Keri p365 - on the JAys and Expos

• 1933: Potential relocation of St. Louis Browns to Montreal [1]
  • Auction of team: [2] (follow through)
• 1960: Montreal Royals relocate
• 1967, December: Present expansion proposal
• 1968, May 27: Announced as an NL expansion team [3]
• 1968, August: NL threatens to revoke franchise due to ballpark situation
• 1969, April 8: First game, a win at New York (note key firsts) [4]
• 1969, April 14: First game at home, a win over St. Louis (note key firsts) [5]
• 1969, April 17: Bill Stoneman pitches first no-hitter in franchise history [6]
• 1970: Carl Morton NL ROY
• 1971-76: Stadium issues and league threatens to remove franchise
• 1972, October 2: Stoneman's second no-hitter, first in Montreal [7]
• 1973: Pennant race into the final week of season
• 1975: First manager,Gene Mauch, fired
• 1976: Karl Kuehl hired as manager, fired midseason. Charlie Fox replaces, but team finishes last in the NL
• 1976: September 26: Final game at Jarry Park [8]
• 1977, April 15: Franchise record 57,592 fans attend first game at Olympic Stadium [9]
• 1978, June 29: First Pearson Cup game, an exhibition against Toronto. [10]
• 1978, July 30: Franchise record 28 hits in 19-0 win over Atlanta
• 1978: Ross Grimsley becomes only 20-game winner in team history.
• 1979: First winning season in franchise history; 95-65 is still the best record in franchise history; finish two games out of first place
• 1981, May 10: Charlie Lea pitches No-hitter against San Francisco [11]
• 1981: Wins second-half pennant [12]
• 1981, October 11: Expos defeat Philadelphia in NLDS
• 1981, October 19: Blue Monday; Dodgers defeat Expos in NLCS [13]
• 1982, July 13: Montreal hosts All-Star Game [14], 4 starters
• 1982, August 4: Joel Youngblood plays a day game for the Mets, is traded to Montreal, and plays the same evening for Expos
• 1984, April 13: Pete Rose records his 4,000th career hit, as an Expo. [15]
• 1984, April 21: David Palmer pitches 5-inning (unofficial) no-hitter in win over St. Louis.
• 1984: Gary Carter traded
• 1987: Tim Raines All-Star MVP
• 1988, September 24: Pascual Perez pitches 5-inning (unofficial) no-hitter in win over Philadelphia.
• 1989, August 23: Expos lose to Dodgers in a 22-inning game; longest in franchise history. Also first time a mascot was ejected by an umpire in history.
• 1989: Trade Randy Johnson for Mark Langston but collapse in pennant chase; lose Langston to free agency
• 1990: Bronfman announces decision to sell team to consortium led by Claude Brochu; Sale confirmed June 14, 1991
• 1991, July 16: Mark Gardiner pitches nine no-hit innings, but loses no-hitter in 10th inning.
• 1991, July 28: Dennis Martinez perfect game at Los Angeles [16] [17]
• 1991, September 8: Slab of concrete falls from Olympic Stadium, forcing team to end season on the road
• 1992, May 22: Manager Tom Runnels fired, Felipe Alou named replacement; first Dominican manager in MLB history
• 1992: Gary Carter returns to finish career in Montreal
• 1994, August 12: MLB Players' strike; Expos led MLB with 74-40 record
• 1994 offseason: Team conducts a fire sale; Walker, Grissom, Wetteland all dealt
• 1995, June 3: Pedro Martinez pitches nine perfect innings against San Diego, but gives up hit in 10th inning
• 1995, October: GM Kevin Malone resigns: "I'm in the building business, not in the dismantling business."
• 1997, July 1: Canada Day; First all-Canadian regular season game in MLB history at Toronto
• 1997: Pedro Martinez wins NL Cy Young
• 1998: Petro Martinez traded, Brochu offers to sell shares in team as Labatt Park project flounders
• 1999: QC government offers to pay $100 million in interest costs for new arena; owners insist on full financing
• 1999, July 18: David Cone of Mets pitches perfect game against Expos, the first no-hitter in interleague play.
• 1999, December 9: Jeffrey Loria buys out Brochu, becomes majority owner
• 2000: No TV or English radio deals in bid to draw more revenue
• 2001: Lease on land for Labatt Park expires
• 2001: Average attendance falls below 10,000
• 2001, November 6: MLB votes to contract by two teams: Montreal and Minnesota
• 2001, December 20: John Henry buys Red Sox and sells his ownership of Marlins to Loria. Loria sells Expos to MLB.
• 2002, February 1: Sales approved by MLB; Loria takes front office staff and personnel to Miami
• 2002: Minneapolis wins court injunction to save Twins, forcing MLB to keep Expos
• 2002, August: New CBA prohibits contraction until 2006
• 2003: MLB decides to play 22 home games in San Juan, Puerto Rico
• 2003: Attendance tops 1 million for first time since 1997 thanks to games in PR.
• 2003, September 1: Expos battling for wild card, but MLB orders no call ups to be made to save money
• 2004: Games in San Juan again as MLB searches for relocation sites
• 2004, September 29: MLB announces team will relocate to Washington DC.
• 2004, September 29: Final game in Montreal [18]
• 2004, October 2: Final win in team history, at New York
• 2004, October 3: Final Expos game, a loss at New York
• 2004, November 15: Lawsuit against MLB and Jeffrey Loria by former owners dismissed

• History
  • 1960-1969 (pre-history)
  • 1969-1976 (Jarry Park)
  • 1977-1981 (Big Owe, playoffs)
  • 1982-1990 (to sale to Bronfman)
  • 1990-1994 (to strike)
  • 1995-2004 (decline)
  • 2003-2005 (relocation)
• Ballparks
  • Jarry Park
  • Olympic Stadium
  • San Juan
  • Labatt Park
• Players
  • Hall of Famers
  • Retired Numbers
  • Managers
  • Statistical leaders
• Legacy
  • Canadian expansion, Blue Jays
  • Cultural

• Pearson Cup

• Montreal gets 'play ball', Montreal Gazette, August 15, 1968 (Confirmed as NL franchise, predicts name to be Voyageurs, name expected within two weeks)
• A tale of two cities, Sports Illustrated, July 18, 1983
• The long goodbye, Sports Illustrated, February 3, 2003 (relocation)
• Top 10 Expos moments, CBC, 2004-09-29 (retrospective)
• Expos will always remember Blue Monday, NBC, 2004-10-07 (relocation)
• Retrospective ** New York Times, 2010-01-07

• Au Revoir, CBC - rise, fall, demise, timeline, statistical history