Montreal Expos, 1969–2004

Baseball crossed the border in 1969. For the next 36 seasons, the Montreal Expos gave Canada its first Major League Baseball team.

Major League Baseball Comes to Canada

Montreal was awarded a National League expansion franchise for the 1969 season, becoming the first Major League Baseball city outside the United States.

The new team needed a name that belonged to Montreal.

They chose Expos, a tribute to Expo 67, the world's fair that had brought international attention to the city just two years earlier.

Jarry Park

The Expos began at Jarry Park, a relatively small stadium that developed a personality all its own.

The club struggled on the field during its early years, but Montreal quickly produced fan favorites, including Rusty Staub, whose popularity earned him the nickname "Le Grand Orange."

In 1977, the Expos moved into the much larger Olympic Stadium.

Nos Amours

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Montreal had assembled one of baseball's most exciting young teams.

Gary Carter.
Andre Dawson.
Tim Raines.
Steve Rogers.

The team became affectionately known to fans as Nos Amours, or "Our Loves."

In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Montreal won its only division championship.

The Expos reached the National League Championship Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Team That Never Got October

In 1994, the Expos were one of the best teams baseball had seen in years.

Montreal held the best record in Major League Baseball when a players' strike stopped the season in August.

There were no playoffs. No World Series. No chance to find out how far that Expos team might have gone.

The unanswered question became part of the franchise's history.

The Final Years

Financial problems, declining attendance and uncertainty over a new ballpark followed.

Major League Baseball eventually purchased the franchise, and during its final two seasons the Expos even played portions of their home schedule in Puerto Rico.

After the 2004 season, the franchise moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Nationals.