Remembering the 1981 Expos: Part 5: The NLCS

The 1981 Expos

Part 5: The NLCS

Expos' left fielder Tim Raines

                After a thrilling five-game series against the Phillies, the Montreal Expos had only one day off before the National League Championship Series would begin at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The first two games of the series would be played in LA, while the last three (if all were necessary) would be played at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

                The Dodgers were no strangers to postseason, either, but unlike Philadelphia, Los Angeles had not had much success in the playoffs with their lineup. Led by hitters Steve Garvey, Dusty Baker, Bill Russell and Davey Lopes, and pitchers Fernando Valenzuela (a rookie), Burt Hooten and Bob Welch, the Dodgers had lost the World Series in 1977 and 1978 to the Yankees. In 1980, they had finished tied with the Houston Astros for the N.L. West title, and had lost the sudden-death playoff game. They were a team that was looking for some redemption.

                After pitching the NLDS-clinching game against Philadelphia, Expos’ ace Steve Rogers would not be available until the third game in Montreal. For Game 1, Bill Gullickson would pitch for the Expos while Burt Hooten would go for the Dodgers. Los Angeles won rather easily, by a 5-1 score. Montreal’s only run was scored in the top of the ninth on back-to-back doubles by Gary Carter and Larry Parrish.

                Hoping to avoid going to back to the Olympic Stadium down two games, Montreal turned to pitcher Ray Burris for Game 2. Valenzuela would counter for LA. While the Dodger left-hander had been phenomenal all throughout the 1981 season, Burris would outpitch him on this day. The Montreal hurler pitched a complete game shutout as the Expos won, 3-0, all three runs coming against Valenzuela.

                They would score two in the second on an RBI double by Warren Cromartie and an RBI single by Tim Raines, and add their third in the sixth on an RBI single by Gary Carter. The series was tied headed back to Montreal.

                And the Expos had Steve Rogers for the third game. After his brilliance of the NLDS, the Montreal fans were eagerly anticipating their ace to have his best stuff against the Dodgers, and they would see their team take a 2-1 lead in the series.

                Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth on an RBI ground out by Ron Cey. But the Expos exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Larry Parrish tied the game with a single, and then second baseman Jerry White—who hadn’t homered all year—belted a three-run shot to give Montreal a 4-1 lead. The score would hold up and the Expos were only one win away from a trip to the World Series.

                But the trip would have to wait as the Dodgers pounded Montreal in the fourth game by a score of 7-1. Gullickson started on the hill for the Expos and was the hard-luck loser. He only surrendered three of the runs, but a four-run ninth for LA ended any hopes for a comeback.

                Game 5 was scheduled for a Sunday afternoon, but the weather was so miserable in Montreal (very cold and snowing) that the game was postponed until the following day. This was back when there was no tarp being used as a make shift roof for the Olympic Stadium and the park was an outdoor facility.

Monday’s weather was not much warmer, but at least it wasn’t snowing. The cold, grey sky gave an ominous overtone for the game, but with the day off after Game 4, Montreal fans knew that their ace, Steve Rogers, would be available—if necessary—to come out of the bullpen. Rogers had been magnificent in the postseason, but didn’t have sufficient rest to be the starter. That duty would fall upon Ray Burris, who had been brilliant in Game 2 in beating Valenzuela. The two would square off again.

In the bottom of the first, Tim Raines led off with a double. Rodney Scott then tried to drop a sacrifice bunt to move Raines to third. But Scott ended up being safe at first. Two runners on and none out with Andre Dawson coming up. The Hawk had a chance to put his mark on the game and maybe drive Valenzuela out early. But Dawson hit into a double play and even though Raines scored to give Montreal a 1-0 lead, the rally was pretty much over.

 Burris made it through the first four innings shutting out the Dodgers, but they got to him in the fifth. With runners on second and third and one out, Valenzuela hit a slow ground ball to second. He was out, but the ball was hit slowly enough that there was no play at the plate and the runner from third scored, tying the game at one. From here on, it was a great pitching performance by both teams.

Neither team scored in the sixth, seventh or eighth. In the bottom of the eighth, Expos’ manager Jim Fanning had sent a pinch-hitter to bat for Burris meaning the right-hander was out of the game. For the top of the ninth, Fanning sent Rogers to face Los Angeles. In 26 2/3 innings in the playoffs thus far, Rogers had only given up two runs. He was the logical choice to pitch the ninth.

The first batter was Steve Garvey and Rogers got him to pop out to second. Next up was Ron Cey and he flew out to left. One more out and the Expos would have a chance to win it in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the ninth.

The batter was Rick Monday. The left-hander worked the count to his favour: three balls and one strike. The next pitch was one that Expos’ fans would lament for the rest of the franchise’s existence. Monday swung and drove a high fly ball to right centre field. As the crowd quieted, they, Rogers and the entire Expo team watched in disbelief as Monday’s fly ball cleared the wall. The Dodger bench erupted in celebration as they took a 2-1 lead.

Still, the Expos had one more chance as, with two out in the bottom of the ninth, Valenzuela walked two batters, putting the tying run in scoring position. Dodger manager, Tommy Lasorda, brought in Bob Welch to face Jerry White. The Montreal batter hit a weak ground ball to second. An easy throw over to first and it was all over. Montreal had come so close, but had failed to advance to the World Series.

They would never get another chance. This 1981 team would soon be disbanded as salary demands and free agency would see players like Carter, Dawson and Reardon join other clubs several years later. And when a new team was put together that looked set to make the playoffs and make a serious run at the World Series, another player’s strike ended that chance. The Montreal Expos would never see the postseason again.

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Top 25 All-time Blue Jays' Games: #1: Champions

#1: Finally, World Champions

Toronto Blue Jays (4) at Atlanta Braves (3)

Saturday, October 24, 1992

World Series, Game 6

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium

            I understand some may not agree with this game getting top billing over Joe Carter’s walk-off blast in 1993, but there’s no way you can ever replace the feeling of winning a World Series Championship for the first time. After the struggles the team had to get to top of the baseball world since 1985, the game in which the team finally achieved the big prize in 1992 must rank as the best in the history of the franchise, in my opinion.

            The 1992 World Series was completely different from the 1993 in that the former was a well-pitched series, with strong defense and timely hitting, while the latter was a slug-it-out contest. The Atlanta Braves, having lost the 1991 Series to the Minnesota Twins were looking for better results against Toronto. They got it in Game 1 with a 3-1 victory. Then Toronto took control of things with three straight victories (5-4, 3-2 and 2-1), but the Braves staved off elimination in Game 5 with a 7-2 victory.

            Game 6, in Atlanta, saw David Cone start on the mound for Toronto while Steve Avery would toe the rubber for the Braves, a re-match of Game 2 in which neither starter was around for a decision.

And the Jays got things going with a run in their first at bat. Devon White led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a ground out by Roberto Alomar. Next up was Joe Carter, who lofted a fly ball to David Justice in right field, where the Atlanta outfielder dropped it. White would have scored anyway on the sacrifice fly, but Carter was at second with one out on the error. After Dave Winfield walked, Avery was able to escape further damage by getting two ground ball outs to end the inning.

In Cone’s first inning of work, he yielded a two-out single to Terry Pendleton, but was able to get Justice on a pop-up to retire the side. The second inning was scoreless and Avery pitched himself into trouble in the third, allowing Alomar to get to third after a single, stolen bases and a ground out, but then got Carter on a fly ball and stranded Alomar on third.

Atlanta tied the game in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly off the bat Pendleton, scoring Deion Sanders. But Candy Maldonado restored the Blue Jays’ lead with a lead off home run in the top of the fourth. Then it was time for what I love most about baseball: pitching and solid defense.

Toronto would get a base runner in every inning, but never mounted a serious threat to score due to some solid pitching from Atlanta relief pitcher Pete Smith, who would pitch three innings (5-7) and allow three hits, but keep the deficit at one.

In the bottom of the sixth, Justice led off the inning with a line drive to right field that looked sure to be a base hit. But right-fielder Dave Winfield, primarily a designated hitter for the entire season, made a brilliant catch as he plowed into the outfield grass, digging up some turf.

An inning later, the Braves made a threat to tie the game. With Cone out of the game, replaced by Todd Stottlemyre, Atlanta’s centre fielder, Otis Nixon, singled with two out. A possessor of brilliant speed, Nixon had the ability to steal a base and get himself into scoring position. Toronto manager, Cito Gaston, brought in left-hander David Wells to keep Nixon close. As predicted, Nixon took off for second. But Toronto catcher Pat Borders, who had been having trouble throwing out would-be base stealers all series, threw a strike to Alomar at second base and Nixon was out.

The eighth was scoreless and the Jays failed to add to their lead in the top of the ninth. Gaston called on long-time closer, Tom Henke, to finish the game and give Toronto their first World Series Championship. But the man who had saved 217 games for the Blue Jays (still the club record) was unable to do the job in the game that mattered most.

Jeff Blauser led off the inning for Atlanta with a single and was sacrifice bunted to second. Henke then walked Lonnie Smith. Next up was Francisco Cabrera who drilled a pitch to left field that Maldonado mis-judged by coming in too quickly. However, he recovered and made a leaping catch for the second out, keeping the runners at first and second. Had he missed the ball, chances are that Atlanta would have won the game.

Nixon was back up and Henke quickly got two strikes on him. The Jays were now one strike away from being Champions. But Nixon singled into left field. Blauser raced home as Maldonado attempted to throw him out at the plate. But his throw sailed over the head of Borders and had Henke not been backing up the play, Smith would have scored the winning run. But the game remained tied at two as Ron Gant flew out to White in centre field to send the game to extra innings.

The tenth proved uneventful. On to the eleventh where the Braves brought in relief pitcher Charlie Liebrandt. With one out, White was hit by a pitch and Alomar singled putting runners at first and second. After Carter hit a fly ball for the second out, Winfield came to the plate with a chance to be a hero.

Winfield worked Liebrandt to a full count. Then, with the runners moving on the pitch, Winfield ripped the ball down into the left field corner. White and Alomar easily scored. The Jays had a 4-2 lead and Fulton County Stadium was silent. Again, the Jays were only three outs away from the Championship.

Long-time Blue Jay Jimmy Key was on the mound for Toronto. Key, who had been the starting pitcher in Game 4 and pitched magnificently for the victory, had relieved Henke in the 10^th inning. Blauser, leading off the inning, again singled to get a rally going. Damon Berryhill was the next batter and he hit a ball to shortstop Alfredo Griffin that looked like a sure double-play ball. But the ball took a funny hop as it got to Griffin and bounded off his glove into left field, Blauser advancing to third.

A sacrifice bunt moved John Smoltz (pinch running for Berryhill) to second. Brian Hunter then hit a ground ball to Joe Carter at first, who stepped on the bag for the second out. Blauser scored, Smoltz advanced to third, but the Jays were (again) one out away from winning. But the batter was Nixon, who’s slap single in the ninth had tied the game.

What happened next was probably the most brilliant piece of managing in Cito Gaston’s career. Knowing that Nixon’s speed was his biggest asset, and that the tying run was on third rather than second, Gaston assumed Nixon might try to bunt for a base hit and a late throw to first would score Smoltz from third. But Nixon was a better at bunting from the left side of the plate and he would be batting right-handed against the left-handed Key.

So Gaston brought in right-hander Mike Timlin to get Nixon to bunt from the left side. Sure enough, on the second pitch, Nixon dropped down a bunt. As Smoltz raced for the plate, Timlin, calmly, pounced on the ball and threw to first base. Joe Carter snagged the ball and Nixon was a step and a half too late. The game was over. The Blue Jays were Champions.

As I did in the 1993 World Series post, here’s the play-by-play from radio broadcaster Tom Cheek on the final play:

Timlin to the belt... Pitch on the way... And there's a bunted ball, first base side, Timlin to Carter and the Blue Jays win it! The Blue Jays win it! The Blue Jays are World Series Champions!

Click here to see Winfield's World Series clinching hit.

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Top 25 All-time Blue Jays' Games: #2: "Touch 'em all, Joe!"

#2: “Touch ‘em all, Joe”

Philadelphia Phillies (6) at Toronto Blue Jays (8)

Saturday, October 23, 1993

World Series, Game 6

SkyDome

            Everyone has seen the footage a million times. Joe Carter slugging a three-run home run over the left-field wall at SkyDome off of Phillies’ closer, Mitch Williams, to give the Blue Jays a walk-off win in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, the second—and to date, last—time the World Series has ended on a home run. But the game itself was a roller coaster of emotions for the Jays and their fans, with the home team dominating the first six innings, the Phillies the next two, and then the rally in the bottom of the ninth.

            It was a high scoring World Series, with Toronto winning games 1, 3 and 4 by scores of 8-5, 10-3 and 15-14, and the Phillies winning Game 2, 6-4, and Game 5—the only pitchers’ duel of the Series—by a score of 2-0. For the sixth game, Toronto would go to their post-season ace, Dave Stewart while Philadelphia would have Terry Mulholland on the hill.

            After Stewart retired the Phillies in the first without much trouble, the Jays quickly jumped all over Mulholland in their first at bat. With one out, centre-fielder Devon White walked. Then designated hitter, Paul Molitor, tripled to the wall in right-centre to score White. Right-fielder, Joe Carter, then hit a sacrifice fly to score Molitor. Toronto was ahead, 2-0. But the Jays didn’t stop there. A double by first baseman John Olerud was followed by an RBI single by second baseman Roberto Alomar and the lead was up to three.

            The two teams traded zeros in the second and third, but the Phillies finally scratched a run off Stewart in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Jim Eisenreich. But Toronto quickly got that back in their half of the inning when Alomar scored on a sacrifice fly by third baseman, Ed Sprague. Then Molitor would hit a solo home run in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-1.

            Meanwhile, Stewart was in control on the mound. While he allowed baserunners in almost every inning—the second and sixth, he got he Phils in order—he easily pitched himself out of trouble, allowing only the one run in the fourth. The way he was pitching, and with Toronto tacking on runs, it looked like a foregone conclusion that the Jays would be winning their second straight World Championship by the end of the evening.

            That is until the top of the seventh, when Stewart faltered slightly and the bullpen couldn’t help him out. He gave up a walk and a single to start the inning, then surrendered a three-run home run to Phillies’ centre fielder, Lenny Dykstra, who was having an MVP-type World Series. For the Series, Dykstra would have a .348 average, hit four home runs, add eight RBIS, seven walks and score nine runs.

            With the score now 5-4, Toronto manager Cito Gaston, removed Stewart from the came in favour of relief pitcher Danny Cox. But Cox would have his own troubles, giving up a single, a stolen base, then another single sandwiched around an out to tie the game at five. Then he would surrender a walk and an infield hit to load the bases.

            Cox was taken out in favour of Al Leiter, who got the first batter he faced, Pete Incaviglia, to fly out. But Incaviglia’s fly ball was deep enough to score Mariano Duncan from third to give the Phillies a 6-5 lead, stunning the Toronto crowd. Leiter would get out of the inning without anymore damage, and then would yield only a walk with no runs in the eighth.

            The Jays’ batters, after their outburst in the first half of the game, seemed to be struggling now that the Phillies had taken the lead. The went down in order in the seventh. In the eighth, two walks and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, but they were unable to get anyone in. It was on to the ninth and the Phillies were looking to tie the Series and send it to a seventh game.

            In the top half of the ninth, Toronto closer Duane Ward got the Phillies in order to keep the deficit at one, giving the Jays’ bats one more chance to tie, or perhaps win the game to capture the World Series. They would be facing Philadelphia’s closer, Mitch Williams, who despite his success in the regular season, was having a horrible job in the post season, having blown a save in Game 4.

            Toronto’s left-fielder, Rickey Henderson, stepped in to face Williams to lead of the inning. As the reliever went into the stretch, Henderson asked for time and stepped out of the box. Home plate umpire, Dana DeMuth, granted the request but Williams didn’t see it. He kicked up his leg to throw the first pitch. Henderson back-pedaled quickly to get out of the way of any wild throw Williams might uncork. DeMuth and Phillies’ catcher Darren Daulton did likewise.

It’s hard to say if that little scene unsettled Williams, but he then proceeded to walk Henderson on four pitches. The tying run was on base and the winning run was at the plate. Devon White then made the first out when he sent a fly ball into the glove of Incaviglia. Next up for Toronto was Molitor, who lined a base hit up the middle, moving Henderson into scoring position and bringing Carter to the plate.

Williams quickly fell behind Carter in the count, two balls and no strikes. After Carter fouled off a pitch, he swung badly at a pitch that was low and would have been ball three. Williams came set and delivered the fifth pitch of the at bat. Seconds later, SkyDome was bursting in celebration as Carter’s line drive cleared the left field fence for the dramatic three-run walk-off home run. Toronto won the game 8-6 and the World Series four games to two.

No doubt, if you’re a Blue Jays’ fan, you’ve seen the hi-lights of Carter leaping in the air as he approached first base, losing his batting helmet, then running around the bases with his fist pumping as fireworks exploded and his Blue Jays’ teammates and over-exuberate fans flooded the field. Toronto had won back-to-back World Series championships, the first team to do so since the New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978. Since Carter’s blast, only one other team has managed to repeat as champions and that was again the Yankees who did it three years in a row, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Paul Molitor was the Series MVP with a .500 batting average, two homers, two triples, eight RBIs and ten runs scored. Duane Ward was the winning pitcher of the deciding game, bringing his career World Series win/loss total to 3-0, with a 1.13 ERA.

And yes, of course I will close the memories of this game with the play-by-play call of long-time Blue Jays’ radio broadcaster Tom Cheek: (click here for the audio.)

Two balls and two strikes on him. Here's the pitch on the way. A swing and a belt! Left field ... way back ... BLUE JAYS WIN IT! The Blue Jays are World Series Champions, as Joe Carter hits a three-run home run in the ninth inning and the Blue Jays have repeated as World Series Champions! Touch 'em all, Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!

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Top 25 All-time Blue Jays' Games: #3: Alomar Stuns Eckersley, 1992

#3: Alomar’s HR caps dramatic comeback, 1992

Toronto Blue Jays (7) at Oakland Athletics (6)

Sunday, October 11, 1992

ALCS Game 4

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

            In 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays went to the postseason for the fourth time, but this was the first time the team really believed they were good enough to win it all. While this version of the team was vastly different than the two that won division titles in the 1980s, the disappointment from 1991 still resonated around the club. They were supposed to be favourites to beat Minnesota in the ALCS but lost in five games.

            But things would be different in 1992. Although the postseason didn’t get off to the start the Blue Jays and their fans would have liked following a 4-3 loss in Game 1 of the ALCS. They quickly rebounded to take the next two games (3-1 and 7-5) to set up the biggest game (to this point) in the team’s history. This would be a chance to take a firm hold in the ALCS over the Oakland A’s and they had their big free agent signee, Jack Morris, on the mound. Oakland would counter with Bob Welch.

            Toronto would score first, in the top of the second, on a solo home run by John Olerud. Everything looked okay as the game headed to the bottom of the third. But that’s when the wheels seemed to fall off. An RBI single by Rickey Henderson, a sac fly by Ruben Sierra, a double by Harold Baines, a bases loaded walk to Terry Steinbach and a single to Carney Lansford, and all of sudden Morris and the Jays were trailing 5-1.

            Things weren’t looking any better when the Jays failed to score in the fourth, fifth and sixth, and Oakland extended their lead to 6-1 in the bottom of the sixth when Sierra doubled in Henderson. And as the outs ticked by, it looked like the series would be tied at two at the conclusion of the game.

            Leading off the top of the eighth, second baseman Roberto Alomar doubled to right field. Alomar then attempted to steal third to provide a spark for a Toronto rally. He was successful and then scored on an RBI single by right fielder Joe Carter to make the score 6-2. Next up was designated hitter Dave Winfield who also singled, moving Carter to third base. First baseman John Olerud had yet another single, scoring Carter making the score 6-3. A fourth consecutive single, this time off the bat of left-fielder Candy Maldonado, scored Winfield and the deficit was now only two runs, at 6-4.

            Oakland manager, Tony LaRussa, decided to bring in his All-Star closer—and future Hall-of-Famer—Dennis Eckersley, to put out the fire and tie the series. Eckersley escaped further damage in the eighth by getting Kelly Gruber to fly out, Pat Borders to ground out, and striking out Ed Sprague, leaving the tying Toronto runners on second and third.

            Coming off the mound, Eckersley turned to the Toronto dugout and, in a gesture of unprofessionalism, pumped his fist and shouted at the Blue Jays players. He more or less was saying that the Jays couldn’t touch him for any runs.

            But the momentum was in Toronto’s favour and after Oakland went down in the eighth, leaving two baserunners of their own, the Jays looked to complete the comeback. But they would have to face Eckersley again. The Oakland veteran had just completed a season that would reward him with not only the Cy Young Award, but also the League’s Most Valuable Player Award. Here was a pitcher that was so good, that even though he only pitched maybe four or five innings a week, was still dominant enough to be voted the best player in the American League.

            Toronto had the top of the order up in the ninth and centre-fielder Devon White quickly started another Jays’ scoring threat when hit a line drive single to left field. That brought up Alomar, and we all know what happened. Alomar and Eckersley battled to a two and two count. After Alomar fouled off a pitch, he hammered the fifth pitch from Eckersley over the right-field fence for a game-tying two-run homer, stunning the Oakland reliever and the A’s fans, while cementing his own legacy for the Toronto Blue Jays’ franchise. (Watch the home run by clicking here.)

            However, the moment of glory almost ended abruptly in the bottom of the ninth. With Duane Ward on to pitch for the Jays, Oakland put the winning run on third base with only one out. A’s catcher, Terry Steinbach, hit a ground ball to Alomar. Eric Fox, the runner at third, took off for the plate in an attempt to win the game. Alomar’s throw was perfect to Borders who applied the tag. Fox was out, and the game continued.

            The tenth proved uneventful and the Jays came to bat in the top of the eleventh. Derek Bell walked to lead off the inning, moved to third on a single by Maldonado, then scored one out later on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Borders. Toronto had the lead, 7-6.

            On to close the game was long-time Toronto pitcher, Tom Henke. Although he surrendered a one-out single, Henke was able to get three fly ball outs from Oakland to end the game and give Toronto a three games to one lead in the series.

            The comeback, jump-started the Jays on their way to the World Series. It was this game that proved this Toronto club was different than the previous three that had failed in their attempt to win a pennant.

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Top 25 All-time Blue Jays' Games: #4: World Series Slugfest, 1993

#4: Jays and Phils slug it out at The Vet, 1993

Toronto Blue Jays (15) at Philadelphia Phillies (14)

Wednesday, October 20, 1993

World Series Game 4

Veterans Stadium

            This is perhaps the wildest postseason game in World Series history, let alone Blue Jays’ postseason history. It featured 29 runs, 32 hits, surprisingly no errors, 11 pitchers, a downpour, hilarious base running by a pitcher and a comeback for the ages. And a scoreless ninth inning (the only inning that was scoreless).

            The Jays came into the World Series as defending champions, having beaten the Atlanta Braves in the Fall Classic in 1992. The lineup was somewhat different with Dave Winfield, Candy Maldonado, Manuel Lee, David Cone, Jimmy Key and Tom Henke having departed, replaced by Paul Molitor, Rickey Henderson, Tony Fernandez, Pat Hentgen, Dave Stewart and Al Leiter.

            The Phillies meanwhile, were in the World Series for the first time since they lost to Baltimore in 1983. They were an unlikely choice to win the National League East, and then upset the heavily-favoured Atlanta Braves in the NLCS in six games.

            The teams had split the first two games in Toronto, the Jays taking the first by a score of 8-5, with the Phillies winning the second, 6-4. The third game, in Philadephia, had been all Toronto as they cruised to a 10-3 victory. And that brings us to the fourth game, with Toronto looking to take a 3-1 stranglehold lead on the series, while Philly was looking to even the series at two games a piece.

            Todd Stottlemyre started on the mound for the Jays while Tommy Greene would take the ball for the Phillies. Needless to say, neither of them was around very long.

            For the third time in the series, Toronto scored three times in their first at bat. Left-fielder, Henderson, led off the game with a double, followed by a walk to centre-fielder, Devon White. One out later, right-fielder Joe Carter singled to load the bases. After Greene settled down to pick up the second out on a harmless pop fly, he then walked Molitor to put Toronto ahead 1-0. Shortstop, Fernandez, would then single to right scoring White and Carter to make the score 3-0.

            But Stottlemyre had control problems in the bottom of the first. He walked the bases loaded. Then with two out and a chance to get out of the inning, he walked Jim Eisenreich, scoring Lenny Dykstra, making the score 3-1. The next Phillies batter, Milt Thompson, got the first hit off of the Toronto right-hander. It was a line drive into the gap in left-centre field and would end up being a three-run triple and giving Philadelphia a 4-3 lead.

            The top of the second is where we have our calamity. Stottlemyre led off the inning with a walk. His unfamiliarity on the base paths would show itself two outs later when he tried to go from first to third on a single by second baseman, Roberto Alomar. His awkward strides made every Blue Jay fan cringe, but even worse was his belly flop into third base. Out by a mile, Stottlemyre added insult to injury when he split his chin open when his head hit the ground during his slide. While concussion protocols weren’t what they are today back in 1993, it was obvious Stottlemyre wasn’t quite right when he took to the mound in the bottom of the second.

            He would give up a single to the first batter he faced, Greene, bringing Dykstra to the plate. Lenny wasted no time belting the second pitch of the at bat down the right field line and over the wall for a two-run homer, making the score 6-3 for the Phillies.

            The Jays got another rally going in the top of the third. With one out, first baseman John Olerud walked and moved to second when Molitor singled to right. Fernandez would pick up his second hit of the game, another single to right, scoring Olerud and moving Molitor to third. Catcher Pat Borders would add yet another single, scoring Molitor to make the score 6-5.

At this point, Green was out of the game, replaced by Roger Mason. One out later, Henderson would walk to load the bases. Up came Devon White, and he proceeded to wrap another single, scoring Fernandez and Rob Butler (who had pinched hit for Stottlemyre and had grounded into a force play.) The Jays had taken the lead, 7-6, and the game was only still in the third.

The Phillies would tie the game in the fourth and then appear to blow the game wide open with a five-run fifth inning, high-lighted by a pair of two-run home runs, the first by Darren Daulton, the second by Dykstra, his second of the game. The most memorable part of Dykstra’s second home run was that after he had hit it, the steady drizzle that had been falling on this cold Philadelphia night, turned into a downpour, as if Dykstra’s blast had punched a whole in the heavens: 12-7 Phillies.

But if anyone thought the Jays were done, they were wrong, in the top of the sixth, an RBI single by Alomar and an RBI ground out by Fernandez cut the lead to 12-9. But the Phils got one back in the bottom of the inning and added another in the seventh for a 14-9 lead. Now they needed only six outs to tie the series.

Cue the comeback in the eighth. With one out, Carter singled and Olerud walked. Molitor then hit a double to score Carter (14-10) and put runners on second and third. That brought Phillies closer, Mitch Williams, into the game. The wild left-hander, who always had the Phillies’ fans’ hearts in their throats whenever he pitched, would try and get a five-out save.

Williams would surrender an RBI single to Fernandez (scoring Olerud to make it 14-11), walk Borders to load the bases, but then strike out pinch-hitter Ed Sprague for the second out. Rickey Henderson would then single to centre, driving in Molitor and Fernandez, making the score 14-13. Next in the batter’s box was Devon White, and Williams quickly had a one ball and two strike count against the Toronto centre-fielder.

On the next pitch, the comeback would be complete as White hit a line drive into the gap in right centre that Dykstra had trouble tracking down due to poor footing on the wet AstroTurf. The ball bounced all the way to the wall. Borders scored. Henderson raced all the way around from first to score and White made it to third with a triple. The scoreboard now read: Toronto-15, Philadephia-14. The Phillies and their fans were stunned. The Blue Jays were ecstatic.

Still, Toronto still had to get six more defensive outs before Philly scored again but the way things were going on this night, it wouldn’t be easy. Reliever Mike Timlin struck out the only two batters he faced before giving way to closer Duane Ward. The man who had replaced Tom Henke at the back of the Toronto bull pen, struck out Dykstra to end the eighth, then got the Phillies’ batters one-two-three in the ninth—the last out settling in the glove of Carter in right field—and Toronto had won the wildest game in World Series history, 15-14, and had taken a three games to one lead in the World Series.

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This Day In Blue Jays' History: September 25, 2003

This Day in Blue Jays’ History: September 25, 2003

                It was on this day in 2003 that Toronto Blue Jays’ first baseman, Carlos Delgado, became the first—and to date, only—player in the club’s history to hit four home runs in one game. The four dingers came in a 10-8 over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at SkyDome in Toronto and gave Delgado 41 on the season.

                Delgado didn’t waste any time, swatting his first home run in the first inning, a three-run shot (which, incidentally was his 300th career home run) with Frank Catalanotto and Vernon Wells on base, off of Tampa starter Jorge Sosa, giving Toronto a 3-0 lead. His second homer wouldn’t come until the fourth, when he led off with a blast off of Sosa again, that made the score 4-1 in favour of the Blue Jays.

                When he came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, Toronto had surrendered the lead as the Rays had just scored five in the top of the inning. But Delgado’s third tater of the day, another solo shot, tied the game at six. This home run was off of Tampa’s Joe Kennedy.

                Delgado would hit home run number four in the bottom of the eighth, leading off again—his third home run leading off the inning—and tie the game at eight. Tampa’s reliever Lance Carter would surrender the fourth homer. The Jays would score two more runs in the inning for the final 10-8 score. (Watch all four of Delgado's home runs here)

                Delgado would finish the 2003 season with 42 home runs, an American League-leading 145 RBIs and a .302 batting average. He would also win a Silver Slugger Award.

                Interesting of note, Toronto’s current pitching coach, Pete Walker, was the starting pitcher for the Jays in this game. He pitched five innings, gave up three runs, walked one and struck out two.

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From the Ex to the Dome, It's a Blue Jays' Seventh Inning Tradition

                The official theme song for the Toronto Blue Jays is one of my oldest memories of baseball. Anyone who has followed the Jays for any length of time is familiar with the “Ok, Ok, Blue Jays” seventh-inning stretch routine. Over the years, there have been various attempts to re-do the song. Compared with the original, they’re all horrible.

                But the fact that the Blue Jays have been using this song, in one variation or another, for more than 30 years is testament to how popular—along with the actions—this seventh inning tradition is. And what’s more, it provides a refreshing alternative to the standard, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at other parks around the Major Leagues.

                Don’t get me wrong, “Take Me Out” is also a great baseball tune, but it’s always been nice to have a unique tradition at Exhibition Stadium and SkyDome (Rogers Centre) that’s truly Toronto’s.

                But believe it or not, “Ok, Ok, Blue Jays” was not the first theme song for the club. I actually discovered this song while doing research on the “Ok, Ok” and am pretty sorry I did. It’s quite bad and typical 70s pop music. Have a listen here, and I hope you can make it to the end—I didn’t.

                Now, as for “Ok, Ok”, that song was written in 1982 by Jack Lenz and Tony Kosinec, and preformed by Keith Hampshire and The Bat Boys. It was released in 1983 and charted as high as 47 on RPM Magazine’s Singles List. (RPM was a Canadian Music Magazine that was published from 1964 until 2000). By 1985, the single had sold 50,000 copies and was certified Gold.

                While the theme and chorus are catchy and will make any fan try out the actions at a Jays’ game, there’s also a few stories to the lyrics in the verses. Blue Jays’ president, Paul Beeston, wanted something that drove up enthusiasm for the team, but didn’t promise too much considering the team had never finished out of the basement since its inception in 1977. It basically outlines what to expect at a baseball game, most likely for the benefit of younger kids just getting into the game.

                There are references that are perfect for 1982 and 1983. The seagull “coming in from the Lake, just to catch the game” is one hundred percent Exhibition Stadium. The old Ex was always swarming with the birds (not too many drop into the Rogers Centre) and while at times they were a nuisance, they could also provide some entertainment if the game got a little one-sided.

                Another reference is to the Jays’ ace pitcher, Dave Stieb. Although still young, Stieb was rounding into form and was showing signs of being a dominant pitcher for years to come. The line “Dave’s put down a smoker, a strike, and you’ve got no doubt” is in reference to him.

Billy Martin, the long time on-again, off-again manager of the New York Yankees is even mentioned. In 1982, Martin was managing the Oakland Athletics and is mentioned in the line “We’ll beat the A’s so bad, gonna make Billy blue.” Unfortunately, by the time the song was released in 1983, Martin had been let go by Oakland and was back with the Yankees.

All things considered, “Ok, Ok, Blue Jays” has been an important part of the history of the Blue Jays. Please click here to listen to the original version of the song. And below are the complete lyrics.

You’ve got a diamond.

You’ve got nine men.

You’ve got a hat, and a bat, and that’s not all.

You got the bleachers, got ’em from spring ’til fall.

You got a dog, and a drink, and an umpire’s call.

What do you want?

Let’s play ball.

Is that a fly ball, or is it a seagull?

Coming in, from the lake, just to catch the game.

It’s the last inning, our guys are winning.

Dave’s put down a smoker, a strike and you got no doubt. You’re out.

What do you want?

Let’s play ball.

OK, OK Blue Jays, Blue Jays!

Let’s, Let’s Play, Play Ball!

It’s a beautiful evening, fans.

At the ballpark, when the game starts.

Warm summer breezes, sun’s going down.

It’s all dark at the ballpark.

That’s OK, it’s a night game.

OK, OK Blue Jays, Blue Jays!

Let’s, Let’s Play, Play Ball!

OK, OK Blue Jays, Blue Jays!

Let’s, Let’s Play, Play Ball!

Bring on the White Sox.

Bring on the BoSox.

Bring on the Angels, the Rangers, and the Yankees too.

We’ll beat the Indians.

We’ll beat the Tigers.

We’ll beat the A’s so bad it’ll make Billy Blue.

What do you want?

Let’s play ball.

OK, OK Blue Jays, Blue Jays!

Let’s, Let’s Play, Play Ball!

OK, OK Blue Jays, Blue Jays!

Let’s, Let’s Play, Play Ball!

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This Day In Blue Jays' History: September 23, 2010

This Day in Blue Jays’ History: September 23, 2010

                It was on this day in 2010 that Toronto Blue Jays’ right-fielder Jose Bautista became the first player in the history of the franchise to hit 50 home runs in one season. His solo blast in the bottom of the first against Seattle Mariners’ right-hander, Felix Hernandez, was the only run of the day in a 1-0 Blue Jays victory at the Rogers Centre. Unfortunately, with the Jays being in fourth place and 14 ½ game behind, only 12,590 fans were in attendance to witness this piece of history.

                The previous season record for home runs was 47, which was accomplished by George Bell back in in 1987. Bautista would finish the season with 54, leading the American League. That total is still the club record and no other Jays’ player—to date—has reached 50 homers in a season.

                After Bautista and Bell, the remainder of the Jays’ top five leader board in single-season home runs features Jose Canseco, who pounded out 46 round-trippers in his only season with Toronto in 1998, Carlos Delgado who knocked 44 out of the park in 1999, and Bautista again with 43 long balls in 2011.

                Bautista is currently second on the career home run list for Toronto with 262, trailing Carlos Delgado by quite a bit. Delgado finished his Toronto career with 336. Considering 2016 is most likely Bautista last year with the Jays, Delgado’s mark should be safe for some time.

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Remembering the 1981 Expos: Part 4: The NLDS

The 1981 Expos

Part 4: The NLDS

Montreal ace Steve Rogers

                After a split season due to the MLBPA’s strike, the Montreal Expos would face the Philadelphia Phillies in the first NLDS series to decide the National League East champion (the Los Angeles Dodgers would face the Houston Astros in the N.L. West version of the NLDS). The Phillies had been in first place prior to the work stoppage and the Expos had finished atop the division in the second half.

                For the Phillies, it was old hat. They had survived the pressure of the postseason and had won the World Series in 1980. Along the way, they had beaten the Expos for the division title on the second last day of the season, took care of the Astros in five games in the NLCS (the LCS were best-of-five series back then) and then defeated the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. The Phillies were led by Pete Rose, Gary Matthews, Larry Bowa and Mike Schmidt on offense, and had a pitching staff that included Steve Carlton, Larry Christenson and closer Tug McGraw.

                For the young Expos, they would depend on outfielders Andre Dawson and Tim Raines, first baseman Warren Cromartie, third baseman Larry Parrish and catcher Gary Carter. Steve Rogers was the ace of their pitching staff with Jeff Reardon as the shutdown reliever.

                The first two games were scheduled to be played in the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. It was important that the Expos got off to a good start in the series as the last three games would be played in Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

                Game 1 was a battle of the team’s aces as Carlton went head-to-head with Rogers to open the playoffs. The Montreal right-hander would allow ten hits in 8 2/3 innings pitched, but the only run he allowed was a solo homer to Mitch Moreland leading off the second inning. The Expos, meanwhile, had already scored their first run in their first at bat when Carter doubled in Jerry White.

                The Expos would score again in the bottom of the second to take the lead when a double by shortstop Chris Speier plated right-fielder Tim Wallach. And it would be another RBI double by Cromartie—this time in the fourth inning—that scored Speier to give Montreal a 3-1 lead.

                That was all the scoring that would happen in the game. After Rogers surrendered two singles with two out in the ninth, Reardon came into the game and got the final out to preserve the win. Montreal took the game 3-1 and led the NLDS one game to none.

                The second game in Montreal would feature another great pitching performance. Bill Gullickson would throw for the Expos while Philly countered with Dick Ruthven. Montreal would jump out to a 3-0 lead when Speier singled in Parrish in the second, and Carter hit a two-run home run in the third. Ruthven only lasted four innings, but the Phillies relief pitchers would shutout the Expos the rest of the way.

                Gullickson would only give up one run, that coming in the eighth inning when Pete Rose singled in Lonnie Smith. Reardon would enter the game and record his second save, pitching the final 1 1/3 innings and Montreal had a 2-0 lead in the series, needing only one of the three games at the Vet to advance to the National League Championship Series.

                But the Phillies weren’t going to go quietly. The battle-hardened group of players won the third game by a score of 6-2 and then tied the series with a 6-5 walk-off win in the fourth game that needed extra innings. Philadelphia had built a 4-0 lead, but Montreal would eventually tie the game at five before George Vukovich hit a pinch-hit home run off of Reardon leading off the bottom of the tenth.

                And that brings us to the fifth and deciding game. The winner would advance to the NLCS to play the Dodgers while the loser would be left to think about what might have been. It was a pitching rematch of the first game as Steve Rogers would battle Steve Carlton. While both teams would threaten at various times in the first four innings, the game was scoreless going to the fifth.

                In the top of the fifth, the Expos loaded the bases with one out. Pitcher Steve Rogers was at the plate, looking to help his own cause. He did just that with a single up the middle that scored Larry Parrish and Chris Speier for a 2-0 lead. The Expos would add another in the sixth when Parrish doubled in Andre Dawson to make the score 3-0.

                While the Expos were putting runs on the board, Rogers was making life difficult for the Philly hitters. He would pitch brilliantly, striking out only two batters, and allowing six hits. The Expos took the 3-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but rather than bring in the closer, Reardon, to finish the game, Montreal manager Jim Fanning left Rogers in to finish it himself.

                Mike Schmidt was the first batter for Philadelphia in their last attempt to defend their title, and he flew out to Dawson in centre. Next up was Gary Matthews and he lined out to Raines in left. The Phils’ last hope was Manny Trillo, and when his line drive was snagged by Cromartie at first, it was over. The Expos had won the series, their first, and would advance to play the Dodgers in the NLCS. While the NLDS did not have a series MVP like the LCS and World Series, Rogers was clearly the hero. In his two games, both victories, he threw 17 2/3 innings, allowed 16 hits, and only one run for a 0.51 ERA.

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Top 25 All-time Blue Jays' Games: #5: Jays Win First Division Title, 1985

#5: Alexander pitches Jays to first A.L. East title, 1985

New York Yankees (1) at Toronto Blue Jays (5)

Saturday, October 5, 1985

Exhibition Stadium

            After being swept by Detroit in Tiger Stadium, the Jays headed back to Toronto for a three-game series with the New York Yankees. Toronto had a three-game lead and only needed to take one from New York to win the American League East. If the Yanks swept the series, a one-game playoff would take place in Yankee Stadium on Monday, October 7.

            It looked like the division would be clinched on the Friday night as Toronto took a 3-2 lead into the top of the ninth. But the Yankees scored two to take a 4-3 lead, then held on in the bottom of the ninth to take the first game. The lead was down to two games.

            So on a cloudy, Toronto afternoon at old Exhibition Stadium, the Jays turned to Doyle Alexander, a Yankee castoff whom Toronto had picked up in 1983, to stop the four-game losing streak and clinch the division. New York would have Joe Cowley on the mound to try and close the gap down to one game.

            After Alexander retired the Yankees in the first, the Jays had the opportunity to take the lead but after centre fielder Lloyd Moseby stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error, he was stranded there as designated hitter Al Oliver was unable to drive him home.

            In the bottom of the second, after New York had only managed a single off of Alexander in the top half, Jays’ catcher Ernie Whitt put Toronto on the scoreboard first with two-out home run to right field to make the score 1-0.

            Toronto added to their lead in the next inning when with one out, Moseby and first baseman Willie Upshaw hit back-to-back home runs to increase the lead to 3-0. Two batters later, left fielder George Bell hit a sacrifice fly to centre field to score Oliver and it looked like the rout was on: 4-0.

            The Yankees scratched a run across in the top of the fourth when Dave Winfield singled in Ken Griffey to make the score 4-1, but Toronto answered that run in the bottom of the inning when shortstop Tony Fernandez doubled, and was driven home on an RBI single by second baseman Damaso Garcia. The lead was 5-1.

            From that point on, Alexander was the story of the game. He allowed a single in the fifth and another in the sixth but then retired the Yankees in order in both the seventh and the eighth. The Jays meanwhile, seemed either content with their lead or were getting a bit nervous about clinching the division as the innings wilted away for New York.

            As the Yankees came to bat for their last chance in the top of the ninth, Alexander returned to mound to finish what he had started. But he would have to do so against New York’s three, four and five hitters. First up for New York was Don Mattingly. Alexander got to ground a ball to Upshaw, who stepped on the first base bag for the first out.

            Then it was Dave Winfield who hit a fly ball to left field where George Bell was waiting to catch it for the second out. There was now one out to go. This was the same position Toronto had been in the previous night. Only needing one out then watching the victory slip away.

            But on this day, it felt different. The lead was four runs, not one. Alexander, the former Yankee, had something to prove to his former teammates. The crowd of 44,608 could sense that this was finally their moment. After suffering through six straight last place seasons to start the franchise—including three straight 100-loss campaigns in the late 1970s—and from being so close in 1983 and 1984, everything was about to change.

            Everyone anticipated this as Yankee catcher Ron Hassey stepped into the box to face Alexander. As the crowd roared in anticipation, Hassey swung at Alexander’s pitch and lofted a fly ball to shallow left field. Bell moved into position, caught the ball and then fell to his knees as the wind blew the cap off his head. He threw his arms up in celebration and then accepted the high-five from Fernandez.

            The infield was a mob scene. Alexander was hoisted onto his teammates shoulders as fans spilled onto the field. He doffed his cap, a big smile forming beside the cheek filled with the wad of chewing tobacco.

            While some may see this as only the first division title, this game set the expectations high for the Blue Jays’ organization. Their failure in the postseason aside, this victory proved Toronto was a legitimate threat and they would be so for the next eight seasons, winning four more division titles, two A.L. pennants and two World Series. In the four seasons they didn’t win the East, they were only two games out of first place each of those years but one (1986).

            Although the names would change over the next decade, the winning attitude didn’t.

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