Montreal Expos: How Close?

This is a series of posts that will look at the closest Major League Baseball franchises have been to winning their last pennant and last World Series Championship. Four teams have won neither a World Series nor a pennant. Some teams have won a pennant, but no World Series. Many have won both, but its been a while since their last.

This is a post about the Montreal Expos.

Last playoff appearance: 1981.

Montreal was 67-95 in 2004, their final season before moving on to Washington. They were 1-1 after splitting the first two games of the season against defending World Series Champion Florida. But, by the end of action on May 1, the Expos were 5-15.

Looking back a bit farther in Expo history:

When the 1994 strike began, the Expos were 74-40 and leading the NL East by six games over the Braves. Since that season never restarted, we'll never know where it could have ended. The '95 Expos were at .500 as late as August 15 when they were 51-51. While that put them in second place in the NL East, they were still 15 games behind the Braves. Atlanta went on to win the World Series that season while Montreal finished 24 games out at 66-78 in last.

A strike figured into the 1981 Expos making the playoffs for the only time in their history. When the strike started, the Expos were 30-25, four games behind the Phillies. When the season restarted, Montreal took three out of four from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The best overall record in the NL East in 1981 belonged to the St. Louis Cardinals, but Montreal made the post season on a second half record of 30-23.

In the divisional round of the playoffs, Montreal beat the defending World Champion Phillies. Montreal won game one and game two at Olympic Stadium, but lost game three and game four at Veterans Stadium.

Game five was also at the Vet, but it was all Montreal. Steve Roger outpitched Steve Cartlon. Rogers pitched a complete game six-hit shutout and he also drove in a pair of runs. Larry Parrish, knocked in the other Expo run to move them to the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Montreal and LA split game one and game two of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium. Rogers won game three in Montreal and the Expos were a win away from the World Series. Game four was tied 1-1 until the Dodgers scored two in the eighth and four in the ninth for a 7-1 win.

Game five of the 1981 NLCS had Ray Burris, the 2007 pitching coach of the West Michigan Whitecaps, for the Expos against Fernando Valenzuela for the Dodgers as the pitching match-up.
Montreal started quickly with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Andre Dawson stepped to the plate with runners at first and third with no outs. He grounded into a double play, but Tim Raines scored from third for a 1-0 lead game five.

The Expos held that lead until the top of the fifth. Valenzuela grounded out for the second out of the inning. But, Rick Monday scored from third base to tie the game.

Tim Wallach pinch hit for Burris in the bottom of the eighth inning, but he only grounded out. So, with the score tied heading to the top of the ninth inning, Steve Rogers came into the game to face Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Monday.

Rogers retired the first two batters and it looked like the Expos would have a chance to win the game with a run in the bottom of the ninth. But, Monday spoiled that party. He would homer off Rogers for a 2-1 Dodger lead.

Valenzuela got the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but walked Gary Carter and Parrish. Bob Welch relieved with the tying and winning runs on base and Jerry White at the plate. White grounded out to Davey Lopes at second base for the final out.

Based on this cursory look back, the answer to Montreal Expos: How Close?

October 19, 1981. Montreal led 1-0 with one out in the top of the fifth inning of game five of the NLCS against the Dodgers.

The Expos were 14 outs away. That's how close they were.