Blue Monday
In their sporadically brilliant, 36-year existence, the Montreal Expos never come as close to reaching the World Series as they do 42 years ago today.
Before a chilled, jacketed Monday afternoon crowd of 36,491 at Olympic Stadium – this is in the days before the stadium uses its roof – the Expos take an early 1-0 lead against Los Angeles and hold that lead for four-plus innings in the fifth and deciding game of the 1981 National League Championship Series.
The winner gets the New York Yankees in the World Series.
The Dodgers, though, tie the score at 1 in the fifth inning as Rick Monday – file away this name for later – scores from third on a groundout by Dodgers starting pitcher Fernando Valenzuela off Expos starter Ray Burris.
Neither offense does much over the next couple of innings before the Expos threaten Valenzuela in the bottom of the seventh, but to no avail, with the Dodgers doing the same to Burris in the top of the eighth.
The ninth inning, well, that is much different and today that inning remains a scar on the psyche of Expos fans old enough to remember.
With Burris done after eight innings, the Expos turn to Steve Rogers, the ace of their staff who over his first nine seasons is a starter in 290 of his 292 appearances in the major leagues.
Rogers makes his third relief appearance 42 years ago today and this one does finish well for the Expos.
Rogers begins the ninth inning well enough by quickly retiring Steve Garvey and Ron Cey on a pop-up to second baseman Rodney Scott and a flyout to left fielder Tim Raines.
Steve Rogers after the pitch
Rogers then falls behind 3-1 in the count to the next batter – the aforementioned Rick Monday.
His next pitch, a high fastball, never reaches catcher Gary Carter as Monday drives the ball over the wall in deep right-center for a 2-1 lead that soon becomes the final score.
“A lot of strange things happened to us in the playoffs,” Monday later tells Sports Illustrated, “but one of the strangest was that after I hit the ball, I didn’t know where the hell it was. When I saw the outfielders turn their backs and look over the wall, I knew.
“Then I almost fell down (running) between second and third.”
The Expos after the game
The Expos briefly rally in the bottom of the ninth with a pair of two-out walks to chase Valenzuela, but both their threat and their season end when reliever Bob Welch retires Jerry White on a pennant-clinching groundout to second baseman Davey Lopes.
The Dodgers then beat the Yankees in six games of the World Series for a title that might have gone to the Expos if not for Rick Monday, whose season-crushing homer ends a day forever known in Montreal as “Blue Monday.”
Rogers later says he envisions a different memory for the game, if only he could bring back that 3-1 fastball to Monday.
“If you wanted a script with a happy ending,” Rogers says, “I strike out Monday and we go on to score the winning run. But that’s not reality.”