![]() He caught the final out of Dennis Martinez’s perfect game, caught the fly ball that clinched the pennant in 1995, and also caught the ball in center field that ended the Fall Classic that year, giving the Atlanta Braves their first championship. He was also named MVP of the AL Championship Series in 1997 and had an amazing 11 hits in four games and batted. 390 in the Fall Classic, appearing twice for his hometown Braves and once for the Indians. In three World Series, Grissom had 30 hits in 19 games, and got on base 37 times. Grissom succeeded Tim Raines as Montreal’s leadoff batter, and for a few seasons he stole bases like Raines once did, though he was not in the same class as an overall offensive performer. The officer was so impressed by the toss that he didn’t collar Little Marquis, instead convincing him to join the baseball team the policeman coached. When he was a kid growing up in a suburb of Atlanta, Grissom threw a rock that struck a police car from a significant distance. Many folks in Houston never forgave Kuhn for forcing the deal. “Le Grande Orange” embraced the cuisine and culture of the European-style city, and he was beloved in Montreal the remainder of his life. The French-speaking Rusty (he learned the language in his native New Orleans) went on to become the first star north of the border. Kuhn wanted Rusty in Quebec, and he would do anything to ensure the redhead ended up in a Montreal uniform.Įventually, Kuhn forced the teams to restructure the deal, and it stuck. That caused a Texas-sized furor in Houston. He fumbled things really, first ruling that Clendenon never officially retired, but after he was confronted with evidence contrary to that position, he ruled that he wasn’t accepting Clendenon’s retirement. The Astros cited the rule that said if a player retired within 31 days of a deal, the trade was void. The problem started when Clendenon decided to take a high paying sales job with a pen manufacturer rather than report to Houston. The commissioner was delighted with the deal because it sent a popular, talented player to the expansion Expos prior to their first season. Staub had moved to first because (1) he was slow on the artificial turf in the new Astrodome and (2) he was slow in general. The Astros were trading Rusty because they had a glut of corner outfielders. Prior to the 1969 season, when the Astros traded Staub to the Expos for Jesus Alou and Donn Clendenon, a crisis ensued that challenged the authority of the commissioner. He was always keen on earning money, so he jumped to Japan and played three years over there, ending his run with Montreal after the 1983 season. Eventually Cromartie’s defensive deficiencies caused the Expos to move him to first base. But the left-handed batter hit 40 doubles twice, thanks in large part to the quick carpet at Olympic Stadium. Basically after he won the Gold Glove in 1978, runners stopped trying to take bases on Valentine.Ĭromartie was the slap-hitter of the three: he never hit more than 14 homers in a season. But Valentine made throws that were eye-popping, regardless. It was either him or Dave Parker, or maybe Dwight Evans. The right fielder, Valentine, may have had the strongest arm in baseball in the 1970s. Dawson knew he was more surehanded and strong-armed. He had a right fielder’s throwing arm, and one of the reasons his defensive stats look so good when he was in the outfield with Cro was that he made an effort to take balls that were between them. Williams liked to take Cromartie out of the game in the 7th or 8th inning for a defensive replacement, something that irked his young outfielder, who desperately wanted to play every inning of every game.ĭawson was dubbed “Hawk,” and he could do it all in center field. He struggled to field balls hit over his head, and he had a weak throwing arm. “Cro” was the least accomplished outfielder. Manager Dick Williams counted his blessings for getting the young trio, but he treated them differently. Andre Dawson and Ellis Valentine were ten months younger, but by 1977 all three of them were in place in the outfield. Cromartie was the left fielder and the oldest, born in September of 1953. In the mid-1970s, the Expos welcomed three young outfielders to Montreal, each of them fast, each of them with a good bat.
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