A Brief History of Baseball in Montreal
We’ve teamed up with Ebbets Field Flannels, champions of historically inspired, handsome sportswear, to produce new wool broadcloth Frank & Oak baseball caps that are made in America.
Although baseball in our hometown is currently a distant memory, with the Expos leaving in 2004, Montreal has a storied and proud baseball history that goes as far back as the 1880s.
The Montreal Royals (one of the many teams that Ebbets has recreated) started in 1896, and are probably best known as the first major league affiliate to break the “color barrier” as AAA affiliate for Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers when they signed Jackie Robinson in 1946. The people of Montreal completely embraced him, allowing him to breathe a little easier at home during a tumultuous year. He promptly helped the Royals win the title that year before he was called up to the Dodgers the next season.
Sadly, the Royals moved to Syracuse in 1960 after years of low attendance. Montreal went without baseball for nine years until the Expos came to town in 1969 – and the city’s love affair with the game truly began.
Here’s a look at Les Expos beginnings from this 1969 American news report complete about the founding of the team and the need for standardized french baseball terminology (a coup de circuit is a home run, for example) - plus check that late-sixties style.
The Expos had multiple losing seasons and found little success in the early days, but through the 80, players like future hall-of-famers Gary Carter and Andre Dawson emerged and attendance was sky-high. By the 90s, the Expos were a true threat in the National League and in 1994, many predicted that they would win the World Series.
Then the players strike happened. The and the 1994 season from mid-August on, was cancelled.
Fans never really came back to the ball park after the players strike and for the remaining 10 years that the Expos existed, the following happened: the owner sold off all of the teams stars, attendance dropped further, the team changed ownership twice, and home games in the last two years were split between Montreal and San Juan, Porto Rico. They were eventually moved to Washington and became the Nationals.
The team died an undeserved death, but hope remains for fans of the departed Expos. This summer a group of about 1,000 Expos fans attended a Toronto Blue Jays game in an effort to show their support for the return of baseball to Montreal (and we know of at least a couple franchises down south that aren’t doing so well). In the meantime, there’s a fan-base and a rich history waiting. Until then, we have our memories.
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