1981 Montreal Expos season

1981 Montreal Expos
National League East Champions
LeagueNational League
DivisionEast
BallparkOlympic Stadium
CityMontreal
Record1st half: 30–25 (.545)

2nd half: 30–23 (.566)

Overall: 60–48 (.556)
Divisional place1st half: 3rd

2nd half: 1st

Overall: 2nd
OwnersCharles Bronfman
General managersJohn McHale
ManagersDick Williams, Jim Fanning
TelevisionCBC Television
(Dave Van Horne, Duke Snider)
Télévision de Radio-Canada
(Jean-Pierre Roy, Guy Ferron)
RadioCFCF (English)
(Dave Van Horne, Duke Snider, Ron Reusch)
CKAC (French)
(Claude Raymond, Jacques Doucet)
← 1980 Seasons 1982 →

The 1981 Montreal Expos season was the 13th season in franchise history. They made it to the postseason for the first time in franchise history (the franchise's next appearance in the playoffs was in 2012, as the Washington Nationals). Their playoff run ended in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with Rick Monday hitting a ninth-inning solo home run in game 5, subsequently referred to as "Blue Monday" by Expos fans. This was the closest the Expos ever got to a World Series appearance while in Montreal. This was also their last time winning a playoff series until 2019, which they won the Wild Card game. In addition, their 31-year playoff drought after this season is currently the longest in the Divisional era.

The season was separated into two halves due to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike.

Offseason

[edit]

Spring training

[edit]

After holding spring training at City Island Ball Park in Daytona Beach, Florida, from 1973 to 1980, the Expos returned to West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach, Florida – a facility they shared with the Atlanta Braves – for spring training in 1981. It was their fifth season at the stadium; they also had conducted spring training there from 1969 to 1972. The Expos would train at Municipal Stadium through 1997.

Regular season

[edit]
  • April 29, 1981: Steve Carlton struck out Tim Wallach for the 3000th strikeout of his career.[6]
  • May 10, 1981: Charlie Lea pitched a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants, defeating them 4–0 at Olympic Stadium. The last out was recorded by Andre Dawson in center field. Lea would go on to shut out the Giants again a week later on four hits in San Francisco for good measure.

Game log

[edit]

First half

[edit]
1981 Regular Season Game Log First Half (30–25) (Home: 21–7; Road: 9–18)
April (12–4) (Home: 8–0; Road: 4–4)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
1 April 9 @ Pirates 6–5 Fryman (1–0) Tekulve (0–1) 40,332 1–0 Boxscore
2 April 12 @ Pirates 2–3 Rhoden (1–0) Burris (0–1) Romo (1) 8,430 1–1 Boxscore
3 April 15 Cubs 5–4 Bahnsen (1–0) Tidrow (1–1) 30,003 2–1 Boxscore
4 April 16 Cubs 7–0 Sanderson (1–0) McGlothen (0–1) 11,602 3–1 Boxscore
5 April 18 @ Mets 5–3 Gullickson (1–0) Jones (0–1) Bahnsen (1) 23,710 4–1 Boxscore
6 April 19 @ Mets 4–3 Burris (1–1) Swan (0–1) Fryman (1) N/A 5–1 Boxscore
7 April 19 @ Mets 2–7 Zachry (3–0) Lea (0–1) 21,464 5–2 Boxscore
8 April 20 Phillies 9–8 Rogers (1–0) McGraw (1–1) Fryman (2) 24,817 6–2 Boxscore
9 April 21 Phillies 10–3 Sanderson (2–0) Ruthven (2–1) 10,887 7–2 Boxscore
10 April 22 Phillies 4–3 (11 inn.) Sosa (1–0) McGraw (1–2) 14,176 8–2 Boxscore
April 24 Mets Postponed (rain); rescheduled for April 26
11 April 25 Mets 4–2 Rogers (2–0) Jones (0–2) Lee (1) 18,150 9–2 Boxscore
12 April 26 Mets 8–4 Burris (2–1) Zachry (3–1) N/A 10–2 Boxscore
13 April 26 Mets 7–6 Sanderson (3–0) Swan (0–2) Fryman (3) 41,697 11–2 Boxscore
14 April 27 @ Phillies 1–3 Ruthven (3–1) Gullickson (1–1) 27,347 11–3 Boxscore
15 April 28 @ Phillies 6–3 Ratzer (1–0) Christenson (1–2) Sosa (1) 26,192 12–3 Boxscore
16 April 29 @ Phillies 2–6 Carlton (4–0) Rogers (2–1) 30,142 12–4 Boxscore
May (14–15) (Home: 10–7; Road: 4–8)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
17 May 1 Dodgers 9–8 (13 inn.) Lee (1–0) Castillo (0–2) 28,179 13–4 Boxscore
18 May 2 Dodgers 0–4 Reuss (2–1) Sanderson (3–1) 22,820 13–5 Boxscore
19 May 3 Dodgers 1–6 (10 inn.) Valenzuela (6–0) Gullickson (1–2) 46,405 13–6 Boxscore
20 May 4 Dodgers 4–3 Rogers (3–1) Sutcliffe (2–2) Sosa (2) 21,527 14–6 Boxscore
21 May 5 Padres 4–3 Fryman (2–0) 15,909 15–6 Boxscore
22 May 6 Padres 5–13 Burris (2–2) 13,066 15–7 Boxscore
23 May 7 Padres 2–1 Sanderson (4–1) 12,248 16–7 Boxscore
24 May 8 Giants 3–4 Gullickson (1–3) 21,850 16–8 Boxscore
25 May 9 Giants 2–8 Rogers (3–2) 48,149 16–9 Boxscore
26 May 10 Giants 1–5 Lee (1–1) N/A 16–10 Boxscore
27 May 10 Giants 4–0 Lea (1–1) 25,343 17–10 Boxscore
28 May 12 @ Dodgers 0–5 Hooton (5–0) Burris (2–3) Howe (4) 34,367 17–11 Boxscore
29 May 13 @ Dodgers 6–8 Howe (2–1) Fryman (2–1) 42,712 17–12 Boxscore
30 May 14 @ Dodgers 2–3 Valenzuela (8–0) Ratzer (1–1) 53,906 17–13 Boxscore
31 May 15 @ Giants 2–4 Rogers (3–3) 19,763 17–14 Boxscore
32 May 16 @ Giants 5–0 Lea (2–1) 11,133 18–14 Boxscore
33 May 17 @ Giants 4–5 (12 inn.) Lee (1–2) 27,975 18–15 Boxscore
34 May 18 @ Padres 3–2 (10 inn.) Fryman (3–1) Lee (2) 13,283 19–15 Boxscore
35 May 19 @ Padres 1–3 Gullickson (1–4) 6,871 19–16 Boxscore
36 May 20 @ Padres 6–2 Rogers (4–3) 9,336 20–16 Boxscore
37 May 22 @ Cubs 6–3 Lea (3–1) Krukow (1–5) 6,071 21–16 Boxscore
38 May 23 @ Cubs 4–6 Reuschel (2–5) Burris (2–4) Tidrow (2) 15,981 21–17 Boxscore
39 May 24 @ Cubs 2–6 Caudill (1–3) Sanderson (4–2) Tidrow (3) 10,821 21–18 Boxscore
40 May 25 Cardinals 5–3 Gullickson (2–4) Lee (3) 24,490 22–18 Boxscore
41 May 26 Cardinals 4–3 Rogers (5–3) Sosa (3) 27,775 23–18 Boxscore
42 May 27 Cardinals 4–1 Lea (4–1) Lee (4) 24,709 24–18 Boxscore
43 May 29 Pirates 3–2 Sanderson (5–2) Bibby (3–3) Lee (5) 36,662 25–18 Boxscore
44 May 30 Pirates 2–3 Rhoden (6–0) Gullickson (2–5) 31,649 25–19 Boxscore
45 May 31 Pirates 5–1 Rogers (6–3) Pérez (2–1) 45,783 26–19 Boxscore
June (4–6) (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–6)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
46 June 1 @ Cardinals 2–4 Lea (4–2) 14,224 26–20 Boxscore
47 June 2 @ Cardinals 8–1 Burris (3–4) 14,697 27–20 Boxscore
48 June 3 @ Cardinals 2–3 (11 inn.) Sosa (1–1) 13,085 27–21 Boxscore
49 June 4 @ Cardinals 1–4 Gullickson (2–6) 18,958 27–22 Boxscore
50 June 5 @ Reds 3–6 Rogers (6–4) 27–23 Boxscore
51 June 6 @ Reds 3–9 Lea (4–3) 27–24 Boxscore
52 June 7 @ Reds 0–2 Burris (3–5) 27–25 Boxscore
53 June 9 Braves 12–1 Sanderson (6–2) 28–25 Boxscore
54 June 10 Braves 11–2 Gullickson (3–6) 29–25 Boxscore
55 June 11 Braves 7–0 Rogers (7–4) 30–25 Boxscore

Games cancelled

[edit]
1981 Games cancelled
April
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
April 11 @ Pirates Cancelled (strike)
April 14 Cubs Cancelled (strike)
June
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
June 12 Reds Cancelled (strike)
June 13 Reds Cancelled (strike)
June 14 Reds Cancelled (strike)
June 15 Astros Cancelled (strike)
June 16 Astros Cancelled (strike)
June 17 @ Braves Cancelled (strike)
June 18 @ Braves Cancelled (strike)
June 19 @ Astros Cancelled (strike)
June 20 @ Astros Cancelled (strike)
June 21 @ Astros Cancelled (strike)
June 23 Mets Cancelled (strike)
June 24 Mets Cancelled (strike)
June 25 Mets Cancelled (strike)
June 26 Cubs Cancelled (strike)
June 27 Cubs Cancelled (strike)
June 28 Cubs Cancelled (strike)
June 29 @ Pirates Cancelled (strike)
June 30 @ Pirates Cancelled (strike)
July
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
July 1 Pirates Cancelled (strike)
July 2 Pirates Cancelled (strike)
July 3 @ Phillies Cancelled (strike)
July 4 @ Phillies Cancelled (strike)
July 5 @ Phillies Cancelled (strike)
July 7 @ Cubs Cancelled (strike)
July 8 @ Cubs Cancelled (strike)
July 9 @ Cubs Cancelled (strike)
July 10 @ Cardinals Cancelled (strike)
July 11 @ Cardinals Cancelled (strike)
July 12 @ Cardinals Cancelled (strike)
July 16 Dodgers Cancelled (strike)
July 17 Dodgers Cancelled (strike)
July 18 Padres Cancelled (strike)
July 19 Padres Cancelled (strike)
July 20 Padres Cancelled (strike)
July 21 Giants Cancelled (strike)
July 22 Giants Cancelled (strike)
July 24 @ Dodgers Cancelled (strike)
July 25 @ Dodgers Cancelled (strike)
July 26 @ Dodgers Cancelled (strike)
July 28 @ Giants Cancelled (strike)
July 29 @ Giants Cancelled (strike)
July 30 @ Giants Cancelled (strike)
July 31 @ Padres Cancelled (strike)
August
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
August 1 @ Padres Cancelled (strike)
August 2 @ Padres Cancelled (strike)
August 4 @ Mets Cancelled (strike)
August 5 @ Mets Cancelled (strike)
August 6 @ Mets Cancelled (strike)
August 7 Phillies Cancelled (strike)
August 8 Phillies Cancelled (strike)
August 9 Phillies Cancelled (strike)
August 9 Phillies Cancelled (strike)

Second half

[edit]
1981 Regular Season Game Log Second Half (30–23) (Home: 17–11; Road: 13–12)
August (11–8) (Home: 6–3; Road: 5–5)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
All-Star Break: NL def. AL at Cleveland Stadium, 5–4
56 August 10 Pirates 3–1 Lee (2–2) Pérez (2–3) 37,275 31–25 Boxscore
57 August 11 Pirates 3–6 Tekulve (3–3) Fryman (3–2) 33,045 31–26 Boxscore
58 August 12 @ Pirates 3–2 Burris (4–5) Solomon (5–4) Lee (6) 12,069 32–26 Boxscore
59 August 13 @ Pirates 7–2 Rogers (8–4) Tiant (0–1) 11,735 33–26 Boxscore
60 August 14 Cardinals 1–3 Sanderson (6–3) 40,187 33–27 Boxscore
August 15 Cardinals Postponed (rain); rescheduled for September 15
August 16 Cardinals Postponed (rain); rescheduled for September 16
61 August 17 @ Astros 6–2 Burris (5–5) Fryman (4) 34–27 Boxscore
62 August 18 @ Astros 2–4 Rogers (8–5) 34–28 Boxscore
63 August 19 @ Astros 1–9 Sanderson (6–4) 34–29 Boxscore
64 August 21 @ Braves 4–1 (11 inn.) Fryman (4–2) 35–29 Boxscore
65 August 22 @ Braves 5–4 Bahnsen (2–0) Reardon (1) 36–29 Boxscore
66 August 22 @ Braves 1–9 Lea (4–4) 36–30 Boxscore
67 August 23 @ Braves 1–2 Rogers (8–6) 36–31 Boxscore
68 August 25 Reds 9–1 Sanderson (7–4) 37–31 Boxscore
69 August 26 Reds 6–0 Gullickson (4–6) 38–31 Boxscore
70 August 27 Reds 12–0 Burris (6–5) 39–31 Boxscore
71 August 28 Braves 3–0 Rogers (9–6) 40–31 Boxscore
72 August 29 Braves 4–3 Reardon (1–0) 41–31 Boxscore
73 August 30 Braves 4–5 (12 inn.) Lee (2–3) 41–32 Boxscore
74 August 31 @ Reds 8–9 Lee (2–4) 41–33 Boxscore
September (16–14) (Home: 11–8; Road: 5–6)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
75 September 1 @ Reds 4–3 Lea (5–4) Reardon (2) 42–33 Boxscore
76 September 2 @ Reds 0–7 Bahnsen (2–1) 42–34 Boxscore
77 September 3 Astros 1–2 Sanderson (7–5) 42–35 Boxscore
78 September 4 Astros 0–5 Gullickson (4–7) 42–36 Boxscore
79 September 5 Astros 5–2 Burris (7–5) 43–36 Boxscore
80 September 6 Astros 3–4 (12 inn.) Sosa (1–2) 43–37 Boxscore
81 September 7 @ Phillies 5–4 Fryman (5–2) Proly (2–1) Reardon (3) 31,401 45–36 Boxscore
82 September 8 @ Phillies 5–10 Larson (1–0) Sanderson (7–6) 11,812 45–37 Boxscore
83 September 9 @ Phillies 8–11 Reed (4–1) Fryman (5–3) Lyle (1) 25,468 45–38 Boxscore
84 September 11 @ Cubs 5–6 Griffin (2–2) Burris (7–6) Hernández (2) 7,204 45–39 Boxscore
85 September 12 @ Cubs 2–0 Rogers (10–6) Bird (4–3) Reardon (4) 18,124 45–40 Boxscore
86 September 13 @ Cubs 10–6 Sanderson (8–6) Krukow (6–9) 14,589 46–40 Boxscore
87 September 15 Cardinals 2–3 Gullickson (3–8) N/A 46–41 Boxscore
88 September 15 Cardinals 4–3 Lee (3–4) Fryman (5) 41,671 47–41 Boxscore
89 September 16 Cardinals 1–7 Burris (7–7) N/A 47–42 Boxscore
90 September 16 Cardinals 4–3 (11 inn.) Reardon (2–0) 30,222 48–42 Boxscore
91 September 17 Cardinals 4–7 Rogers (10–7) 26,390 48–43 Boxscore
92 September 18 Cubs 11–0 Sanderson (9–6) Bird (4–4) 23,606 49–43 Boxscore
93 September 19 Cubs 1–2 Krukow (7–9) Lee (3–5) Martz (4) 30,099 49–44 Boxscore
94 September 20 Cubs 4–0 Gullickson (4–8) Griffin (2–4) 40,851 50–44 Boxscore
95 September 21 Phillies 1–0 (17 inn.) Smith (1–0) Reed (0–1) 24,161 51–44 Boxscore
96 September 22 Phillies 6–2 Rogers (11–7) Ruthven (11–6) 21,797 52–44 Boxscore
97 September 23 Pirates 3–2 Jackson (2–2) Rhoden (8–4) 10,081 53–44 Boxscore
98 September 24 Pirates 7–1 Lee (4–5) Jones (4–4) 23,459 54–44 Boxscore
99 September 25 Mets 6–3 Gullickson (5–8) Zachry (7–13) 41,354 55–44 Boxscore
100 September 26 Mets 4–2 Burris (8–7) Harris (3–5) Fryman (6) 38,821 56–44 Boxscore
101 September 27 Mets 1–2 Scott (5–10) Rogers (11–8) Allen (18) 52,089 56–45 Boxscore
102 September 28 @ Cardinals 2–6 Sanderson (9–7) 21,216 56–46 Boxscore
103 September 29 @ Cardinals 4–8 Lee (4–6) 40,488 56–47 Boxscore
104 September 30 @ Pirates 3–2 Gullickson (6–8) Solomon (8–6) Fryman (7) 5,826 57–47 Boxscore
October (3–1) (Road: 3–1)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Report
105 October 1 @ Pirates 5–2 Burris (9–7) Tiant (2–5) Reardon (5) 2,931 58–47 Boxscore
106 October 2 @ Mets 3–0 Rogers (12–8) Zachry (7–14) 6,720 59–47 Boxscore
107 October 3 @ Mets 5–4 Lee (5–6) Allen (7–6) Reardon (6) 17,954 60–47 Boxscore
108 October 4 @ Mets 1–2 Falcone (5–3) Gullickson (6–9) 7,618 60–48 Boxscore
Legend
Expos win Expos loss All-Star Game Game postponed

Season standings

[edit]
NL East
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
St. Louis Cardinals 59 43 .578 — 32‍–‍21 27‍–‍22
Montreal Expos 60 48 .556 2 38‍–‍18 22‍–‍30
Philadelphia Phillies 59 48 .551 2½ 36‍–‍19 23‍–‍29
Pittsburgh Pirates 46 56 .451 13 22‍–‍28 24‍–‍28
New York Mets 41 62 .398 18½ 24‍–‍27 17‍–‍35
Chicago Cubs 38 65 .369 21½ 27‍–‍30 11‍–‍35
NL East
First Half Standings 		W L Pct. GB
Philadelphia Phillies 34 21 .618 —
St. Louis Cardinals 30 20 .600 1+1⁄2
Montreal Expos 30 25 .545 4
Pittsburgh Pirates 25 23 .521 5+1⁄2
New York Mets 17 34 .333 15
Chicago Cubs 15 37 .288 17+1⁄2
NL East
Second Half Standings 		W L Pct. GB
Montreal Expos 30 23 .566 —
St. Louis Cardinals 29 23 .558 1⁄2
Philadelphia Phillies 25 27 .481 4+1⁄2
New York Mets 24 28 .462 5+1⁄2
Chicago Cubs 23 28 .451 6
Pittsburgh Pirates 21 33 .389 9+1⁄2

Record vs. opponents

[edit]
1981 National League record

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Team ATL CHC CIN HOU LAD MON NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL
Atlanta — 3–2–1 6–5 4–8 7–7 3–7 3–3 4–5 2–3 9–6 5–7 4–3
Chicago 2–3–1 — 1–5 1–6 6–4 4–7 5–8–1 2–10 4–10 3–3 5–5 5–4–1
Cincinnati 5–6 5–1 — 8–4 8–8 5–4 7–3 5–2 4–2 10–2 9–5 0–5
Houston 8–4 6–1 4–8 — 4–8 5–2 6–3 4–6 2–4 11–3 9–6 2–4
Los Angeles 7–7 4–6 8–8 8–4 — 5–2 5–1 3–3 5–1 6–5 7–5 5–5
Montreal 7–3 7–4 4–5 2–5 2–5 — 9–3 7–4 10–3 4–2 2–5 6–9
New York 3–3 8–5–1 3–7 3–6 1–5 3–9 — 7–7 3–6–1 2–5 2–4 6–5
Philadelphia 5-4 10–2 2–5 6–4 3–3 4–7 7–7 — 7–5 4–2 4–3 7–6
Pittsburgh 3–2 10–4 2–4 4–2 1–5 3–10 6–3–1 5–7 — 6–4 3–7 3–8
San Diego 6–9 3–3 2–10 3–11 5–6 2–4 5–2 2–4 4–6 — 6–7 3–7
San Francisco 7–5 5–5 5–9 6–9 5–7 5–2 4–2 3–4 7–3 7–6 — 2–3
St. Louis 3–4 4–5–1 5–0 4–2 5–5 9–6 5–6 6–7 8–3 7–3 3–2 —


Notable transactions

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Major League debuts

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  • Batters:
    • Terry Francona (Aug 19)
    • Mike Gates (May 6)
    • Dave Hostetler (Sep 15)
    • Tony Johnson (Sep 27)
    • Wallace Johnson (Sep 8)
    • Pat Rooney (Sep 9)
    • Chris Smith (May 14)
    • Tom Wieghaus (Oct 4)
  • Pitchers:
    • Rick Engle (Sep 2)
    • Tom Gorman (Sep 2)
    • Bryn Smith (Sep 8)[13]

Opening Day starters

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Roster

[edit]
1981 Montreal Expos
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Player stats

[edit]

Batting

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Starters by position

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Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C Gary Carter 100 374 94 .251 16 68
1B Warren Cromartie 99 358 109 .304 6 42
2B Rodney Scott 95 336 69 .205 0 26
3B Larry Parrish 128 440 116 .264 17 62
SS Chris Speier 96 307 69 .225 2 25
LF Tim Raines 88 313 95 .304 5 37
CF Andre Dawson 103 394 119 .302 24 64
RF Tim Wallach 71 212 50 .236 4 13

Other batters

[edit]

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Jerry White 59 119 26 .218 3 11
Terry Francona 34 95 26 .274 1 8
John Milner 31 76 18 .237 3 9
Ellis Valentine 22 76 16 .211 3 15
Willie Montañez 26 62 11 .177 0 5
Jerry Manuel 27 55 11 .200 3 10
Mike Phillips 34 55 12 .218 0 4
Bobby Ramos 26 41 8 .195 1 3
Rowland Office 26 40 7 .175 0 0
Tommy Hutton 31 29 3 .103 0 2
Brad Mills 17 21 5 .238 0 1
Dan Briggs 9 11 1 .091 0 0
Wallace Johnson 11 9 2 .222 0 3
Chris Smith 7 7 0 .000 0 0
Bob Pate 8 6 2 .333 0 0
Dave Hostetler 5 6 3 .500 1 1
Pat Rooney 4 5 0 .000 0 0
Mike Gates 1 2 1 .500 0 1
Tony Johnson 2 1 0 .000 0 0
Tom Wieghaus 1 1 0 .000 0 0

Pitching

[edit]

Starting pitchers

[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched, IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Steve Rogers 22 160.2 12 8 3.42 87
Bill Gullickson 22 157.1 7 9 2.80 115
Scott Sanderson 22 137.1 9 7 2.95 77
Ray Burris 22 135.2 9 7 3.05 52

Other pitchers

[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Bill Lee 31 88.2 5 6 2.94 34
Charlie Lea 16 64.1 5 4 4.62 31

Relief pitchers

[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L SV ERA SO
Woodie Fryman 35 43.0 5 3 7 1.88 25
Jeff Reardon 25 41.2 2 0 6 1.30 21
Elías Sosa 32 39.1 1 2 3 3.66 18
Stan Bahnsen 25 49.0 2 1 1 4.96 28
Steve Ratzer 12 17.1 1 1 0 6.23 4
Tom Gorman 9 15.0 0 0 0 4.20 13
Bryn Smith 7 13.0 1 0 0 2.77 9
Grant Jackson 10 10.2 1 0 0 7.59 4
Rick Engle 1 2.0 0 0 0 18.00 2

Postseason

[edit]

Game log

[edit]
1981 Playoff Game Log
1981 National League Eastern Division Series vs. Philadelphia Phillies – Montreal wins series 3–2
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Series Report
Game 1 October 7 Phillies 3–1 Rogers (1–0) Carlton (0–1) Reardon (1) 34,237 Expos lead 1–0 Boxscore
Game 2 October 8 Phillies 3–1 Gullickson (1–0) Ruthven (0–1) Reardon (2) 45,896 Expos lead 2–0 Boxscore
Game 3 October 9 @ Phillies 2–6 Christenson (1–0) Burris (0–1) 36,835 Expos lead 2–1 Boxscore
Game 4 October 10 @ Phillies 5–6 (10 inn.) McGraw (1–0) Reardon (0–1) 38,818 Series tied 2–2 Boxscore
Game 5 October 11 @ Phillies 3–0 Rogers (2–0) Carlton (0–2) 47,384 Expos win 3–2 Boxscore
1981 National League Championship Series vs. Los Angeles Dodgers – Los Angeles wins series 3–2
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Series Report
Game 1 October 13 @ Dodgers 1–5 Hooton (1–0) Gullickson (0–1) 51,273 Dodgers lead 1–0 Boxscore
Game 2 October 14 @ Dodgers 3–0 Burris (1–0) Valenzuela (0–1) 53,463 Series tied 1–1 Boxscore
Game 3 October 16 Dodgers 4–1 Rogers (1–0) Reuss (0–1) 54,372 Expos lead 2–1 Boxscore
Game 4 October 17 Dodgers 1–7 Hooton (2–0) Gullickson (0–2) 54,499 Series tied 2–2 Boxscore
October 18 Dodgers Postponed (rain); rescheduled for October 19
Game 5 October 19 Dodgers 1–2 Valenzuela (1–1) Rogers (1–1) Welch (1) 36,491 Dodgers win 3–2 Boxscore
Legend
Expos win Expos loss Game postponed

National League Division Series

[edit]
Main article: 1981 National League Division Series

Montreal Expos vs. Philadelphia Phillies

[edit]

Montreal wins series, 3–2.

Game Score Date
1 Montreal 3, Philadelphia 1 October 7
2 Montreal 3, Philadelphia 1 October 8
3 Philadelphia 6, Montreal 2 October 9
4 Philadelphia 6, Montreal 5 (10 innings) October 10
5 Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0 October 11
  • October 11, 1981 – Steve Rogers defeats Steve Carlton of the Phillies 3–0 in a pitchers' duel to win the National League Division Series. Rogers drove in two of the three Expos runs to boot singling home Larry Parrish and Chris Speier in the fifth inning. The Expos advance to play the Dodgers who defeated the Astros. Rogers previously defeated Carlton in game one of the series as well.

National League Championship Series

[edit]
Main article: 1981 National League Championship Series

Game 1

[edit]

October 13, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Montreal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 9 0
Los Angeles 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 X 5 8 0
WP: Burt Hooton (1-0)   LP: Bill Gullickson (0-1)
Home runs:
MON: None
LAD: Pedro Guerrero (1), Mike Scioscia (1)
Attendance: 51,273
Notes: Pitchers: MON – Gullickson, Reardon (8)  LAD – Hooton, Welch (8), Howe (9)

Game 2

[edit]

October 14, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Montreal 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 10 1
Los Angeles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1
WP: Ray Burris (1-0)   LP: Fernando Valenzuela (0-1)
Home runs:
MON: None
LAD: None
Attendance: 53,463
Notes: Pitchers: MON – Burris  LAD – Valenzuela, Niedenfuer (7), Forster (7), Pena (7), Castillo (9)

Game 3

[edit]

October 16, Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Los Angeles 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 0
Montreal 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 X 4 7 1
WP: Steve Rogers (1-0)   LP: Jerry Reuss (0-1)
Home runs:
LAD: None
MON: Jerry White (1)
Attendance: 54,372
Notes: Pitchers: LAD – Reuss, Pena (8)  MON – Rogers

Game 4

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October 17, Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Los Angeles 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 4 7 12 1
Montreal 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 1
WP: Burt Hooton (2-0)   LP: Bill Gullickson (0-2)
Home runs:
LAD: Steve Garvey (1)
MON: None
Attendance: Attendance: 54,499
Notes: Pitchers: LAD – Hooton, Welch (8), Howe (9)  MON – Gullickson, Fryman (8), Sosa (9), Lee (9)

Game 5

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October 19, Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Los Angeles 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 6 0
Montreal 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1
WP: Fernando Valenzuela (1-1)   LP: Steve Rogers (1-1)   Sv: Bob Welch (1)
Home runs:
LAD: Rick Monday (1)
MON: None
Attendance: Attendance: 36,491
Notes: Pitchers: LAD – Valenzuela, Welch (9)  MON – Burris, Rogers (9)
  • October 19, 1981: Blue Monday. In the decisive Game 5 of their only National League Championship Series, the Expos were defeated at home, 2–1, by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tim Raines opened the bottom of the first with a double against Cy Young Award-winning rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela and scored on an Andre Dawson double play ball. Valenzuela held the Expos scoreless the rest of the way, however, and the Dodgers tied the game at 1 in the top of the fifth with two hits, a wild pitch and an RBI ground out off Expo starter Ray Burris. The teams remained tied until the top of the ninth, when Expo manager Jim Fanning made a risky decision to relieve Burris with Game 3 winner Steve Rogers. Struggling closer Jeff Reardon was throwing alongside Rogers in the bullpen at the time, but Fanning elected to summon his ace. Rogers retired Steve Garvey and Ron Cey in order, but outfielder Rick Monday homered to put Los Angeles ahead, 2–1, and crush the Expos' hopes of advancing to the World Series. Two-out walks from Gary Carter and Larry Parrish were all that the Expos could muster in the 9th, as Bob Welch preserved the one-run Dodger victory. The Expos lost the NLCS, 3–2, and never returned to the postseason again until 2012 as the Washington Nationals.

Awards and honors

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52nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game

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All-Star Game

Farm system

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See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Denver Bears American Association Felipe Alou
AA Memphis Chicks Southern League Larry Bearnarth
A West Palm Beach Expos Florida State League Bob Bailey
A-Short Season Jamestown Expos New York–Penn League Pat Daugherty
Rookie Calgary Expos Pioneer League J. R. Miner

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Denver

References

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  1. ^ "Jack O'Connor Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Tony Bernazard Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Willie Montañez Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "Ken Macha Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "Ray Burris Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "Steve Carlton Stats & Facts". This Day in Baseball. December 29, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  7. ^ "John Tamargo Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Jeff Reardon Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "Mike Fuentes Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "Mark McGwire Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  11. ^ "Marvin Freeman Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Al Newman Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  13. ^ "1981 Montreal Expos". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  14. ^ "Stolen Bases Single Season National League Leaders". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved October 19, 2024.

Further reading

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  • Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
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