Remembering the former Montreal Expos that died in 2023

December 30, 2023

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

As the end of the year approaches, I wanted to take time to remember the former Montreal Expos that died in 2023.

Nate Colbert

Colbert passed away on January 5 at the age of 76. Most will recall him as a fearsome slugger with the San Diego Padres, but Canadian fans might remember him for his parts of two seasons with the Expos in 1975 and 1976. Colbert’s contract was sold to the Expos on June 15, 1975 by the Detroit Tigers. In his first start with the Expos, on June 18, Colbert had two doubles and scored the winning run in a 7-6 win over the New York Mets. Less than two months later, on August 2, he belted a walk-off, three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Expos a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Those performances were part of a select few highlights from his 38 games with the Expos in 1975 in which he hit .173. After a successful tenure in winter ball, Colbert returned to the Expos in 1976, but had a rough start to the season. On April 28, he’d enjoy his last multi-hit game as an Expo when he homered and drove in three runs against the Houston Astros in an 8-7 win. He was played sparingly in May and after the team acquired first baseman Andre Thornton from the Chicago Cubs, Colbert was released.

You can read my full obituary about Colbert here.

Montreal Expos hats and t-shirts available here.

Ken MacKenzie

MacKenzie passed away on December 14 at the age of 89. It was an unlikely journey to the big leagues for MacKenzie who was born in Gore Bay, Ont., a small town on Manitoulin Island, located at the north end of Lake Huron, in 1934. After playing at Yale, the left-hander was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1956. He proceeded to post a 4.80 ERA in 129 big league appearances in parts of six seasons with the Braves, Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Astros from 1960 to 1965. MacKenzie initially retired as a player after the 1965 season, but in Danny Gallagher’s excellent 2022 book, Bases Loaded: Inside stories about Eli, Cro, Cy, Terminator and the Expos, the author shared a little-known story about MacKenzie. Four years after his last big league pitch, MacKenzie spent 27 days with the Expos in September 1969. And though he didn’t make an appearance in a game, his time on the roster got him to the four years of service time necessary to qualify for the MLB pension plan. It was a scenario that played out after MacKenzie sent a letter to all of the major league teams asking for an opportunity and Expos GM John McHale was the only person to respond. More than five decades after McHale’s gesture, MacKenzie continued to express his gratitude.

Following his big league career, MacKenzie coached the baseball team at Yale from 1969 to 1978. 

You can read my full obituary about MacKenzie here.

Tim McCarver

McCarver passed away on February 16 at the age of 81. As a player, McCarver served as the personal catcher for Hall of Famers Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton and was the starting catcher on two Cardinals’ World Series-winning teams (1964, 1967) before being dealt to the Phillies in October 1969. On June 14, 1972, the Phillies traded the left-handed hitting catcher to the Expos for fellow backstop John Bateman. McCarver, who was 30 at the time, proceeded to bat .251 with five home runs in 77 games with the Expos. After hanging up his playing spikes in 1980, McCarver evolved into a highly respected TV analyst who broadcast games in 24 World Series and won the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award in 2012. Between his playing and broadcasting careers, he spent parts of seven decades in Major League Baseball. 

You can read my full obituary about McCarver here.

Dan McGinn

McGinn passed away on March 1 at the age of 79. For Expos trivia buffs, McGinn is a name to remember. Not only did the workhorse lefty appear in a team-high 74 games for the Expos in their inaugural season, but he also hit the first home run in franchise history. On April 8, 1969, with Tom Seaver on the mound for the Mets, McGinn stepped to the plate in the fourth inning and belted a pitch from the future Hall of Famer over the right-centre field wall at Shea Stadium. McGinn’s solo shot, the only homer of his big league career, turned out to be the difference in the Expos’ 11-10 win in the franchise’s first game. Six days later, McGinn was also the winning pitcher in the Expos’ home opener. After the Cardinals had plated seven runs, McGinn relieved starter Larry Jaster in the fourth inning and held the Cards scoreless for the rest of the contest, and the Expos rallied to win 8-7. With the win, McGinn became the first big league pitcher to record a victory outside of the United States. He’d pitch parts of two more seasons with the Expos before finishing his big league career with the Cubs in 1972. 

You can read my full obituary about McGinn here.

Get your Montreal Expos hats and memorabilia here.

Ryan Minor

Minor passed away on December 22 at the age of 49 after battling colon cancer. Minor is best remembered as the player who replaced Cal Ripken Jr. at third base for the Baltimore Orioles on September 20, 1998 when Ripken ended his iron-man streak at 2,632 games. But Minor saw his most big league action with the Expos in 2001 when he suited up for 55 games with the club. That was also his final major league campaign. Unfortunately, Minor was cursed with the label of being Ripken’s heir apparent in Baltimore — a label that was impossible to live up to. Minor batted .194 in 46 games for the O’s in 1999 and then .131 in 32 contests in 2000 before he was dealt to the Expos for right-hander Jorge Julio on December 22, 2000. After he was recalled from triple-A Ottawa by the Expos on May 11, 2001, Minor went 5-for-13, good for a .385 batting average, in his first four games. But he was shuffled between triple-A and the Expos for the rest of the season and ended up going 15-for-95 (.158 batting average) with two home runs in 55 games overall with the Expos.

You can read my full obituary about Minor here.

Jim Poole

Poole passed away on October 6 at the age of 57 from complications of ALS. A reliable left-handed reliever for much of his career, Poole enjoyed his best seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland prior to landing with the Expos on May 19, 2000. In his Expos’ debut on May 23, with the club leading the Giants 3-2 in the seventh inning, he was called in to face pinch-hitter Terrell Lowery and struck Lowery out to earn a hold.  That would be the high point of his five-game stint with the Expos. After shaky performances in his final two outings with the Expos, he was designated for assignment on June 2. In all, Poole posted a 4.31 in 431 relief appearances during his 11-season big league career.

You can real my full obituary about Poole here.

Tom Walker

Walker passed away on October 23 at the age of 74 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The right-hander enjoyed two tenures with the Expos, from 1972 to 1974 and in 1977, posting a 3.57 ERA in 144 appearances. Following the 1972 season with the Expos, Walker played winter ball in Puerto Rico where his manager was Roberto Clemente. He helped load the plane with relief supplies that Clemente had intended to take to Nicaragua on December 31, 1972 following an earthquake. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff and Clemente was killed. Walker was one of the last people to see Clemente alive. In total, in parts of six big league seasons with the Expos, Cardinals, Tigers and California Angels, Walker went 18-23 with a 3.87 ERA in 414 innings in 191 games. His son, Neil, was a Silver Slugger Award-winning second baseman for the Pirates in 2014.

You can read my full obituary about Walker here.