During their first four seasons, the Montreal Expos were never in first place after April.1
In 1973, however, Montreal got its first case of pennant fever amid a
five-team dogfight for the National League East Division title. On the
evening of Monday, September 17, the Expos climbed into a virtual tie
for first place after winning the opening game of a doubleheader at Jarry Park.
The stirring 5-4 victory came on a two-run rally in the bottom of the
ninth. Its strange ending was a communication lapse that let an infield
popup fall. That taste of life at the top was fleeting, because Montreal lost the
nightcap, a 12-inning crusher. In a turnabout, a win slipped away from
the Expos in the ninth inning. They did not hold the lead again in a
September pennant race until 1979.
To complete the set I added 23 new Expos Cards.
Catching prospect Barry Foote zoomed through the Expos system after being drafted 3rd overall in the 1970 draft. After hitting .262 with 19 homers in AAA he was invited to join the big team in September where he went 4-6 in 6 games worth of action. After hitting .262 the following season the Expos were so convinced that he was going to be a star behind the plate, they moved Gary Carter to RF. After hitting .194, .234 and .245 in successive seasons they realized that Carter was the true star and Foote was nothing more than a backup. To clear the deck for Carter Foote was dealt to Phlly midway through the '77 season. After seeing very limited action as the Phils' 3rd catcher he moved on to Chicago where he had a decent 1979 season with the Cubbies (.254-16-56). 1980 saw his playing time and batting average drop. '81 saw him move on to the Yankees where he played the next two seasons as a backup to Rick Cerone. He finished his career hitting .385 (in 7 games) for the Columbus Clippers (NYY-AAA).
On August 13th, 1973 the Expos purchased Allen's contract from the Yankees, where he was hitting just .228 in 17 games. In 16 games with the 'Spos he hit .180. 2 of his 9 hits were homers. On October 26th he was given his unconditional release. Allen didn't spend much time in the minor having played big time baseball at Purdue. He was also the Boilermakers starting QB for 2 seasons. In the 1963 off season he helped tutor future Purdue QB and NFL HOF'er Bob Griese.
Stinson was your classic journeyman backup catcher. He played for 5 different team over the first 7 years of his career until hitting the jackpot in Seattle thanks to expansion, where he spent the final 4 years of his career. For the '73 Expos he played in 48 games and hit .261 with 3 homers as John Baccabella's primary backup. After hitting just .172 the following year he was dealt to KC for Tony Scott.
Charles Fredrick "Boots" Day was traded in May (1970), to Montreal for veteran catcher Jack Hiatt. After further seasoning in Triple-A, at Buffalo and Winnipeg, he was recalled by the Expos and played the next three-plus seasons as Montreal's platoon center fielder.
In 1971, his best major league season, he reached career highs in hits (105), home runs (4), runs batted in (33), and batting average (.283) in 122 games played. After slumping in 1972, he returned to form the following season, batting .275 in 101 games in 1973. But the Expos acquired veteran center fielder Willie Davis in an offseason blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Day lost his semi-regular job. After only 52 games and 72 at-bats in 1974, he returned to the minor leagues for the remainder of his playing career.
In 1971, his best major league season, he reached career highs in hits (105), home runs (4), runs batted in (33), and batting average (.283) in 122 games played. After slumping in 1972, he returned to form the following season, batting .275 in 101 games in 1973. But the Expos acquired veteran center fielder Willie Davis in an offseason blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Day lost his semi-regular job. After only 52 games and 72 at-bats in 1974, he returned to the minor leagues for the remainder of his playing career.
In March 1973, Taylor was released by the Brewers and signed by the Expos a couple weeks later. In his first year with the Expos, he posted a 1.77 ERA, but appeared in only eight games. That performance, however, was something of a foreshadowing of what would happen in the year to come. 1974 was the best season of his Major League career. He appeared in relief 61 times, posting a 2.17 ERA in 107 2⁄3 innings. He ranked ninth in the league in game appearances, fifth in the league in saves with 11 and sixth in the league in games finished with 39. The next two seasons, 1975 and 1976, were not as successful. He posted ERAs of 3.53 and 4.50 respectively. He wrapped his career up following the 1976 season, playing in his final big league game on October 3 of that year. Overall, Taylor went 28–20 with a 3.07 ERA in 305 big league appearances.
Caskey began the 1973 season with the Peninsula Whips of the International League. He was called up to the major leagues in July, and made his debut on July 19. Montreal faced the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium. Bill Stoneman, the Expos' starting pitcher in the game pitched only 2.1 innings, and Caskey relieved him. He pitched 4.2 innings, faced 16 hitters, and allowed only one hit and one base on balls. He also recorded a strikeout. The Reds won the game 3-2. Caskey would pitch in nine major league games in 1973, finishing with a 5.65 ERA. His brief stint with the Expos in '73 would be his only opportunity to play in the majors. He played 2 additional subpar seasons in the Pirates chain before being release.
On September 6, 1973 the Expos picked up the 38 year old Alou off of waivers from the Yankees where he hit just .236 in 93 games. In 19 games down the stretch in Montreal he hit just .208. His 3 AB's for Milwaukee in 1974 would mark the end of a great major league career that lasted 17 seasons
1973 would mark the closest Mauch would get his overachieving Expos into the post season. Mauch spent 7 seasons in Montreal turning an expansion team into a respectable bunch. Mauch would spend 17 seasons behind the bench, but never appeared in the World Series. He was one out away from it in 1986, his next to last year. His 499-627, .443 record in Montreal was impressive considering he managed them in their formative years.
In his second year of organized ball Cox hit .267 for Peninsula (AAA) and was promoted to the parent club in September where he hit .133 (2-15). The following season he was given a chance to win the starting catcher's spot, but hit just .220 in 236 AB's. The next two seasons would see pretty much mirror the '73 season. From 1977-79 he was buried at AAA with Gary Carter being an All-Star behind the place. In Denver he would hit .287, .299 and .305 respectively, but he would not receive a call up or a trade.
Lyttle graduated from Florida State University, and was drafted in the first round of the 1966 amateur draft by the New York Yankees. He made his major league debut with the Yankees in 1969, and hit .310 in 87 games in 1970. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1971, and played in 42 games as a defensive backup with the White Sox before being sent off to various teams from 1973 to 1974. He spent three years with the Montreal Expos, and ended his major league career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1976. Lyttle's mediocre major league career is completely overshadowed by his All-Star career in the Japanese League where he was a 5 tool player on 2 championship teams. A one point he was considered the best American to have played in the Nippon League.
Gilbert could bring it, but he lacked control yet the Expos rushed him to the majors at the tender age of 20 in 1972 where he had a 8.45 ERA. His return trip came a year later where he was 1-2, 4.97 in 21 games. When he returned to the minors he got worse, so they sent him down to Double A, where he bottomed out and was finished before his 23rd birthday.
Montague's first crack at the majors came with the '73 Spos. He barely had a sip of coffee throwing 7+ innings in 4 games. The following year he did rather well (3-4, 3.16, 3sv), but he would have nothing but trouble after that and wind up in AAA for most of '75 and all of '76. Expansion gave him new life when the Mariners purchased his contract right after the '76 season ended. In Seattle's first season he pitched in 47 games and started 15. His 8-12, 4.29 record was decent when you consider that he pitched for a 104 loss team. His next 3 seasons got progressively worse. The final game of his career was on August 28, 1980, giving up nine hits and six runs (all earned) in a two-inning relief appearance in a 13-8 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
After spending parts of 3 seasons split between the Cardinals and their AAA affiliates Roque was traded to Montreal in exchange for Tim McCarver. Roque hit just .148 in 61 AB's for Montreal and was sent down to AAA Peninsula where he hit a meager .229, which earned him is release and a 6 year stint in the Mexican League before hanging it up.
Morales was a bat in search of a position. His baseball odyssey traced it's roots ack to Lexington, KY in 1964 when he played 10 games as a 19 year old for San Fran's A ball affiliate. Finally at the age of 28 he got a cup of coffee with the '73 A's who sold his contract to Montreal on September 18th. He went 2 for 5 for the Expos down the stretch. The following year he hit .269 in 25 games mostly as a pinch hitter. In '76 he hit .316, but when he hit .203 in '77 the Expos sold his contract to Minnesota where he was introduced to the DH position. In all he was able to play until he was 39 years old as a PH/DH. His lifetime .287 average in 1,305 AB's is nothing to sneeze about. Hitting .276 with 12 HR's in 446 AB's as a PH'er made him a lethal weapon to have on the bench.
Lintz made his debut on July 14, 1973, and played in 52 games. The following season, he played in 113 games, finishing the year with a .238 batting average and 50 stolen bases, which was fifth in the National League. After 46 games with the Expos in 1975, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Jim Dwyer, and finished the season with them; after the season ended he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Charlie Chant. In 1976, Lintz was used almost exclusively by the Athletics as a pinch-runner, appearing in 68 games with only one at-bat; during that season he scored 21 runs and stole 31 bases in 42 attempts. After spending 1977 with the Athletics, Lintz signed with the Cleveland Indians. He played in three games to end his major league career, and spent most of the season with the minor league Portland Beavers. He played in three games for the Tacoma Tugs, the following season, then retired.
With all the great pitching that the Orioles had in the 60's and 70's there just wasn't any room for lefty Mickey Scott, who arrived in Montreal on May 22, 1973. Scott appeared in 22 games and was hit hard (1-2, 5.25). Scott was returned to the O's after the season and had a killer year at AAA Rochester (8-2, 0.99). As a reward he was given his freedom and sent to the Angels for Bob Oliver. Scott had two solid seasons out of the Angels pen, but faltered badly in 1977 (0-2, 5.63), which would turn out to be his final season in the Biggs. After being farmed out to Miami (AAA) and going 8-4, 2.41 he hung up his spikes. In 1998 he was elected to the Rochester Red Wings HOF.
Iron Mike was in his 4th and final season in Montreal where he led the league in appearances (92) and saves (31). Marshall was coveted by the Dodgers who traded All Star CF'er Willie Davis to Montreal in exchange for Marshall's services. All Marshall did was appear in 106 game, win the Cy Young Award and deliver LA it's first pennant in 8 seasons. Marshall had an outstanding career as a reliever leading the league in saves 3 times. Marshall, who owns a Ph.D in kinesiology recommended that his teammate Tommy John get a radical surgery in 1974 to save his career. He now advocates a special pitching motion designed to save pitchers from arm injuries.
No offense to Mr. Jarvis, who had from 1967-1972 had an above average career in Atlanta, but the Braves stole Carl Morton from Montreal when they dealt the two hurlers for each other. In just 28 games with the Expos in '73 Jarvis was 2-1, 3.20 in limited action. The Expos traded him to Texas at the conclusion of the season, but he was cut in Spring Training and retired from baseball.
In his first season in the majors (1973) Frias hit .231 and played everywhere in the infield and a little in RF. For the next 5 seasons he would repeat his role as a utility player for the Expos until he was traded just before the '79 season to Atlanta. In 140 games as the Braves starting SS he hit a respectable .259, but was shipped off to Texas where he returned to a utility role. Two partial seasons with the Dodgers culminated in him earning a ring in 1981. When LA cut him loose he returned to the Expos organization and hit just .139 in AAA Wichita. He followed that up with 2 seasons in the Mexican League.
Mangual played one full season, in 1975 with the Expos. In that year he played in 140 games and hit .245 with a .340 on-base percentage. He also stole 33 bases, good for sixth place in the National League that year. Midway through the 1976 season, on July 21, Mangual was traded by the Expos along with Jim Dwyer to the Mets for Wayne Garrett and Del Unser. Mangual was acquired to help the Mets in the play-off hunt, but only managed a .186 average the rest of the season. 8 At-bats into the next year Mangual was off the team. He toiled around in the minor leagues for another seven years until 1984 when he called it quits after spending the last seven years in the California Angels organization. He hit just .177 in 33 games fir the Expos in '73.
Rogers burst onto the scene on July 18th by defeating the Houston Astros 3-2 in his major league debut. He would win his first 4 starts before being handed his first loss. He had a 6 game winning streak from late August to mid September and single-handedly pitched the Expos into contention. His 10-5, 1.54 record earned him a second place showing in the ROY voting. Rogers would eventually settle into the role as ace of the Expos staff and in 13 big league seasons he would be the winningest pitcher in franchise history (158-152, 3.17). Rogers is now an executive for the MLBPA.
Tony Scott was used primarily as a defensive replacement and pinch runner during the '73 season. He appeared in 11 games and had 1 AB. He received very little playing time over the next 3 seasons and was dealt to St. Louis where he played regularly and began to hit well. Scott played 4 1/2 seasons in STL and then 3 seasons in Houston before finishing his career back in Montreal in 1984.
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