1997 Montreal Expos season


The 1997 Montreal Expos season was the 29th season of the franchise. They finished 78-84, 23 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and 14 games back of the Florida Marlins in the Wild Card. They played the Toronto Blue Jays in Interleague play for the first time during the season.

Offseason

The Expos held spring training at West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach, Florida – a facility they shared with the Atlanta Braves – for the last time in 1997. It was their 21st season at the stadium; they had conducted spring training there from 1969 to 1972 and since 1981. In the final spring training game at Municipal Stadium, held on March 26, 1997, the Expos defeated the Braves 2-0. The following season, the Expos moved their spring training activities to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.

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. 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.

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

Interleague Play

June 30, SkyDome, Toronto, Ontario

Batting

Pitching

Toronto Blue JaysIPHRERBBSO
Hentgen L 9.062213
Totals9.062213

Player stats

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In
PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI

Starting pitchers

Relief pitchers

Award winners

1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Harrisburg