- John Bateman
John Alvin Bateman was born on
July 21 ,1940 inKilleen, Texas . He died onDecember 3 ,1996 inSand Springs, Oklahoma . He was signed by the Houston Colts .45's as an amateur free agent in 1962.Bateman still hold the Astros record for home runs by a catcher with 16 in 1966. He also led the Colt .45's in home runs and RBI in 1963. He was selected by the Montreal Expos as the sixth pick in the 1968 expansion draft. In 10 seasons he compiled a .230 lifetime batting average, and ended his career with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Bateman had a unique, if not trivial, place in Canadian history. He played for the
Montreal Expos in October 1970, the same time theOctober Crisis was happening in the city. This was one of the most notorious and tense time in recent Canadian political history. On November 6, the hiding place of one of theFLQ terrorist cells was discovered. John Bateman loved hanging out with the police, and being a star on the new pro team in town, theMontreal police also loved his company. As retold on a television documentary about the history of the Expos, the managerGene Mauch was watching these events with his staff on TV, and the camera focused on the hiding place in the house. And what do they see, on national TV, but John Bateman's bulky frame coming out of the hiding place. Evidently the police let him have some fun. Mauch was not amused.ee also
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Montreal Expos all-time roster ources
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