Who can forget all those memorable Dodgers-Expos battles over the years? Certainly not Dave Roberts and Brian Schneider. (Associated Press)
The Dodgers play the Toronto Blue Jays today at the Rogers Centre. Here’s a brief history of Dodgers in Canada:
1. From 1939-60, the Montreal Royals are the primary minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, churning out such notable talents as Jackie Robinson, Tommy Lasorda (then a pitcher) and Walter Alston (then a manager).
2. The Dodgers beat the Expos 5-3 in Montreal on May 27, 1969 in the Dodgers’ first regular-season game ever played in Canada.
3. Don Drysdale is found dead at his hotel room in Montreal on July 3, 1993, the same day he was scheduled to broadcast a Dodgers-Expos game.
4. Raul Mondesi is traded to Toronto for Shawn Green, Nov. 8, 1999.
5. June 8, 2007: The Dodgers beat the Blue Jays 4-3. The game features Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent and Luis Gonzalez for the Dodgers; Matt Stairs, Frank Thomas and Troy Glaus and Royce Clayton for the Blue Jays. Stunning that they were all still productive major-league hitters in 2007.
Today’s game will be just the 13th ever between the teams.
Some bullet points for a Monday morning:
Continue reading “Daily Distractions: The Dodgers return to Canada.” »