2003 Montreal Expos season
Encyclopedia
Regular season
- June 24, 2003 - Brad Wilkerson hit for the cycle in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- August 26, 2003 - The Expos rallied from being down 8-0 and 10-3 to claim a 14-10 win against the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and be within two games of the National League Wild Card. It was the second biggest comeback in Expos history.
On August 30, 2002, MLB signed a collective bargaining agreement with
the players association, which prohibited contraction through the end of the agreement in 2006.
Puerto Rico
Although their attendance increased from 7,935 per game in 2001to 10,031 in 2002,
MLB decided that the Expos would play 22 of their home games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name honors the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues, Hiram Bithorn, who first played with the Chicago Cubs in 1942...
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
in 2003. Despite being a considerably smaller facility (it seats approximately 19,000) than Montreal's Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
, attendance in San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name honors the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues, Hiram Bithorn, who first played with the Chicago Cubs in 1942...
averaged 14,222, compared with 12,081 in Montreal.
The Puerto Rican baseball fans embraced "Los Expos" (particularly Puerto Rican players José Vidro
José Vidro
José Angel Vidro is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. Though he never officially retired, Vidro has not played since .-Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals:...
, Javier Vázquez
Javier Vázquez
Javier Carlos Vázquez is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Previously, he pitched for the Florida Marlins , Atlanta Braves , Chicago White Sox , Arizona Diamondbacks , New York Yankees and Montreal Expos . Vázquez was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico...
and Wil Cordero
Wil Cordero
Wilfredo Cordero Nieva is a former first baseman/outfielder in Major League Baseball. He was best known as a member of the Montreal Expos . Cordero made his Major League Baseball debut in 1992 and last played in...
, and other Latin players like Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Alvino Guerrero is a free agent Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter.In , he was voted the American League MVP...
and Liván Hernández
Liván Hernández
Eisler Liván Hernández Carrera is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher. He is the half-brother of pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernández.-Playing career:...
) as their home team (as well as the Latin players from other teams), all the while hoping the team would make a permanent move to Puerto Rico. Expos players held clinics and made personal appearances on behalf of the team in Puerto Rico . Thanks in part to the San Juan games, the Expos were able to draw over a million fans at home in 2003 for the first time since 1997. The Expos' season in Puerto Rico was chronicled in the MLB-produced DVD Boricua Beisbol - Passion of Puerto Rico.
Opening Day starters
- Orlando Cabrera
- Endy Chavez
- Wil Cordero
- Vladimir Guerrero
- Jose Macias
- Tomo Ohka
- Brian Schneider
- Jose Vidro
- Brad Wilkerson
Notable transactions
- August 20, 2003: Todd ZeileTodd ZeileTodd Edward Zeile is a former catcher, third baseman, and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1989 to . After graduating from UCLA, where he played as a catcher, Zeile played for 11 Major League teams during his career: the St...
was signed as a Free Agent with the Montreal Expos.
Roster
2003 Montreal Expos | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches (third base) (hitting) (bench) (first base) (bullpen) (roving) (pitching) |
Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted InPlayer | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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Other batters
Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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Starting pitchers
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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Other pitchers
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA |
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Relief pitchers
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
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Award winners
- Liván Hernández, National League Pitcher of the MonthPitcher of the MonthThe Pitcher of the Month award is a Major League Baseball award named by each league for each month of the regular season. The National League started recognizing the award in . The American League followed in...
, July
2003 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
2003 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2003 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 74th midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues constituting Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 15, 2003 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois, the home of the Chicago...