Link of the Day: Jeff Blair on Expos No-Nos
Really enjoyed this post by former Montreal Gazette Expos beat writer turned Globe and Mail national baseball writer (and perpetual good guy) Jeff Blair, on no-hitter and perfect game stories from Expos history.
“El Presidente, El Perfecto!” is the main topic of discussion, with some fascinating tales about celebratory cocktails with Nicaraguan leaders in the aftermath. But the other two games noted bring back equally vivid memories.
Two days before Dennis Martinez tossed a perfect game at Dodger Stadium, Mark Gardner no-hit those same Dodgers for nine innings, before losing his no-no in the 10th. That’s right, TWO nine-inning, no-hit efforts in one series! For the Gardner game, I was bumming around Montreal with friends from Redwood Day Camp, where I was a counselor. We ended up at the famous Orange Julep, where we lingered deep into the night in the parking lot, listening to the game’s West Coast feed on someone’s car radio. In retrospect, maybe the group dynamic was what jinxed Gardner that night. When Martinez pitched two days later, I was at home alone, watching the game on TV (probably the TSN feed). When Marquis Grissom secured the final out, I ran around the house screaming like a madman. I’d say this was a function of being 16 years old at the time, but as my poor, traumatized cat can attest, this is still common practice 18 years later, especially during NCAA tournament time.
Blair also notes, in passing, a nine-inning perfect game thrown by Pedro Martinez on June 3, 1995 in San Diego. If there was any doubt that my then-girlfriend Angele was to become the future, ummm…Dr. Fauchier (she famously bought me a Felipe Alou rookie card after the 1994 strike, which helped restore my faith in baseball), this was cemented that day. Sadly, I wasn’t in attendance at then-Jack Murphy Stadium when Pedro twirled his nine innings of perfection.
But Angele was.
With her mom.
And she kept score.
On a random scrap of lined paper she scrounged up once Pedro started mowing down Padres hitters.
The Expos will be extinct for 75 years, and I’ll be eating my lunches through a straw, and I’ll still remember these stories. Thanks Jeff.
Tags: Dennis Martinez, El Presidente El Perfecto!, Jeff Blair, Mark Gardner, MLB, Montreal Expos, No-hitters, Orange Julep, Pedro Martinez, Perfect games, San Diego Padres, Sports
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24 July 2009 at 12:29 pm
You got a good one, there, Jonah.
24 July 2009 at 1:18 pm
For the record, I kept score from the very beginning, to keep myself engaged in the game. I would never start keeping score midway — what’s the point in half a scorecard, perfect or otherwise?
The real question is: Why would I have brought lined paper to a baseball game? I forget, but I’m sure the answer is quite nerdy.
Love,
not-Mrs. Keri
24 July 2009 at 7:48 pm
Awesomeness, awesomeness, but to paraphrase Patrick Roy, I can’t hear those Expos anecdotes … I have Robbie Alomar’s 2 World Series rings plugging my ears!
Sincerely,
Bitter Jays Fan Clinging To Glory Days