Yes, Pete Rose was a Montreal Expo

Eric Rosenhek
October 17, 2011

Pete Rose was just a year-and-a-half away from becoming baseball’s all-time hits leader when he embarked on what would end up being his first and only season as a Montreal Expo. It’s easy to forget about the tenure amid the man’s legendary career, but Expos fans will always have the 1984 campaign in which he, Gary Carter, Tim Raines and Andre Dawson all called Olympic Stadium home.

When one thinks of Rose retroactively, images of his time with the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies come to mind. He was an integral part of the Big Red Machine. Later he helped the Phillies – a team that never reached the pinnacle of success in their long history – win the World Series, yet nothing is ever mentioned about his time in Montreal.

Granted, he only played 95 games there.

Rose’s arrival in Montreal came after a bitter split with the Phillies. In 1983, his numbers had gone down – .245 AVG, .316 OBP, .286 SLG, compared to .271/.345/.338 in 1982. He had 51 less hits, scored 28 less runs and was not named to the National League All-Star team for the first time since 1972.

Rose was infrequently used during the final months of the ’83 regular season. But he still helped Philadelphia reach the World Series, hitting .375 in the National League Championship Series against Los Angeles. The probable “last straw” occurred in game three of the World Series against Baltimore, when Phillies manager Paul Owens benched Rose; a decision Rose was not pleased with.

Needless to say, Rose wanted to prove he could still contribute. He worked hard during that offseason, knowing that people counted him out based on his drop in production and his age. He was turning 43.

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“The Phillies almost ruined me by getting people to believe I was only a part-time player,” Rose told Sports Illustrated’s Ron Fimrite in a February, 1984 article. “I had to re-sell myself. When [Expos Manager] Bill Virdon asked me how many games I wanted to play, I told him every one.”

For their part, the Expos felt Rose was the missing piece they needed. After making the playoffs in 1981, Montreal finished third in the NL East the following two seasons. With All-Stars like Carter, Raines and Dawson, the talented Tim Wallach and strong pitching from Steve Rogers, Charlie Lea and Jeff Reardon, the Expos were poised for success. Circumstance, fate and better teams prevented it. This led then-president and general manager John McHale to take a gamble on Rose, signing him to a one-year contract.

“We’re betting that he has a breath or two left,” said McHale in Fimrite’s article.

Expo fans had mixed reactions to Rose’s arrival. Fimrite pointed to two surveys conducted by local media. One – taken a week before Rose formally signed with Montreal – asked if the team should acquire him. More people opposed it by a margin of 540-510. The second – taken after he officially joined the team – asked if Rose could bring a championship to Montreal. 229 said yes; 224 said no.

Andrew Rodger, an independent sports columnist and publisher of TheVoiceofSport.com, was a young baseball fan living in Montreal when Rose joined the Expos. He recalls a sense of enthusiasm.

“I remember an excitement in the city when he signed as a free agent,” says Rodger. “When baseball fans think of the Expos, the first image that often comes to mind are the empty seats towards the end of their time in Montreal, but the fans in that city were very knowledgeable about the game and its history.”

“To have a player of his magnitude choose to come to Montreal was something to be proud of, something the fans could rally around, and they came to Olympic Stadium by the thousands to watch history being made.”

Rose’s arrival did appear to affect ticket sales. According to Baseball-Reference.com, 48,060 fans attended the 1984 home opener against Philadelphia. That was 7,972 more fans than the 1983 home opener against Chicago.

However, Rose’s tenure did not have a desired result for attendance in the long run.

Baseball-Reference.com shows the Expos drew less fans in 1984 than 1983. In ’83, the Expos had the second-best attendance mark in the National League with 2,320,651; an average of 28,650 fans per game. Montreal dropped from second to eighth the following year, with a mark of 1,606,531 for an average of 19,834 fans per game.

Rose certainly can’t be blamed for the lack of attendance since he didn’t even play a full season. A more reasonable explanation can be found in the standings. Montreal was 41-43 by the All-Star break and finished fifth in the NL East with a record of 78-83. The Expos had only one winning month (going 12-10 in April) and finished below the .500 mark for the first time since 1978.

Rose’s production on the field was not awful, nor was it impressive either. In 95 games as a left fielder, first baseman and occasional pinch hitter, Rose had 72 hits, including six doubles and two triples. He collected 23 RBIs, 31 walks and stole one base. Rose’s overall averages were .259/.334/.295.

His biggest moment in an Expos uniform came on April 13 against Philadelphia when he picked up his 4,000th career hit. Rose became just the second player in MLB history to achieve the feat.

Four months later, Rose was given the chance to end his career in the city where it started. On August 16, he was sent to Cincinnati in exchange for infielder Tom Lawless. Rose’s time in Montreal had come to completion. He would go on to break the all-time hits record and also manage the Reds.

Judging Rose’s time with the Expos shouldn’t involve too much deliberation given the length of time he spent there. Jonah Keri of Grantland.com provides a straightforward summary.

“Nice little career milestone while in Montreal,” says Keri. “Otherwise, a quick and uneventful time there.”

There are some positives from the 95-game stint. Long-time Expos fan Dave Kaufman, a contributor to TheScore.com’s Getting Blanked blog and co-host this past summer of BALLS! The Baseball Show on TSN Radio 990 in Montreal, wasn’t old enough to remember Rose playing for “Nos Amours,” but he does recognize the significance.

“As a fan, I feel very proud that a part of his career was spent in Montreal,” states Kaufman. “I would imagine that his 4000th hit would’ve been a heck of a game to be at.”

There’s also the historical value. Rose wearing an Expos uniform had meaning. As Andrew Rodger points out, the only time the Expos were noticed was during the All-Star Game. When Pete Rose decided on Montreal, there was reason to take notice, even if it was for 95 games.

“Rose was on the downside of his career, but he was one of the greats, a legend of the game, and that brought some well-deserved national media attention to the Expos in Canada and the United States,” says Rodger. “Having Charlie Hustle in a Montreal Expos uniform when he reached 4,000 career hits is a special and perhaps under-appreciated moment in Expos history.”

It was short and largely insignificant, but Pete Rose’s time with the Montreal Expos cannot be ignored. Yes, the lack of attention is appropriate when compared to the seasons he spent with the Reds and Phillies. However, as Dave Kaufman notes, Expo fans should not feel slighted by this.

“95 games is a very small sample size in terms of such a lengthy career,” Kaufman explains. “How often does Wayne Gretzky’s tenure in St. Louis get mentioned? Or Babe Ruth’s with the Boston Braves?”

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The Author:

Eric Rosenhek