39The Expos' debut, an 11-10 victory at Shea Stadium, opened doors for generations of Canadian baseball fans.
02:46The genesis of Les Expos did not simply mark a footnote in MLB history.
02:51It sparked a cultural phenomenon in Montreal that would last for over 30 unforgettable seasons.
02:56How about that?
03:00Well, charge runs number nine and ten to Mr. Jackson.
03:09And Coco LaVoy, who's hit the third Expo home run this afternoon, comes in with run number 11, and the Expos lead 11-6.
03:18Number eight, Montreal Falls for Noz Amour.
03:21Andre Dawson combines with Warren Cromartie to get Paul Blair trying to stretch a single into a double.
03:29Good heads-up play.
03:30He's not tried quite a few times in the outfield, but haven't seen it work.
03:33That time it was perfect.
03:35The reason it worked is Cromartie's a left-handed thrower, and running over facing Dawson,
03:41he didn't have to turn around, just take the ball and fire it in.
03:44They were more than a ball club.
03:46They became Nos Amours, French for Our Beloved.
03:49In this era, the Montreal Expos became the beating heart of the city.
03:53A young, swaggering core of Andre Dawson, Gary Carter, Tim Raines, and Warren Cromartie gave fans reason to dream,
04:00while Olympic Stadium pulsed with energy every summer night.
04:03In July 1979, Le Grand Orange returned.
04:0857,000-plus in the stands, a five-minute ovation.
04:13A pinch hitter in the heat of a pennant race, but the fans loved him, just like old times.
04:18The club's thrilling mix of speed, power, and charisma made the must-see entertainment,
04:24not just for Montrealers, but for baseball fans across North America.
04:28Crowds topped 2 million, a staggering figure for the time,
04:31and the team's identity became inseparable from the city's own.
04:34These were the years when Montreal truly fell in love with baseball,
04:38and believed, for the first time, that a World Series could come north of the border.
04:42Others kept their minds off the weather by indulging in the standard baseball fare of hot dogs and beer.
04:49But of course, the best way of all to keep warm was to have something to cheer about, and they did.
04:54The Expos beat the Phillies 3-1.
04:57Perhaps that, and the fact that the second game is at night, will help fill the stands tomorrow.
05:03Number 7. Moving into Olympic Stadium
05:05The late 70s marked a period of transformation, as the team moved from their original home of Jerry Park
05:11into the monumental and infamous Olympic Stadium.
05:14While the new stadium had its quirks, just ask any Montrealer about the roof,
05:19it represented a new era for the franchise, signifying growth and ambition.
05:23The cavernous ballpark provided a place where over 50,000 fans could gather,
05:28their voices echoing in support of nos amours.
05:30The move underscored Montreal's commitment to being a true baseball city,
05:35setting the stage for the team's most hopeful period.
05:38They're the Montreal Expos from April until September,
05:41but when they're winning in October, they become Canada's Expos.
05:44And much is made of that Canadian connection.
05:47These are the first playoff games ever in Canada,
05:49and greater glory, we could soon be involved in our first World Series,
05:53Cause for Singing.
05:54Number 6. Tim Raines knocks it out of the park.
05:57Tonight's All-Star Game, no less sensational was Montreal's speech to Tim Raines,
06:02an incredible 50 stolen bases in his first 55 games.
06:06No player embodied the thrill of Expos baseball quite like Tim Raines.
06:11When he burst onto the scene in the early 1980s, rock was kinetic energy in motion.
06:16Raines redefined leadoff hitting, terrorizing pitchers and catchers alike
06:20with his explosive first step and unrelenting drive.
06:23From 1981 to 1984, he led the National League in stolen bases four straight times,
06:29often turning routine singles into chaotic scoring opportunities.
06:33Quite simply, when it comes to stealing bases, Tim Raines supreme.
06:40Then on September 13th, during a win against Chicago,
06:43Montreal suffered a crushing blow when Raines fractured his right hand sliding into home
06:48and would be limited to pinch-running duties the rest of the regular season.
06:53Beyond the stats, though,
06:55Raines brought swagger, joy, and an anchoring sense of identity to the franchise.
06:59His seven All-Star selections as an expo made him one of baseball's premier talents.
07:04And decades later,
07:06his Hall of Fame induction ensured that both his name
07:08and Montreal's legacy within the sport would live forever.
07:11Elected on his tenth and final opportunity,
07:15Tim Raines is just the third player to be inducted into the Hall as an expo.
07:19Former greats Andre Dawson and Gary Carter wanted to be inducted under other teams.
07:24Carter as a New York Met, Dawson as a Chicago Cub.
07:28That's where it started for me, and it's only fitting.
07:32Number five,
07:33Dennis Martinez's perfect game.
07:35You are looking at the happiest man in baseball at this moment.
07:39Dennis Martinez, a perfect game.
07:41Dennis, congratulations.
07:43Thank you very much, Dave.
07:44July 28, 1991, arguably stands as the crown jewel of Montreal's baseball history.
07:50Under the bright California sun,
07:51Dennis El Presidente Martinez etched his name into immortality
07:55with a performance as pristine as it was poetic.
07:58A perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
08:0127 batters stepped to the plate,
08:03and 27 were sent back helpless.
08:05I was going to give you the best shot that I could,
08:07and fortunately, I thank God,
08:09and I want to give you thanks to my family back.
08:10It was only the 13th perfect game in Major League history,
08:16and for Expos fans, it felt like vindication.
08:19For one glorious afternoon,
08:21a franchise so often haunted by heartbreak found perfection.
08:25Martinez's masterpiece became a symbol of what the Expos could be.
08:29Brilliant, resilient, and unforgettable.
08:31Dennis Martinez, congratulations.
08:34You gave all of us a tremendous baseball thrill.
08:37Mucho gracias.
08:37And this is for the people in Montreal also,
08:39for the fans down here that they've been real great.
08:41Number four, Blue Monday.
08:43Now in the stretch.
08:45Here's the 3-1 pitch,
08:47and it's swung on, fly ball, center field.
08:49Dawson going back onto the warning track.
08:51Dawson at the wall.
08:52That ball is a home run.
08:55Heartbreak arrived on a cold, gray October afternoon
08:58that still echoes through Montreal's sporting memory.
09:00In the decisive Game 5 of the 1981 National League Championship Series,
09:04the Valiant Expo stood just one win away from the World Series.
09:08A dream within reach.
09:10But in the top of the ninth,
09:11with two outs amid palpable tension,
09:14Dodgers outfielder Rick Monday connected with a Steve Rogers fastball
09:17and sent it arcing over the fence.
09:18That ball is out of here,
09:20and a home run for Rick Monday,
09:22and the Dodger bench clears
09:23to congratulate Rick Monday,
09:25who has hit a two-out home run here in the ninth inning.
09:28And it appeared
09:28that Andre Dawson had room as he went back to the fence,
09:32and he just flat ran out of room
09:34as the ball cleared the fence
09:35at about the 3.85 mark.
09:38The silence that followed inside Olympic Stadium
09:40was deafening.
09:42Blue Monday, as it came to be known,
09:44became a collective wound in the city's sporting soul.
09:46Though the Expos fell just short,
09:49that playoff run galvanized their fan base,
09:51etching the club's competitive fire into baseball lore.
09:55He hit it hard.
09:55He hit it to center field,
09:57the deepest part of the field.
09:58Andre went back on it.
09:59Thought he had a chance,
10:01but had just cleared the fence.
10:03A ninth inning home run,
10:05and the Dodgers have gone ahead 2-1.
10:10Number three,
10:10the dream season that wasn't.
10:13The Expos leave the field in first place,
10:15yet wondering if their best season ever is in jeopardy.
10:18Even so,
10:18they're prepared to sit it out
10:20for as long as it takes.
10:21It doesn't matter how we've been playing.
10:23Of course,
10:23this is probably our best year of playing,
10:25but we're talking about the whole game of baseball.
10:28You know,
10:28we didn't want a strike,
10:30we didn't want this to happen,
10:32but we have no other choice.
10:35There are moments in sports
10:36when time seems to stand still.
10:38And for Montreal,
10:39all of 1994 was one of them.
10:42That summer,
10:43the Expos were electric.
10:45A juggernaut powered by Larry Walker's bat,
10:47Moises Alou's flair,
10:48Marquise Grissom's speed,
10:50and a young Pedro Martinez's fire.
10:52By mid-August,
10:53they held the best record in baseball,
10:56and Olympic Stadium pulsed with belief
10:57that destiny had come knocking.
10:59Then came the player strike,
11:01and with it,
11:02devastation.
11:03Every game is every game,
11:04and if this is the last game
11:06until we strike,
11:08which it probably will be,
11:09so be it.
11:10We've got to do what we've got to do.
11:11There's a little bit more intelligence
11:12on both sides
11:13than people really give credit for.
11:15I think when everything's said and done
11:18and the rhetoric stops
11:20and they really get down to
11:20really laying out some facts on both sides,
11:23that we'll get something done.
11:25The season ended overnight,
11:26and the dream was erased
11:28before it could be realized.
11:29Montreal never got its World Series
11:31nor its team back.
11:321994 was the year
11:34Expos touched greatness,
11:36only to have it unceremoniously ripped away.
11:38So at this point,
11:39the season is secondary.
11:41The real issue is not when they'll return,
11:43but rather,
11:44under what terms they'll return.
11:46The strike is definitely going to hurt us,
11:48and I guess what's the most important aspect is
11:52what's the new structure,
11:54what's going to be implemented,
11:55what's going to happen,
11:56and I think we're looking forward to that
11:58to see what happens,
11:59then we'll know what our status is.
12:01Number two,
12:02one last game.
12:04The past decade saw the Expos sold,
12:06bought,
12:07and sold again.
12:08Each season brought speculation
12:10it would be the last.
12:11Tonight,
12:12the confirmation,
12:13the Expos will move to Washington, D.C.,
12:16and the final game for the hometown crowd.
12:19September 29, 2004,
12:20was the day Montreal said goodbye to baseball.
12:23On that Wednesday night,
12:2431,395 fans filled Olympic Stadium
12:28to witness the Expos' final home game,
12:31a 9-1 loss to the Miami Marlins,
12:33then known as the Florida Marlins.
12:35As the last out was recorded,
12:37a city's 36-year love affair
12:39with Major League Baseball came to an end.
12:41Well, the Expos were murdered
12:42by the Olympic Stadium.
12:43It was a homicide.
12:45You know,
12:45you had a good team
12:46in a small little stadium
12:47at Jerry Park,
12:48and then the dream
12:49of the Olympics came,
12:50and then we had to move
12:51to this awful,
12:52cavernous,
12:53ghastly,
12:54sort of a tomb.
12:55The franchise,
12:57hamstrung by dwindling attendance,
12:59ownership instability under MLB control,
13:01and years of relocation rumors,
13:03was bound for Washington, D.C.,
13:05where it would become the Nationals.
13:07Yet, for Montrealers,
13:08the emotion in the air
13:09transcended defeat.
13:11Standing ovations,
13:12homemade banners,
13:13and tears turned the night
13:14into a communal farewell,
13:15a moving elegy to Nozemur.
13:17You guys have been great.
13:19The people of Montreal have been great.
13:21The workers at the stadium,
13:23super people.
13:23I wish we could stay
13:25and play a couple more years.
13:27Thank you all very much
13:28for coming out.
13:31Didn't think this day
13:32would ever happen.
13:33It's unbearable.
13:35It's hard.
13:35Before we continue,
13:37be sure to subscribe
13:37to our channel
13:38and ring the bell
13:39to get notified
13:40about our latest videos.
13:41You have the option
13:42to be notified
13:43for occasional videos
13:44or all of them.
13:45If you're on your phone,
13:46make sure you go
13:47into your settings
13:48and switch on notifications.
13:51Number one.
13:52The Expos Endure.
13:54All right,
13:54the late Gary Carter
13:55has been immortalized
13:57in Montreal.
13:58A ballpark in Ahunswick
13:59has been named after him.
14:01The official naming ceremony
14:02took place recently,
14:04and his family
14:05and former teammates
14:06were all there.
14:08The Expos may be gone
14:09in Montreal,
14:10but their memory lives on.
14:12Decades after
14:13their final game,
14:14the Montreal Expos
14:15remain an enduring symbol
14:16of what could have been.
14:18Born in 1969
14:19as Canada's first
14:20Major League Baseball franchise,
14:21they captivated fans
14:23with a mix of
14:24Quebecois flair
14:24and small market grit.
14:26From Jerry Park's intimacy
14:27to Olympic Stadium's
14:28vast echoes,
14:29Noz Amour built
14:30a loyal following
14:31that refused to fade,
14:33even after the franchise's relocation.
14:35For the fifth straight year,
14:36Major League Baseball
14:37has made its way
14:38back to Montreal.
14:40The one-time home
14:41of the Expos
14:41has drawn the attention
14:42of more than 100,000 fans
14:44each preseason weekend,
14:46which is expected again
14:47this year.
14:48The idea to bring
14:49spring training baseball
14:51up north was
14:51with the hope
14:52to test the waters
14:53and see what interest
14:54the fans still had
14:55in the game.
14:56Their tricolor logo
14:57still moves merchandise
14:58faster than many active teams,
15:01a testament to nostalgia
15:02and identity.
15:03And every few summers,
15:05when talk resurfaces
15:06of a potential revival,
15:08hope flickers again.
15:09Because the Expos
15:10were never just a baseball team,
15:12they were Montreal's heartbeat,
15:14still faintly audible
15:15beneath the silence
15:16of the Big O.
15:17I'm not sure I want it
15:18as expansion.
15:19I would love to see
15:20an existing team move
15:21back to Montreal.
15:22But based on the fan support
15:24that we saw last year
15:25in the series against the Mets
15:26and the fan support
15:27that we're going to see
15:28tomorrow night and Saturday
15:29at Olympic Stadium,
15:31to me, this is a baseball city
15:33and should have
15:34a Major League team.
15:35What's your favorite
15:36Montreal Expos moment?
15:37Are there any we missed?
15:38Be sure to let us know
15:39in the comments below.
15:40Ladies and gentlemen,
15:42you're 1994.
15:44Montreal Expos!
Be the first to comment