The series began in 1978, and ran until 1986.[1] Due to astrike, no game was played in 1981.[2] In 2003, the series was revived as part of the Blue Jays–Expos interleague rivalry.[3] It continued on into the 2004 season, after which the Expos moved to Washington, D.C., and became theWashington Nationals. The cup is now on display in theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame inSt. Marys, Ontario.
From 1978 to 1986, the Cup was awarded after a one-game exhibition, that had no effect on the major league standings. The 1979 and 1985 games were abandoned as ties due to time constraints; in 1979 the Expos had to catch an airplane flight,[4] while in 1985 the Jays had to catch a flight.[5][6]
The game was suspended in 1987 as the two teams could not find a mutually agreeable date to play the game.[7] There was discussion about reviving the game in the preseason, or playing it in another Canadian city such asVancouver, but this never took place.[8][9][10]
During the 2003 and 2004 series, the Cup was awarded after a six-game set, three in Toronto and three in Montreal.[3] These games counted in major-league standings and were played during the regular season.
The Blue Jays and Expos first played meaningful baseball in the1997 season with the introduction of interleague play, with the teams being designatednatural rivals.[20] In 1997, the teams played three games at Toronto; the two teams played home and home series for the first time in1998. The series was a decided boost to the paltry attendance numbers atOlympic Stadium in Montreal, and gave a modest increase in attendance atSkyDome in Toronto; it failed, however, to become a serious rivalry amongst the players or the fans.[1] Some people attribute this to a lack of Canadian players on both teams, while others point to the general discontent of Canadians with Major League Baseball during the late 1990s and early 2000s.[1][21]
Major League Baseball put the final nail in the Series' coffin by playing the final set between the Jays and Expos inSan Juan, Puerto Rico instead of Montreal. Major League Baseball's intention to boost attendance by playing in San Juan ended up resulting in lower attendance than the series had attracted in Montreal a year earlier.[22][23][24]
The All-Canadian Series ended after2004 when the Expos were relocated and became known as theWashington Nationals.[25][26] The Blue Jays won the series 24 games to 19 games, and Toronto also won the most season series (3–2–2).[27]
The two teams met annually from 1997 to 2004 as part of the All-Canadian Series, then met annually again starting in 2023 as a result of the scheduling formula change, meeting intermittently from 2005 to 2022.[28]
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals Season-by-Season Results
First regular season games played between the two clubs First regular season games played between two Canadian teams Only time Expos have held the overall series lead
Both Blue Jays home games relocated to Nationals Park due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, as their alternate stadium (Sahlen Field) inBuffalo, New York was being prepared. These are considered home games for the Nationals, per official statistics,[29] though each team played two games batting in the bottom of innings.
Pedro Martínez was the winning pitcher on June 30, 1997, in the first game of 'The All-Canadian Series', pitching 9 innings, striking out 10, walking one.[30]
^Shoalts, David (July 1, 1997). "Rivalry could be over before it gets started".The Globe and Mail. p. D10.
^Maloney, Tom (June 16, 2001). "Fans balk at rivalry that died years ago".National Post. p. A19.
^Baker, Geoff (July 5, 2004). "Jays' pen gives Lilly no relief".Toronto Star. p. C4.
^Griffin, Richard (July 4, 2004). "Minaya manages to care".Toronto Star. p. E4.
^Baker, Geoff (July 4, 2004). "Doc cures what ails Jays; Halladay handcuffs Expos to tie series Interleague game draws just 8,831 fans".Toronto Star. p. E4.
^Montgomery, Lori; Heath, Thomas (September 30, 2004). "Baseball's Coming Back to Washington".Washington Post. p. A1.
^Henson, Steve; Schwartz, Emma (September 30, 2004). "Expos Bid Adieu to Montreal".Los Angeles Times. p. D4.
