1997 Montreal Expos season

MLB yearly infobox
name = Montreal Expos
season = 1997
misc = Pedro Martínez wins the Cy Young

current league = National League
y1 = 1969
division = Eastern Division
y2 = 1969
Uniform logo =
ballpark = Olympic Stadium
y4 = 1977
city = Montreal
y5 = 1969
owners = Claude Brochu
managers = Felipe Alou
television = The Sports Network
(Dave Van Horne, Ken Singleton)
TQS
(Michel Villeneuve, Marc Griffin)
SRC
(Claude Raymond, Rene Pothier)
RDS Network
(Denis Casavant, Rodger Brulotte)
radio = CIQC
(Dave Van Horne, Elliott Price, Joe Cannon, Gary Carter)
CKAC (AM)
(Jacques Doucet, Rodger Brulotte,Alain Chantelois)|The Montreal Expos played the Toronto Blue Jays in Interleague Play for the first time.

Offseason

* October 28, 1996: Jon Habyan was released by the Montreal Expos. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/habyajo01.shtml]
*November 15, 1996: Dave Silvestri was selected off waivers by the Seattle Mariners from the Montreal Expos. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/silveda01.shtml]
*December 17, 1996: Torey Lovullo was signed as a Free Agent with the Montreal Expos. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lovulto01.shtml]
*January 21, 1997: Lee Smith signed as a Free Agent with the Montreal Expos. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/smithle02.shtml Lee Smith Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]
*January 28, 1997: Yamil Benitez was traded by the Montreal Expos to the Kansas City Royals for Melvin Bunch. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/benitya01.shtml]
* March 26, 1997: Cliff Floyd was traded by the Montreal Expos to the Florida Marlins for Dustin Hermanson and Joe Orsulak. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/f/floydcl01.shtml Cliff Floyd Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]
*March 31, 1997: Rico Rossy was signed as a Free Agent with the Montreal Expos. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rossyri01.shtml]

Regular season

In 1997, Pedro Martínez posted a 17-8 record for the Expos, and led the league in half a dozen pitching categories, including a 1.90 ERA, 305 strikeouts and 13 complete games pitched, and won the National League Cy Young Award. Pedro Martínez was also the first right-handed pitcher to reach 300 strikeouts with an ERA under 2.00 since Walter Johnson in 1912.

The 13 complete games were tied for the second-highest single-season total in all of baseball since Martínez's career began (Curt Schilling had 15 in 1998; Chuck Finley and Jack McDowell also reached 13 in a year). However, this 1997 total is by far the highest in Martínez's career, as he has only completed more than 5 games in one other season (7, in 2000).

*May 7, by|1997 - The Expos set a team record (never broken) in runs scored in one inning as they score 13 runs off of Julian Tavarez, Jim Poole, and Joe Roa of the San Francisco Giants at 3Com Park. The Expos would go on to defeat the Giants 19 to 3. The only non-pitcher on the Expos to not register a hit was Sherman Obando who went 0 for 1. A up and coming prospect named Vladimir Guerrero hit his first career double and was struck by his second career pitch. A crowd of 9,958 were on hand to witness it in San Francisco.

Opening Day Starters

* Shane Andrews
* Jim Bullinger
* Darrin Fletcher
* Mark Grudzielanek
* Mike Lansing
* Joe Orsulak
* Henry Rodriguez
* David Segui
* Rondell White

eason standings

Notable transactions

*May 20, 1997: Torey Lovullo was released by the Montreal Expos. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lovulto01.shtml]
*July 25, 1997: Omar Daal was selected off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays from the Montreal Expos. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/d/daalom01.shtml]
*July 31, 1997: Jeff Juden was traded by the Montreal Expos to the Cleveland Indians for Steve Kline. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/judenje01.shtml Jeff Juden Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]
*September 25, 1997: Lee Smith was released by the Montreal Expos.

Interleague Play

*June 30 - The first interleague game between the Montreal Expos and the Toronto Blue Jays took place at SkyDome. The Expos won the game by a score of 2-1. [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/schedule.php?y=1997&t=TOR]

Expos vs. Jays

June 30, SkyDome, Toronto, Ontario

Relief pitchers

Award Winners

* Pedro Martínez, NL Cy Young Award
* Pedro Martínez, Pitcher of the Month, August 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
* Pedro Martínez, Pitcher, Reserve

References

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MON/1997.shtml 1997 Montreal Expos team page at Baseball Reference]
* [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1997&t=MON 1997 Montreal Expos team page at www.baseball-almanac.com]