Lost in Left Field

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Lost in Left Field
Lost in Left Field
Montreal's 1979 Duel With Pittsburgh

Montreal's 1979 Duel With Pittsburgh

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Paul White
Jun 19, 2025
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Lost in Left Field
Lost in Left Field
Montreal's 1979 Duel With Pittsburgh
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When the 1979 season began, the Montreal Expos had played 10 seasons of major league baseball without ever having a winning record. They’d come close to breaking even a couple of times under their first manager, Gene Mauch, but never quite got there.

But 1979 was supposed to be different. The club had hired Dick Williams as their manager two years earlier, and he had slowly improved their record, from 55 wins the year before he arrived to 75 his first season and 76 in his second. They had an exciting young core of players in the everyday lineup, including future Hall of Famers Gary Carter and Andre Dawson, along with third baseman Larry Parrish and outfielders Warren Cromartie and Ellis Valentine. Tony Pérez anchored first base, and Steve Rogers led a developing young pitching staff. There was enthusiasm in the air.

Then the team added some important pieces before the season started. Veteran lefty starter Bill Lee was acquired from Boston, closer Elias Sosa was signed as a free agent, and a trade with the Cubs brought new starting second baseman Rodney Scott and valuable fourth outfielder Jerry White. Heading into the season, they had the most complete roster they’d ever put on the field, and appeared to be in a good position to finally contend.

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