2 for 1 Piazza

April 24th 1994,

The Expos took an early lead tonight against the Dodgers, but Los Angeles, led by Mike Piazza’s bat, ran away with the win.

After consecutives single by Marquis Grissom and Mike Lansing, the first two hitters of the game, Moises Alou produced his 9th run of the season with a sacrifice fly against Pedro Astacio. Montreal would double their lead in the second when Cliff Floyd pushed Wil Cordero home with a double.

The Dodgers would even the score in the bottom of the 2nd when Cory Snyder produced 2 runs with a double. Eric Karros and Raul Mondesi crossed the plate on the play.

Montreal took the lead back in the 3rd with a two outs single by Darrin Fletcher that pushed Alou to the plate.

Then, it was time for the Piazza show. As the 1st batter of the 6th, Piazza sent Butch Henry deep to even the game at 3. Then, against Gil Heredia in the 7th with two men on bases with 2 outs, Piazza belted his second long ball in as many innings to give the Dodgers a 3 points lead. The Dodgers would never look back.

The Expos ended this 10 games west coast road trip with a record of 7-3.

Game Line
MON 111 000 000 3 8 0
LAD 020 001 30x 6 9 1

WP: Jim Gott
LP: Gil Heredia (1-1)
S: Todd Worrell
2B: Floyd 2 (2), Wallach, Mondesi
HR: Piazza 2

Mike Piazza was the big star of the game with 2 homeruns and 4 RBIs:












NL East Standings:
ATL 14-5 --- .737
MTL 11-8 3 .579
NYM 9-9 4.5 .500
FLA 8-10 5.5 .444
PHI 8-11 6 .421

Next Game:
Giants @ Expos
Bill Swift vs. Jeff Fassero (2-1) 3.46

Oh Brother

April 23rd 1994,

Pedro Martinez showed his big brother that his stellar start is far than being a fluke, throwing a complete game giving up only 1 run to get his 3rd win of the season.

Mike Lansing, second batter of the game, hit a double against Ramon Martinez and crossed the plate on Larry Walker’s single.

The Dodgers would even the game in the 4th when Tim Wallach pushed Brett Butler home with a sacrifice fly.

The Expos would then take a big lead their first big inning in a while. They scored four runs in the 6th, two of them from Wil Cordero’s second long ball of the season. It was only the 5th Expos homerun in their 18th game. Marquis Grissom produced the other 2 runs of the inning with a single.

Pedro completed the game giving up one run on 4 hits and one walk, striking out 11 in the process.

Game Line
MON 100 004 001 5 9 1
LAD 000 100 000 1 4 1

WP: Pedro Martinez (3-0)
LP: Ramon Martinez
2B: Lansing (3), Rodriguez
HR: Cordero (2)

Wil Cordero produced 2 runs with his 2nd long ball of the season:












NL East Standings:
ATL 13-5 --- .722
MTL 11-7 2 .611
NYM 9-8 3.5 .529
FLA 8-9 4.5 .471
PHI 8-10 5 .444

Next Game:
Expos @ Dodgers
Butch Henry (2-0) 3.29 vs. Pedro Astacio

3 for 0!

April 22nd 1994,

Pitching was the topic of the day during the first of the three games series between the Expos and the Dodgers.

Each team were scoreless after 8th, Tom Candiotti was still on the mound for the Dodgers, while Kirk Reuter was replaced after 7 by Gil Heredia.

Larry Walker hit a one out triple and was sent home on a sacrifice fly by Moises Alou. The Expos scored 1 run on 4 hits in 9 innings against Candiotti.

John Wetteland retired the side in order in the 9th to get his 6th save of the season. Reuter gave 7 hits in his 7 innings of work while Heredia gave up one hit in the 8th and got the decision.

Game Line
MON 000 000 001 1 4 1
LAD 000 000 000 0 8 0

WP: Gil Heredia (1-0)
LP: Tom Candiotti
S: John Wetteland (6)
2B: Fletcher (4), Piazza 2, Snyder
3B: Walker (1)

Gil Heredia got his first win of the season:











NL East Standings:
ATL 13-4 --- .765
MTL 10-7 3 .588
NYM 9-7 3.5 .563
PHI 8-9 5 .471
FLA 7-9 5.5 .438

Next Game:
Expos @ Dodgers
Pedro Martinez (2-0) 0.75 vs. Ramon Martinez

San Diego split

April 21th 1994,

The Padres opened the score in the 1st for the second consecutive game. That time, the expos answered back

After 1 out in the bottom of the 1st, Tony Gwynn reached third base on a triple against Ken Hill. The next batter, Derek Bell, sent him home with a single. It was the only point Hill would give in 6 innings of work.

Hill himself would produce the game tying run with a two outs single in the top of the second to push Wil Cordero home. The Expos took the lead in the 6th when an error by Luis Lopez on a Cordero grounder after 2 outs permitted Marquis Grissom to reach home. It was the 2nd game in a row that the game winning run was the result of a two outs error. In the 7th Walker produced the 3rd Expos run with a single that pushed Cliff Floyd to the plate.

Tim Scott in the 7th, Mel Rojas in the 8th and John Wetteland in the 9th would throw perfect innings to preserve the game for Montreal.

Game Line
MON 010 001 100 3 6 1
SDP 100 000 000 1 4 2


WP: Ken Hill (2-1)
LP: Wally Whitehurst
S: John Wetteland (5)
2B: Berry (5), Lopez
3B: Gwynn

Ken Hill gave up 1 run in 6 innings and produced the tying run to get the win:












NL East Standings:
ATL 13-3 --- .813
MTL 9-7 4 .563
NYM 8-7 4.5 .533
PHI 8-8 5 .500
FLA 7-8 5.5 .467

Next Game:
Expos @ Dodgers
Kirk Reuter (0-2) 6.75 vs. Tom Candiotti

Losing without giving up a run

April 20th 1994,

Tonight, Jeff Fassero lost a decision without even having an erated run against. Go figure.

After 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st, Wilfredo Cordero dropped a Derek Bell grounder that gave him the chance to reach 1st. The last thing we thought is that the game would be played there. The next batter, Phil Clark, sent Fassero’s pitch deep for a 2 run shot. That was all the Padres needed.

The Expos scored 1 point on top of the second when Cliff Floyd sent Larry walker home with a two outs single against Scott Sanders. It would be the only point Sanders would give in 8 innings of work.

Trevor Hoffman retired the side in order in the 9th to get the save.

Game Line
MON 010 000 000 1 4 1
SDP 200 000 00x 2 4 1

WP: Scott Sanders
LP: Jeff Fassero (2-1)
S: Trevor Hoffman
HR: Clark

Phil Clark produced all the Padres would need with a 2 runs shot in the 1st:












NL East Standings:
ATL 13-3 --- .813
NYM 8-6 4 .571
MTL 8-7 4.5 .533
PHI 7-8 5.5 .467
FLA 7-8 5.5 .467

Next Game:
Expos @ Padres
Ken Hill (1-1) 4.82 vs. Wally Whitehurst

Mini Sweep!

April 19th 1994,

The Expos hit early and never looked behind tonight to complete the 2 games sweep of the Giants, their first one of the season.

The Expos started the game with 5 runs and 7 hits in the first against a struggling John Burkett. Larry Walker produced 2 with a double. Wilfredo Cordero, Sean Berry and Cliff Floyd produced the other runs.

The Giants came back in the 4th. After a Robby Thompson walk, Marquis Grissom got his 3rd error on the season on a fly ball from Matt Williams. Butch Henry then threw an intentional walk to Barry Bonds to load the bases after one out. Todd Benzinger, the next batter, sent Henry’s offering deep in the left field stands to bring the Giants 1 point close at 5-4. Henry threw 6 innings giving up 4 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and registered 2 strikeouts.

After Tim Scott and Mel Rojas threw scoreless innings in the 7th and 8th, the Expos added an insurance run in the ninth when Floyd produced his 2nd point in the game sending Juan Bell, who was pinch running for Darrin Fletcher, home with a single against Mike Jackson.

John Wetteland gave up a hit but registered 2 strikeouts in a scoreless 9th to get his 4th save of the season.

Game Line
MON 500 000 001 6 9 1
SFG 000 400 000 4 4 0

WP: Butch Henry (2-0)
LP: John Burkett
S: John Wetteland (4)
2B: Walker (9)
3B: Thompson
HR: Benzinger

Cliff Floyd produced 2 runs, including the game winning one, with 2 hits:












NL East Standings:
ATL 13-2 --- .867
NYM 8-5 4 .615
MTL 8-6 4.5 .571
PHI 7-7 5.5 .500
FLA 7-7 5.5 .500

Next Game: Expos @ Padres
Jeff Fassero (2-0) 4.50 vs. Scott Sanders

Bouncing back!

April 18th 1994,

Pedro Martinez resumed his incredible start of the season being once again, well, stellar, helping the Expos coming back to their winning ways. They have now won 5 or their last 6 games.

Following a Mike Lansing single after 2 outs in the top of the third, Wil Cordero, Marquis Grissom and Larry Walker hit consecutive RBI doubles against lefty Bryan Hickerson to take a 3-0 lead. In their 13th game, it was only the second time the Expos were facing a left-handed starter.

The Expos added 2 points in the top of the 6th, that time against Dave Burba who gave up 3 consecutive walks to begin the inning. Cliff Floyd (defensive option) and Martinez (Sacrifice fly) produced the run.

Martinez gave up his only run in the 7th when Kurt Manwaring singled to push Barry Bonds (on second base following a double) home. Pedro gave up 1 run on 3 hits with 2 walks and 9 strikeouts on 7 innings of work.

After Rich Monteleone gave up 2 walks after 1 out in the 8th, Grissom (single) and Walker (double) produced 2 more runs to give the Expos a 7-1 lead.

Jeff Shaw pitched the last 2 innings giving 1 run on a Barry Bonds long ball.

Game Line
MON 003 002 020 7 10 1
SFG 000 000 101 2 5 0

WP: Pedro Martinez (2-0)
LP: Bryan Hickerson
2B: Cordero 2 (5), Grissom (2), Walker 2 (8), McGee, Bonds
HR: Bonds

Marquis Grissom hit 4 for 5 with a double, a run and 2 RBI’s:













NL East Standings:
ATL 13-1 --- .929
NYM 7-5 5 .583
PHI 7-6 5.5 .538
MTL 7-6 5.5 .538
FLA 6-7 6.5 .462


Next Game:
Expos @ Giants
Butch Henry (1-0) 1.17 vs. John Burkett

Rocked!

April 17th 1994,

The Expos batters forgot how hit, the pitchers forgot how to pitch and we sure do hope to forget about this one as soon as possible.

Kirk Reuter allowed 5 runs on 8 hits in just four innings including a homerun to Ellis Burks in the second, and RBI double to Charlie Hayes in the 4th, and RBI singles to Roberto Mejia and Marvin Freeman, the Rockies starter, in that same 4th inning.

Gil Heredia then allowed 1 point in 2 innings, a Roberto Mejia solo shot in the 6th.

Gabe White would the allow 2 in the 7th on a 2 run shot by Andres Galarraga.

For the winners, Marvin Freeman completed the game giving just 1 run on 6 hits, the run coming from a solo homerun by Mike Lansing in the 4th.

Game Line
MON 000 100 000 1 6 1
COL 010 401 20x 8 14 0

WP: Marvin Freeman
LP: Kirk Reuter (0-2)
2B: Alou (6), Webster (2), Bichette, Hayes
HR: Lansing (1), Galarraga, Burks, Mejia


The Rockies hit 7 long balls in the 3 game series, including 3 by Dante Bichette:














NL East Standings:
ATL 12-1 --- .923
NYM 7-4 4 .636
PHI 6-6 5.5 .500
MTL 6-6 5.5 .500
FLA 5-7 6.5 .417

Next Game:
Expos @ Giants
Pedro Martinez (1-0) 0.53 vs. Bryan Hickerson

Winners!

April 16th 1994,

The Expos won their 4th in a row tonight to play above .500 baseball for the first time of the season.

It did not look to good at first when Dante Bichette hit a 2 run shot against Ken Hill after only one out in the bottom of the first.

The Expos answered with 2 points at their turn at bat top of 2nd. After a Darin Fletcher single and a Wilfredo Cordero double, Berry produced a run with a sacrifice fly followed by a one run single by Cliff Floyd against Mike Harkey.

The game stayed tied at 2 until the top of the 7th inning. After an out, Lou Frazier produced a run with a single. Darren Holmes would then give up 2 consecutive walks with the bases loaded to give the Expos a 5-2 lead. The Expos added one on top of the 9th when Darrin Fletcher got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The Expos got 8 bases on balls in the game. We learned after the game that Fletcher will be out a couple of games.

Gil Heredia got sent to the mound in the 9th with a 4 points lead. After walking Mike Kingery, Dante Bichette hit his 2nd homerun of the night to bring the Rockies 2 points close. John Wetteland was then spelled and struck out two before forcing Joe Girardi to hit a grounder to Cordero, who threw it to Floyd in time to end the game.

Game Line
MON 020 000 301 6 8 1
COL 200 000 002 4 10 0

WP: Ken Hill (1-1)
LP: Darren Holmes
S: John Wetteland (3)
2B: Cordero (3), Mejia
HR: Bichette 2

Wilfredo Cordero hit 3 for 5 with 2 runs and a stolen base:












NL East Standings:

ATL 11-1 --- .917
NYM 6-4 4 .600
PHI 6-5 4.5 .545
MTL 6-5 4.5 .545
FLA 5-6 5.5 .455

Next Game:
Expos @ Rockies
Kirk Reuter (0-1) 5.25 vs. Marvin Freeman

Mid-April Report

April 15th 1994,

Twice a month I will do a report with up-to date Expos players’ stats and complete Major League standings. Those reports will be done the 15th and last day of the month, with the exception of July when the mid-month report will be at the all-star break. (Just to be clear, the dates I am talking about for the report are the ones in 1994 in my replay season)

MLB STANDINGS (including games of April 15th 1994)

AL EAST
BOS 7 3 - .700
TOR 6 5 1.5 .545
NYY 5 4 1.5 .556
BAL 5 4 1.5 .556
DET 3 7 4.0 .300

AL CENTRAL
CLE 6 2 - .750
MIL 5 4 1.5 .556
CHW 5 5 2.0 .500
KCR 3 5 3.0 .375
MIN 4 7 3.5 .364

AL WEST
CAL 6 5 - .545
OAK 5 5 0.5 .500
TEX 4 5 1.0 .444
SEA 3 6 2.0 .333

NL EAST
ATL 10 1 - .909
NYM 5 4 4.0 .556
PHI 5 5 4.5 .500
MON 5 5 4.5 .500
FLA 4 6 5.5 .400

NL CENTRAL
HOU 8 2 - .800
STL 6 3 1.5 .667
CIN 5 4 2.5 .556
PIT 5 4 2.5 .556
CHC 2 7 5.5 .222

NL WEST
SFG 6 4 - .600
COL 3 6 2.5 .444
LAD 3 7 3.0 .300
SDP 1 10 5.5 .091

EXPOS STATS

PITCHERS
Fassero 2-0 4.50 9BB 11K
Hill 0-1 5.68 7BB 11K
Reuter 0-1 5.25 6BB 4K
Martinez 1-0 0.53 2BB 19K
Henry 1-0 1.17 2BB 6K
Heredia 0-0 1.80 0BB 5K
Scott 0-0 0.00 6BB 4K
Shaw 1-0 9.00 2BB 3K
Rojas 0-2 6.75 1BB 4K
Wetteland 0-1 7.71 0BB 1K (2s)

OFFENSE (Top 5s/min 10 AB)

AVG.
Alou .368
Berry .324
Fletcher .267
Walker .250
Grissom .244

DOUBLES
Walker 6
Alou 5
Berry 4
Fletcher 3
3 with 2

TRIPLES
Floyd 1
Cordero 1
Alou 1

HRs
Cordero 1
Grissom 1
Walker 1

RUNS
Cordero 7
Grissom 7
Lansing 6
Alou 6
Walker 6

RBIs
Floyd 7
Walker 7
Fletcher 5
Berry 5
Alou 5

SBs
Grissom 4
Frazier 2
5 at 1

STRIKEOUTS
Walker 8
Cordero 6
Lansing 5
Grissom 5
2 at 4

HIT IN DOUBLE PLAYS
Walker 3
Floyd 2
Berry 2
Cordero 2
2 at 1

DEFENSIVE ERRORS
Alou 2
Grissom 2
Fletcher 1
Lansing 1
Walker 1

The west coast road trip begins

April 15th 1994,

Tonight’s game was the first of a 10 games west coast road trip for the Expos, and they started it on the right foot.

The Expos did not loose time to take the lead, the first three batters of the game crossing the plate. After singles from Marquis Grissom and Mike Lansing, Moises Alou produced 2 with a triple against a struggling Armando Reynoso. Alou then scored on Larry Walker’s sacrifice fly. The Expos added one in the second when Sean Berry, who started the inning with a double, scored on Jeff Fassero’s single after one out.

Ellis Burks put the Rockies on the board with a solo shot in the 4th, but the Expos added one in the top of the 5th inning when Cliff Floyd pushed Darin Fletcher home on an optional play.

The Rockies came back at their turn at bat in the 5th. After two outs, Walt Weiss and Joe Girardi each singled to put the table for Dante Bichette’s 3 run Homerun.

The Expos added 2 in the 8th to make it 7-4, on 2 Rockies’ errors. Colorado finished the game with 5 errors.

Mel Rojas did not give any points that time in the 8th, and John Wetteland closed the game and earned his 2nd save of the season, his 2nd in as many days.

Game Line
MON 310 010 020 7 13 0
COL 000 130 000 4 9 5

WP: Jeff Fassero (2-0)
LP: Armando Reynoso
S: John Wetteland (2)
2B: Berry (4),
3B: Alou (1), Floyd (1)
HR: Bichette, Burks

Moises Alou reached bases 5 times with 2 hits, 2 walks and he reached on an error:













NL East Standings:
ATL 10-1 --- .909
NYM 5-4 4 .555
PHI 5-5 4.5 .500
MTL 5-5 4.5 .500
FLA 4-6 5.5 .400

Next Game:
Expos @ Rockies
K. Hill (0-1) 5.68 vs. Mike Harkey

Leaving the Basement

April 13th 1994,

In another pitchers’ duel, the Expos prevailed to win a second game in a row against the Reds.

The Expos scored two in the 2nd against Jose Rijo when consecutive singles from Sean Berry and Cliff Floyd pushed Larry Walker and Wilfredo Cordero to the plate. That would be the Expos only points of the evening.

Butch Henry had a great first start of the season allowing 1run on 5 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work. The Reds’ only point of the evening came from Tony Fernandez crossing the plate on Reggie Sanders’ double after 2 outs in the 8th.

John Wetteland shut the door in 1.1 innings to get his first save of the season.

The Expos are leaving for a 10 games in 10 days road trip in the west. Their 10th game in the season will be the 1st they play outside.

Game Line
CIN 000 000 010 1 6 1
MON 020 000 00x 2 5 0

WP: Butch Henry (1-0)
LP: Jose Rijo
S: John Wetteland (1)
2B: Sanders, Walker (6)

John Wetteland got his 1st save of the season:








NL East Standings:
ATL 8-1 --- .889
NYM 4-3 3 .571
PHI 4-4 3.5 .500
MTL 4-5 4 .444
FLA 3-5 4.5 .375

Next Game: Expos @ Rockies
J. Fassero (1-0) 3.86 vs. Armando Reynoso

A new king in town!

April 12th 1994,

Pedro Martinez had a great 1st game. Nobody expected him to repeat. He did not. He did even better.

In his second start as an Expo, Martinez threw a complete game shutout giving 4 hits, 1 walk, and registering 7 strikeouts to get his first win of the season and put the Expos back on track. In two starts, he has now allowed 1 run in 17 innings with 19 strikeouts.

Marquis Grissom started the game for the Expos with a solo shot against Tim Pugh. It was his first dinger of the season.

Montreal added one in the fourth when Cliff Floyd hit in a bases loaded double play with no outs that pushed Darin Fletcher to the plate.

The Expos last run came in the 7th. After a Moises Alou double, Larry Walker singled to push him home.

Game Line
CIN 000 000 000 0 4 1
MON 100 100 01x 3 9 0

WP: Pedro Martinez (1-0)
LP: Tim Pugh
2B: Mitchell, Alou (5), Walker (5)
HR: Grissom (1)

Pedro Martinez striked 7 in his first career shutout:












NL East Standings:
ATL 7-1 --- .875
NYM 4-3 2.5 .571
PHI 3-4 3.5 .429
FLA 3-4 3.5 .429
MTL 3-5 4 .375

Next Game: Reds @ Expos
J. Rijo vs. B. Henry (0-0)

... part 2

April 11th 1994,

In that 1st game of the series against the Reds, Mel Rojas would once again influence the final result on a bad way.

The Expos opened the score in the 2nd when Sean Berry’s single against Tom Browning pushed Larry Walker to the plate.

Kirk Reuter, very solid tonight, gave up his only run of the evening in the 7th when Jerome Walton pushed Lenny Harris home with a two-outs single, only to see the Expos take back the one run lead at their end of the inning when Sean Berry Produced his second RBI single of the game, his third single of the evening.

Reuter looked like he was about to get his first win of the season when Mel Rojas, for the second time in as many nights, gave up 2 runs in the 8 to put the opposing team on top. Reggie Sanders’ double with no outs pushed Barry Larkin to the plate. Sanders would score the game leading run on Hal Morris’ single after one out.

Hector Carrasco in the 8th, and Jeff Brantley in the 9th shut the door for the Reds win.

Game Line
CIN 000 000 120 3 14 0
MON 010 000 100 2 5 0

WP: Johnny Ruffin
LP: Mel Rojas (0-2)
2B: Fernandez, Sanders, Cordero (2)

Hal Morris produced the game winning run in the 8th:















NL East Standings:
ATL 7-0 --- 1.000
NYM 4-3 3 .571
PHI 3-3 3.5 .500
FLA 3-4 4 .429
MTL 2-5 5 .286

Next Game: Reds @ Expos
T. Pugh vs. P. Martinez (0-0) 1.13

One Slipped Away

April 10th 1994,

The Expos were going for the sweep tonight against the Cubs and they did not lose time to take the lead.

Marquis Grissom started the game with a double and crossed the plate on another double from Moises Alou. Then in the third, a Larry Walker double after 2 outs pushed Mike Lansing to the plate. Walker would score himself on a Darin Fletcher single.

The Cubs came back from behind in the 4th on consecutives RBI doubles from Derrick may and Sammy Sosa. Sosa would cross the plate on an Eddie Zambrano sacrifice to tie the teams at 3.

The Expos did not lose time to take the lead again, that time in the 5th, on Walker’s 2nd RBI double of the evening agains Jose Guzman.

Ken Hill gave up 3 runs in 6 innings before being replaced by Tim Scott who threw a scoreless inning. In the 8th, Mel Rojas gave up 2 runs on 4 singles that put the Cubs on top. Dan Plesac and Randy Myers would throw scoreless innings to preserve the Cubs’ victory.


Game Line
CHI 000 300 020 5 12 2
MON 102 010 000 4 10 1

WP: Jim Bullinger
LP: Mel Rojas (0-1)
2B: Wilkins, May, Sosa, Grissom (1), Lansing (2) Alou (4), Walker 2 (4), Berry (3)

Sammy Sosa hit 3 for 5 with a double, two runs and a RBI:















NL East Standings:
ATL 7-0 --- 1.000
NYM 4-2 2.5 .667
PHI 3-3 3.5 .500
FLA 3-3 3.5 .500
MTL 2-4 4.5 .333


Next Game: Reds @ Expos
T. Browning vs. K. Reuter (0-1) 10.80

Fasser-0

April 9th 1994,

As bad as he was in his first start 5 days ago, as dominating Jeff Fassero was tonight. Complete game shutout, 5 hits allowed, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. The offense scored 6. We had to wait for the 5th game to show, but tonight, “Nos Amours” finally looked like the team we expect so much from this year.

Anthony Young pitched 5 scoreless inning before Moises Alou pushed Sean Berry to the plate with a 2 outs double in the six. On the play, Mike Lansing got thrown out at the plate by center fielder Willie Wilson.

Not only did he pitch nine shutout innings, but Jeff Fassero produced 3 runs with a 2 outs bases loaded double in the 7th to extend Montreal’s lead to 4.

3 consecutive doubles from Lansing, Alou and Walker in the 8th put the game out of the Cubs’ reach.

Game Line
CHI 000 000 000 0 5 1
MON 000 001 320 6 8 0

WP: Jeff Fassero (1-0)
LP: Anthony Young
2B: Lansing (1), Alou 2 (3), Walker (2), Fassero (1)
3B: Cordero (1)


On top of a complete game shutout, Fassero produced 3 points with a bases loaded double in the 7th:













NL East Standings:
ATL 6-0 --- 1.000
NYM 4-1 1.5 .800
PHI 3-2 1.5 .600
FLA 2-3 3.5 .400
MTL 2-3 3.5 .400


Next Game: Cubs @ Expos
J. Guzman vs. K. Hill (0-1) 6.75

Delino who?

April 8th 1994,

Name: Pedro Martinez

The Setup: Martinez gets his 1st start with his new team after being traded by Los Angeles in return from fan favorite Delino DeShields. This is the team’s 1st home game of the season after being swept in Houston. No pressure.

The Result: 8 innings pitched, allowed 1 run on 3 hits with 1 walk and a phenomenal 12 strikeouts! Unfortunately, no decision…

One thing we can say about tonight’s home opener in Montreal, is that Pedro Martinez did not take time to put Montreal’s crowd on his side with a dominating performance. Unfortunately for him, the offense did not show up for him.

The Chicago Cubs opened the score in the 4th when Derrick May singled to push Rey Sanchez home from third. Sanchez was on third following a triple.

The Expos scored their only point against Steve Trachsel from Larry Walker’s first long ball of the season. Just like Pedro, Trachsel gave only 1 point on 3 hits but worked for 7 innings.

We had to wait until the top of the 12th inning to see another point. Against Montreal’s reliever Jeff Shaw, Tuffy Rhodes blasted a 3 runs shot after 2 outs. Rick Wilkins (walk) and Shawon Dunston (single) were on base.

When the Cubs sent closer Randy Myers for the bottom of the 12th and the Expos looked like loosing a 4th game in a row, the offense finally woke up. Alou started the inning with a single. After a Walker strikeout and a Lenny Webster double, Myers walked Cordero to load the bases with one out. Cliff Floyd then produced 2 with a left field single to bring the Expos one point behind. After another walk, this time to Sean Berry, Tim Spehr played the hero with a 2 runs winning single as a pinch hitter, his first at-bat of the season.

Game Line
CHI 000 100 000 003 4 6 0
MON 000 000 100 004 5 9 1



WP: Jeff Shaw (1-0)
LP: Randy Myers
2B: May, Cordero (1), Webster (1)
3B: Sanchez
HR: Rhodes, Walker (1)


Pedro Martinez was the star of the game with 12 strikeouts and only 1 run allowed in 8 innings:













NL East Standings:

ATL 5-0 --- 1.000
NYM 3-1 1.5 .750
PHI 3-1 1.5 .750
FLA 1-3 3.5 .250
MTL 1-3 3.5 250

Next Game: Cubs @ Expos
A. Young vs. J. Fassero (0-0) 13.50

Closer but still not enough!

April 6th 1994,

For the second game in a row, the Expos tried to come back from 6-0. They came 1 point closer than they did yesterday. Same result.

An Andy Stankiewicz double with 2 men on produced the first run of the game in the bottom of the 3rd against Kirk Reuter. The Astros once again had a big inning that changed the game. In the 5th, they scored 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. The 5 run inning was highilited by RBI doubles from Biggio and Servais and a 2 run Homerun from Andujar Cedeno.

The Expos answered with 3 points in the 6th inning. Lou Frazier started the inning with a single and a stolen base before being sent home by a Mike Lansing single. After Larry Walker’s double, Darin Fletcher hit a 2 runs single. The Expos added a point in the 7th when Mike Lansing produced his 2nd point of the night with a sacrifice fly that pushed Cliff Floyd to the plate. Wilfredo Cordero added a point to make it 6-5 with a solo Homerun in the 8th, but Mitch Williams blocked the door in the 9th to complete the Astros' sweep.

Game Line
MON 000 003 110 5 7 2
HOU 000 150 00x 6 9 0

WP: Darryl Kile
LP: Kirk Reuter (0-1)
S: Mitch Williams
2B: Walker (1), Berry 2 (2), Biggio, Servais, Stankiewicz
HR: Cordero (1), Cedeno

Andujar Cedeno provided the firepower with a 2 runs shot in the 5th:










NL East Standings:
NYM 3-0 --- 1.000
ATL 3-0 --- 1.000
PHI 2-0 0.5 1.000
FLA 0-2 2.5 .000
MTL 0-3 3 .000

Next Game:
Cubs @ Expos
S. Trachsel vs. P. Martinez (0-0)

Too little too late

April 5th 1994,

The Expos woke up a bit too late tonight in Houston. Ken Hill gave 6 runs (5 erated) on 12 hits in 6.2 innings of work while the Expos took 7.1 innings to figure how to hit Doug Drabek.

The Astros scored their 1st point in the night in the 2nd inning on a Larry Walker error on a fly ball hit by James Mouton. They added 3 points in the 4th on 4 hits including a 2 run double by Jeff Finley after one out. Craig Biggio went deep with a 2 run shot in the 6th to make it 6-0 Astros.

The Expos tried a comeback in the 8th with 4 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks, including a 2 RBIs double by pinch hitter Rondell White. Todd Jones came in to close the door with the final out in the 8th. Mitch Williams gave a hit and a walk in the night, but striked Larry Walker with two men on bases to end the game.

Game Line
MON 000 000 040 4 8 1
HOU 010 302 00x 6 12 1

WP: Doug Drabek
LP: Ken Hill (0-1)
S: Mitch Williams
2B: Fletcher 2 (3), White (2), Finley
HR: Biggio

Steve Finley went 3 for 5 with a double, a run, and 2 RBIs:












NL East Standings:
NYM 2-0 --- 1.000
ATL 2-0 --- 1.000
PHI 1-0 0.5 1.000
FLA 0-1 1.5 .000
MTL 0-2 2 .000

Next Game:
Expos @ Astros
K. Reuter (0-0) vs. D. Kile

Crazy Season Opener!

April 4th 1994,

The season opener between the Expos and the Astros at the Metrodome tonight proved to be a wild one.

Ken Caminiti left the game in the 2nd after being hit by a pitch from Jeff Fassero. Fassero then hit the next batter Scott Servais. Andujar Cedeno then hit a double after 2 outs to push Andy Stankiewicz (in for the injured Caminiti) home and take a 1 run lead.

The Expos answered with 5 runs in the 3rd against Pete Harnish. Grissom was on 2nd base from a walk and a stolen base with 2 outs when the Expos exploded. Alou and Walker hit singles, followed by a Fletcher double. Cordero then got a base on balls, followed by singles from Floyd and Berry. 5-1 Expos after 2 and a half.

Fassero started the bottom of the 3rd with a 3rd hit-by pitch on Moulton. After an error by Grissom that led to the 2nd Astros’ point and a walk to Biggio, Jeff Bagwell brought the teams even with a 3 runs shot. A Stankiewicz double with a Cedeno single after 2 outs gave the Astros a 6-5 lead after 3.

The Astros added a run in the 4th (against Fassero) and another in the 5th (against Gil Heredia). The Expos scored one in the 6th against Brian Williams to make it 8-6 Houston.

After 2 outs in the top of the nine the Expos scored 3 runs against Mitch Williams to take a 9-8 lead. Juan Bell provided the lead with a pinch-hit 2 runs single.

The Expos looked like they were about to steal one and sent John Wetteland to finish the game. The first batter he faced, Steve Finley, blasted a 1 run shot over the Right Field fence. Biggio followed with a triple in the left field gap. Finally, Bagwell, who else, produced the winning run with a single.

Game Line
MON 005 001 003 9 13 2
HOU 015 110 002 10 10 0

WP: Mitch Williams
LP: John Wetteland (0-1)
2B: Alou (1), Fletcher (1), White (1), Cedeno, Stankiewicz, Servais
3B: Bass, Biggio
HR: Bagwell, Finley

Jeff Bagwell had a great game hitting 2 for 4 with a HR and 4 RBIs:








NL East Standings:
PHI 1-0 --- 1.000
NYM 1-0 --- 1.000
ATL 1-0 --- 1.000
FLA 0-0 0.5 .000
MTL 0-1 1 .000

Next Game:
Expos @ Astros
K. Hill (0-0) vs. D. Drabek

The Team

1994 Montréal Expos Roster

Pitchers

SP Jeff Fassero

SP Ken Hill

SP Kirk Reuter

SP Pedro Martinez

SP Butch Henry

LR Gil Heredia

LR Denis Boucher

LR Gabe White

MR Jeff Shaw

MR Tim Scott

SU Mel Rojas

CL John Wetteland

Players

C Darrin Fletcher

1B Cliff Floyd

2B Mike Lansing

3B Sean Berry

SS Wilfredo Cordero

LF Moises Alou

CF Marquis Grissom

RF Larry Walker

C Lenny Webster

C Tim Spehr

IF Freddy Benavides

IF Juan Bell

IF Randy Milligan

OF Rondell White

OF Lou Frazier

Season Preview

After coming 3 games short in 1993, the young Montreal Expos look stronger than ever. The Atlanta Braves have been move to the National League East division, which could make it difficult for Montreal to win the division, but the League's decision to double the number of teams that qualifies for the playoffs with the arrival of a 3 divisions system and a wild card spot gives Montreal fans plenty of hope to finally watch their team reach post-season.

The starting pitching unit is led by lefty Jeff Fassero, coming from a solid 12 wins season. Ken Hill and Kirk Reuter brings what looks like a solid 2 and 3. Questions marks at the bottom of the rotation with the newly acquired Pedro Martinez and the lefty Butch Henry. In relief, Wetteland and Rojas form an intimidating 8th and 9th inning duo. Heredia can bring a lot of innings as well as being used as a spot starter. The rest of the bullpen is considered average.

8 very young but very talented players will form the Expos everyday lineup. The outfield is the same with Alou, Grissom and Walker looking to contiue their growth as one of the best outfield in baseball. Fletcher is back behind the plate. Cliff Floyd, the highly regarded former first pick, will be the starting 1B. Lansing takes DeShields' spot at 2nd. The rest nof the infield stays the same with Berry at 3rd anc Cordero playing Shortstop. Frazier brings speed from the bench, the young Rondell White is another highly regarded prospect, Lenny Webster can start behind the plate against leftys. The rest of the bench is what you expect from a major league team.

Winter 1993

1993 is in the books. The young Expos finished with a solid 94-68, 3 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies.

On the mound, Dennis Martinez led the charge with 15 wins, rookie Kirk Reuter won his 8 decisions, Jeff Fassero, in his 1st year as a starter, posted a solid 12-5, and Ken Hill and Chris Nabholz got 9 wins each. In relief, John Wetteland posted a remarkable 1.37 ERA with his 43 saves, with Mel Rojas adding 10 more saves.

At the plate, the young outfielders Moises Alou, Marquis Grissom, and Larry Walker, all 26 years old, all had between 18 and 22 Homeruns, with Alou and Grissom hitting above .285. All three players are also very solid defensively and form arguably the best young trio of outfileders in the league. Colbrunn, Deshields, Cordero, and Berry, the older of the starters at 27 years of age, completed the infield. Darrin Fletcher, 26, was the team's primary option behind the plate.

Offseason

To begin the offseason, Dennis Martinez and Randy Ready were granted Free Agency. Martinez signed a contract with the Indians while Ready went to the division rivals Phillies. On November 19th, to fill the void left by the departure of Dennis Martinez and to make room for the young and talented Mike Lansing, the Expos traded Delino DeShields to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Pedro Martinez. Martinez is a young starting pitcher with only 2 starts in his career and control problems. Expos fan did not receive the trade well as DeShields was a fan favorite and they feel the Expos paid a lot for a prospect starting pitcher best known as Ramon's brother. Other minor departures were Nabholz to the Indians, Matt Stairs to the Red Sox and John Vander Wal to the Rockies. The Expos also received Lenny Webster from the Minnesota Twins.


DeShields was a fan favorite in Montreal:

The Project

The Idea


The idea is to re-live the 1994 Montreal Expos season and finish it like the strike never happened. I will be using a game called strat-o-matic baseball with the 1994 rosters.



Strat-o-Matic Baseball



Strat-o-Matic Baseball is a probability/statistic-based game. I will be using the card and dice version (there is also a computer version, but I always preferred the board game). Every player as his own card based on his statistics of the decided year (in that case, I play with the 1994 rosters). Everything is a factor in that game, from the ability of the batter to face right/left-handed pitchers, hitting power, player speed, defensive range, % of errors, ability to steal bases, arm strenght, pitchers ability to face left/right-handed batters, stamina, composure, injuries, even the stadium played in and the temperature/time of day the game is played influence the results and I am sure I am missing a bunch.

Here you can see an older version of the board game to get an idea, you cans see the board, player cards, fielding charts, error charts, stadium charts, weather charts:

For more info on the game:

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strat-O-Matic

Strat-O-Matic website : http://www.strat-o-matic.com/index.html

My Project

I will play the entire Montreal Expos 1994 season including the games after august 11th 1994 (last games before the strike). Until that date, only the games played by the expos will influence the rest of the league, every other game will have the same winners as the 1994 MLB season.(ex. the Expos were 12-0 against the Padres in 1994. If the Padres win 5 games out of 12 against the Expos in my replay, their record will be improved by 5 games besides what it was in 1994.) To see everyday results and standings from 1994 I will be using that site: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/1994.shtml .

I will be managing the Expos as well as their opponents. My goal is not to have the Expos finish with a perfect record, but to make a realistic replay, so both teams decisions will be made with the best interest and logic in the goal to help the team win. For my opponents every day roster, I will use a series by series lineup vs right-handers/left-handers from 1994.(ex. In the Expos 2nd series against the Cubs, I will be using the Cubs starting Lineup from that series against a lefty if Jeff Fassero is starting by example, and that series lineup against a righty for a game that Ken Hill gets the start.) Everyday Expos and opponents lineups for 1994 can be found at : http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/schedule.php?y=1994&t=MON .

After August 11

For games after august 11, since they have not been played, for opponents rosters, I will be using their best possible lineups against leftys/rightys taking in consideration injuries and days of rest for roster players based on the Strat-O-Matic Game rules. For every other league games, since they did not happen, I will be using a formula based on every home team's home winning percentage and every away team's away losing % to find a winner using dice and probabilities. That was the only way I found to simulate games without using a computer (I wanted my project to be 100% card and dice.)

Let the 1994 Expos MLB season replay begin...

What if?

One of the biggest "what if" in baseball is: What would've happened if the strike never occured in 1994?

It was the first year of the 3 divisions by league, of the wild card, 4 teams by league would have the chance to make the playoffs instead of 2 for the first time.... everything was looking great!



The Yankees were back on top of the American League with a solid 70-43 (6.5 games in front of the Orioles) and the Bombers were eyeing the post season and probably another shot at the World Series. In the Central, it was a three team race between the first place White Sox, followed closely by the Indians and Royals. The second and 3rd place were in a tight race against Baltimore for the wild card spot. In the West, the lockout saved wight might have been the worst Pennant Race in baseball history. All 4 teams were within 5.5 games, which can sound exciting, if we do not consider the fact that the first place Texas Rangers were a big 10 games below the .500 mark.




Which brings us to the National League. The cream of the League was in the East with the Expos dominating with a Major League best 74-40, 6 games on top of the Braves. In the Central, the Reds were in front of the Astros by 0.5. The Astros were 2.5 games back of the Braves in the wild card race. In the West, the first place Dodgers were playing barely over .500 (58-56) their closest competition for the division coming from the Giants at 3.5 games. None of those teams looked like having a shot at the Astros or Braves for the wild card should they lose the divison race to the other.

Everything was looking perfect, especially here in Montreal with Nos Amours looking unbeatable..... nothing could stop them.... at least that is what we thought....