October 11, 1981
It was on this date in 1981 that
the Montreal Expos defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 in Game 5 of the
National League Division Series, to advance to the NLCS for the first and only
time in the franchise’s 36 years spent in Montreal.
Long before the current NLDS and
ALDS as we know it was around, the 1981 players strike necessitated a
best-of-five series between the first half division leaders (before the strike)
and the second half leaders (after). Philadelphia was the first half leaders
and Montreal the second half.
The first two games were played
in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, with the Expos winning both games by a score of
3-1. The Phillies would come back and win Game 3 (6-2) and Game 4 (6-5) setting
the stage for the fifth game held at Veterans Stadium.
The Expos scored two runs in the
top of the fifth when Montreal starting pitcher Steve Rogers, singled with the
bases loaded scoring Larry Parrish and Chris Speier. An RBI double by Parrish in
the sixth would make it 3-0. Rogers would go the distance for the win and the
shut out, getting the Phillies Manny Trillo to line out to first baseman Warren
Cromartie for the final out of the game. Click here to see the final two outs of the game.
The Expos would go on to lose
the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Including the eleven years
in Washington, the franchise has never been back to the Championship Series.
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