August 23, 2026
August 23, 2026
1994 Montreal Expos: What Could Have Been
The eighth strike in Major League Baseball history began on August 12, 1994, and ended 232 days later on April 2, 1995, making it the longest strike the game had ever endured. It is best to understand the roots of this strike before analyzing the end result. The economics of baseball were worsening in the early 1990s, and the owners of all 28 teams proposed to implement a salary cap, with the main reason being that small-market teams would suffer unless all teams agreed to share revenues from local broadcasting. The owners saw this as a way to increase equity for all 28 teams, but the players refused to support such a proposal.
Matters were complicated by the fact that Fay Vincent was forced to resign as MLB Commissioner in September 1992. Vincent claimed that there was collusion by the owners to sign free agent players, resulting in a theft of $280 million by Bud Selig and Jerry Reinsdorf, owners of the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox, respectively. The director of the Major League Baseball Players’ Association, Donald Fehr, responded to the salary cap proposal by claiming there was a lack of trust in figures like Selig.
On February 11, 1994, the power of the MLB Commissioner was reduced by the 28 owners for what they claimed was the best interests of baseball. On June 19, the salary cap proposal was officially submitted to the MLBPA, but it would be emphatically rejected on July 18. Fehr stated in his response to the proposal that it didn’t offer any benefits to the players. On December 31, 1994, Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expired without a new agreement being reached, effectively extending the strike into the 1995 spring training season.
The team that felt the most impact and devastation from this strike was the Montreal Expos, as their play on the field indicated they were on the verge of achieving something special. On November 19, 1993, the Expos traded second baseman Delino DeShields to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a young and charismatic right-handed starting pitcher named Pedro Martinez. On December 13, 1993, the Expos completed a trade with the Cleveland Indians, swapping left-handed pitcher Brian Barnes for first baseman Randy “Moose” Milligan. Barnes was revealed as the player to be named later in the trade on December 17.
The Expos had an ultra-potent pitching staff in the 1994 season, as starter and National League All-Star reserve Ken Hill posted a strong 16-5 record with a 3.32 earned run average and 85 strikeouts. Pedro Martinez was beginning to realize his true potential at age 22, posting an 11-5 record with a 3.42 ERA and 142 strikeouts. Of the Expos’ five starting pitchers, only Kirk Rueter recorded an ERA above 5.00, at 5.17, and even Rueter had an impressive 7-3 record. Jeff Fassero contributed to the starting rotation, posting an 8-6 record with a 2.99 ERA and 119 strikeouts. Butch Henry posted an 8-3 record with a 2.43 ERA and 70 strikeouts.
The back end of the bullpen appeared to be a great strength for the Expos, as they had two reliable closers. John Wetteland and Mel Rojas were a dynamic duo, recording 25 and 167 saves, respectively. Wetteland posted a 2.83 ERA, and Rojas posted a 3.32 ERA.
Felipe Alou had a very successful year as manager of the Expos, winning awards for Associated Press Manager of the Year and The Sporting News Manager of the Year. Felipe’s son Moises Alou led the way for the Expos offense, as the talented left fielder batted .339 with 22 home runs, 78 runs batted in, and 143 hits in 422 at-bats. Center fielder Marquis Grissom batted .288 with 11 home runs, 45 RBI, and 137 hits in 475 at-bats. Shortstop Wil Cordero batted .294 with 15 home runs, 63 RBI, and 122 hits in 455 at-bats. Catcher Darrin Fletcher batted .260 with 10 home runs, 57 RBI, and 74 hits in 285 at-bats. Alou, Grissom, Cordero, and Fletcher were all reserves for the National League in the 1994 All-Star Game, along with pitcher Ken Hill.
Although he wasn’t selected as an All-Star in 1994, right fielder Larry Walker was on pace to have a great season, batting .322 with 19 home runs, leading the team with 86 RBI, and getting 127 hits in 395 at-bats.
When the strike went into full effect on August 12, 1994, the Expos had a record of 74-40, the best record in baseball. They went 32-20 at their home ballpark, Olympic Stadium, and 42-20 on the road. The Expos were in command of the National League East division, holding a six-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the standings. The Expos went 5-4 against the Braves in the regular season and dominated the worst team in baseball in 1994, going 12-0 against the San Diego Padres. The only two teams the Expos struggled against in 1994 were the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies, going 2-4 against both. Excluding August, the Expos averaged 17 wins per month.
As a team, the 1994 Montreal Expos scored an overwhelming 585 runs, averaging 5.13 runs per game. The team posted a combined ERA of 3.56, the best in baseball. Along with recording 46 combined saves, the 288 walks Expos pitchers surrendered were the fewest in baseball. Many fans in Montreal, Quebec, got to see the Expos play in 1994, as an estimated 1.3 million fans attended home games. No World Series would be played to determine a champion that year.
On January 4, 1995, the United States Congress received five bills intended to end the baseball strike, and the very next day, on January 5, Donald Fehr announced that all 895 unsigned MLB players would become free agents. This was a direct response to the salary cap proposal made by the owners.
On April 2, 1995, the strike finally ended, just a day before replacement players would have taken the field for the 28 teams. Because of the strike’s lingering effects, the 1995 regular season was shortened from 162 games to 144 games.
However, the damage had been done to the general baseball fan base, and especially to the fan base of the Montreal Expos. The Expos were forced to make significant cuts to their payroll and conduct liquidation sales of their best players within a single week during the 1995 spring training season. The 1994 Montreal Expos never returned to the high levels of success they were embracing that year, as the team would have only three more respectable seasons. The Expos went 88-74 in 1996, 83-79 in 2002, and 83-79 in 2003, finishing 2nd, 2nd, and 4th in the National League East division.
After the organization was bought and run by Major League Baseball during the 2001-2002 offseason, the handwriting was on the wall for the Expos. They played temporary home games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2003 and 2004 to address their lack of attendance in Montreal. On September 29, 2004, the Montreal Expos played their final home game at Olympic Stadium against the Florida Marlins, and after the season concluded, the team relocated to Washington, D.C., to become the Washington Nationals. Baseball-Reference’s 1994 Montreal Expos team page remains a lasting record of just how good that team was before the strike cut its season short.
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