The 1994 World Series matched the Montreal Expos (105–57) of the National League against the New York Yankees (102–60) of the American League. This was the first Fall Classic since 1970, and the eighth overall, in which both participants had 100 or more wins during the regular season. Montreal won the series in six games.
For Montreal, this was their first world series appearance in franchise history. For New York, this was their first world series appearance since 1981 and their 34th overall. Also, for Montreal, this was their first world series championship in franchise history and the third consecutive year that a team from Canada won the world series, following the Toronto Blue Jays championships in 1992 and 1993.
World Series MVP: Moises Alou
Hall of Famers
Expos: Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker
Yankees: Wade Boggs
ALCS: New York Yankees defeated Chicago White Sox 4 games to 2
NLCS: Montreal Expos defeated Atlanta Braves 4 games to 3
Television: ABC
TV announcers: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver
Radio: CBS
Radio announcers: Vin Scully, Jeff Torborg
Background
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos won the NL East. They made it to the series by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in three games in the National League Division Series, and the Atlanta Braves in seven games in the National League Championship Series.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees won the AL East. They made it to the series by beating the Cleveland Indians in four games in the American League Division Series, and the Chicago White Sox in six games in the American League Championship Series.
Summary
NL Montreal Expos (4) vs. AL New York Yankees (2)
Game Date Score Location Time Attendance
1 October 22 Montreal Expos – 6, New York Yankees– 8 Yankee Stadium (I) 2:42 57,162[1]
2 October 23 Montreal Expos – 5, New York Yankees – 3 Yankee Stadium (I) 3:12 57,526[2]
3 October 25 New York Yankees – 2, Montreal Expos – 4 Olympic Stadium 2:56 46,293[3]
4 October 26 New York Yankees – 8, Montreal Expos – 4 Olympic Stadium 3:06 46,560[4]
5 October 27 New York Yankees – 3, Montreal Expos – 7 Olympic Stadium 3:20 46,872[5]
6 October 29 Montreal Expos – 7, New York Yankees – 4 Yankee Stadium (I) 3:16 57,864[6]
Matchups[edit]
Game 1
Saturday, October 22, 1994 7:20 PM (EDT) at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Montreal 0 0 3 0 0 2 1 0 0 6 13 2
New York 2 1 0 0 3 0 1 1 X 8 15 1
WP: Bob Wickman (1–0) LP: Mel Rojas (0–1) Sv: Steve Howe (1)
Home runs:
MON: None
NYY: Paul O'Neill (1), Randy Velarde (1)
In Game 1, Ken Hill and Jimmy Key would be the starters. New York would get on the board first with a two run home run by Paul O'Neill into right field to make it 2-0 early. Randy Velarde would also homer in the game with a solo home run to left center field to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Montreal would bounce back in the third inning with an RBI from Wil Cordero, Sean Berry, and Darrin Fletcher to tie the game at 3-3. The Yankees would get three runs in the fifth inning with a groundout by Danny Tartabull to drive in a run, a wild pitch by Ken Hill allowing Velarde to score, and an RBI single by Mike Stanley to get them back on top 6-3. The Expos would respond in the sixth inning by scoring two runs off a 4-6 fielder's choice by Marquis Grissom, and Lenny Webster getting an RBI single to make the score 6-5 in favor of the Yankees. They would also tie the game in the seventh inning with Mike Lansing getting an RBI to make it 6-6. Later that inning, The Yankees would regain the lead from a line drive single by O'Neill to drive in a run and make it 7-6. Velarde would double in the eighth inning to give The Yankees a 8-6 lead. Steve Howe came on the mound in the ninth inning to retire the side and get the save and the win for The Yankees for a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2
Sunday, October 23, 1994 7:20 PM (EDT) at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Montreal 1 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 5 11 0
New York 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 10 2
WP: Jeff Fassero (1–0) LP: Jim Abbott (0–1) Sv: John Wetteland (1)
Home runs:
MON: Larry Walker 2 (2)
NYY: Wade Boggs (1), Paul O'Neill (2)
Jeff Fassero and Jim Abbott were the starters for Game 2. Both teams would score in the first inning with an RBI double by Moises Alou for Montreal, and a solo home run by Paul O'Neill into right field to make it a 1-1 game early. Larry Walker would hit a two run home run into left center field to put the Expos up 3-1. New York would score a run in the fifth inning off an RBI single by Don Mattingly to make it a 3-2 game. The Expos would score a run each in the next two innings from RBI single by Cliff Floyd in the sixth inning, and another home run by Larry Walker into right center field in the seventh inning to make it a 5-2 lead. The Yankees would add a run in the eighth inning from a solo home run by Wade Boggs into right field to make the score 5-3 in favor of the Expos. John Wetteland would come on the mound in the ninth inning to get the save and the win for the Expos to even the series at 1-1.
Game 3
Tuesday, October 25, 1994 8:20 PM (EDT) at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 6 0
Montreal 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 X 4 6 0
WP: Kirk Reuter (1–0) LP: Melido Perez (0–1) Sv: John Wetteland (2)
Home runs:
NYY: Mike Stanley (1)
MON: Darrin Fletcher (1), Larry Walker (3)
As the series shifted to Montreal for Game 3, the matchup would be between Melido Perez and Kirk Reuter. This was the first time that a World Series game was played in Montreal. New York would get on the board first with a solo home run into center field by Mike Stanley to give them a 1-0 lead. The Expos would score three runs in the third inning, with one coming from a Sean Berry ground rule double, and a two run home run down the left field line by Darrin Fletcher to give them a 3-1 lead. Larry Walker hit a solo home run into center field in the fifth inning to make it a 4-1 game. The Yankees would add a run in the sixth inning off an RBI single by Don Mattingly to make the score 4-2 in favor of the Expos. John Wetteland would come on the mound in the ninth inning to get the save and the win for the Expos to take a 2-1 series lead.
Game 4
Wednesday, October 26, 1994 8:20 PM (EDT) at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 1 0 0 2 4 1 0 0 0 8 10 2
Montreal 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 4 9 3
WP: Scott Kamieniecki (1–0) LP: Pedro Martinez (0–1)
Home runs:
NYY: Bernie Williams (1)
MON: Sean Berry (1), Marquis Grissom (1)
The starters for Game 4 would be Scott Kamieniecki and Pedro Martinez. Both teams would score in the first inning with an RBI double by Mike Stanley for New York, and an RBI single by Wil Cordero for Montreal to make it a 1-1 game. Bernie Williams would hit a two run home run into left field in the fourth inning for the Yankees to give them a 3-1 lead. Paul O'Neill would hit an RBI single in the fifth inning to make it 4-1. Later that inning, Williams would hit a double to drive in three runs and increase the lead to 7-1 for the Yankees. They would add another run from an RBI single by Don Mattingly to make the score 8-1. Later that inning, Sean Berry would hit a solo home run into left field for the Expos to make it an 8-2 game. They would add two more runs in the seventh inning off a two run home run by Marquis Grissom into right field to make the score 8-4, which would be the final score as the Yankees would win the game and even the series at 2-2.
Game 5
Thursday, October 27, 1994 8:20 PM (EDT) at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 8 2
Montreal 1 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 X 7 11 2
WP: Ken Hill (1–0) LP: Jimmy Key (0–1)
Home runs:
NYY: None
MON: Moises Alou (1)
In Game 5, the starters were Jimmy Key and Ken Hill. Just like the previous game, both teams would score a run in the first inning, with an RBI single by Mike Stanley for New York, and an RBI double by Larry Walker for Montreal to make it a 1-1 game. The Expos would score two runs in the fourth inning off RBI doubles from Darrin Fletcher and Mike Lansing to give them a 3-1 lead. They would also score another two runs in the fifth inning off a two run home run down the left field line by Moises Alou to make it a 5-1 game. The Expos would get a run in the seventh inning off an RBI single by Wil Cordero to give them a 6-1 lead. The Yankees would score two runs in the eighth inning off a dropped fly ball, and an RBI single by Bernie Williams to make it a 6-3 game. The Expos would add on a run later that inning off an RBI double by Marquis Grissom to give them a 7-3 lead. They would get the win and lead the series 3-2. This would be the final playoff game played in Montreal as the Montreal Expos would relocate to Washington, DC to become the Washington Nationals in 2005.
Game 6
Saturday, October 29, 1994 7:20 PM (EDT) at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Montreal 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 7 10 0
New York 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 4 9 1
WP: Pedro Martinez (2–0) LP: Jim Abbott (0–2)
Home runs:
MON: Moises Alou (2), Marquis Grissom (2)
NYY: Paul O'Neill (3)
October 29 was the latest end date ever for a World Series until 2009. In Game 6, the starters would be Jeff Fassero and Jim Abbott. Montreal would get on the board first with an RBI double by Wil Cordero to drive in two runs to give them a 2-0 lead. New York would score a run in the second inning off an RBI single by Pat Kelly to make it a 2-1 game. The Expos would score a run in the fourth inning off an RBI double by Sean Berry to increase the lead to 3-1. Moises Alou would hit a two run home run into right field for the Expos to give them a 5-1 lead. Later that inning, the Yankees would get a run from an RBI single by Randy Velarde to make the score 5-2 in favor of the Expos. The Yankees would add another run in the sixth inning off a groundout by Bernie Williams to make it a 5-3 game. The Expos would get a run in the seventh inning from a solo home run into right center field by Marquis Grissom to give them a 6-3 lead. They would also score another run in the eighth inning off an RBI single by Mike Lansing to make it 7-3. Later that inning, the Yankees would get a run off a solo home run by Paul O'Neill into left center field to make the score 7-4 in favor of the Expos. John Wetteland would come on the mound to get the save and the win for the Expos as Danny Tartabull grounded out to second base for the final out of the game and the Montreal Expos would win the World Series in six games. With the 4-2 series win, it was their first World series championship in franchise history. After Game 6, then-Executive Committee Chairman Bud Selig presided over the Commissioner's trophy presentation for the first time. In the previous two World Series (1992 and 1993), American League president Dr. Bobby Brown presided over the trophy presentation. Selig would become the Commissioner of baseball in 1998. This would be the final playoff game played by the Montreal Expos, and the only championship won as the Montreal Expos as they would relocate to Washington, DC to become the Washington Nationals in 2005. The franchise would not return to the postseason again until 2012. The Expos/Nationals Franchise would not win another postseason series until 2019, when they won the World Series as the Washington Nationals.
Composite line score
1994 World Series (4–2): Montreal Expos (N.L.) over New York Yankees (A.L.)
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Montreal Expos 5 0 8 3 5 4 6 2 0 33 60 7
New York Yankees 5 3 0 2 9 3 1 5 0 28 58 8
Total attendance: 309,277 Average attendance: 51,578
Winning player's share: $167,277.89 Losing player's share: $106,584.08[8]
Broadcasting
ABC Televised the world series this year. Al Michaels (play-by-play), Jim Palmer (color commentary) and Tim McCarver (color commentary), called the action on ABC. John Saunders served as pre-game host for ABC's coverage of the World Series. Serving as field reporters for ABC were Rick Dempsey (in the Expos' dugout) and Lesley Vissler (in the Yankees' dugout.) This was one of two World Series (the other was 1995) to be produced under the "Baseball Network" umbrella (a revenue sharing joint venture between Major League Baseball, ABC and NBC). In July 1995, both networks announced that they would be pulling out of what was supposed to be a six-year-long venture. NBC would next cover the 1997 and 1999 World Series over the course of a five-year-long contract, in which Fox would cover the World Series in even numbered years (1996, 1998 and 2000).
The national radio broadcast was provided by CBS, with Vin Scully and Jeff Torborg on the call. Locally, the series was called on CIQC (AM) in Montreal. In New York, the series was called on WABC (AM).
Riots
After the Montreal Expos' World Series victory, thousands of people in Montreal took to the streets, particularly in downtown. Some committed acts of vandalism while others were celebrating in the streets. Rioters were arrested after they broke windows, looted stores and set fires to police cruisers, cars, and different buildings, including some fires in the streets. The riot caused two million dollars worth of damage. Due to the Yankees being the Expos' opponents, most of the New York news media, including the New York Times and the Daily News, also covered the riot.
Aftermath
This would be the last playoff appearance for the Montreal Expos. Following the World Series, the team initiated a fire sale of many players. Ken Hill, John Wetteland, and Marquis Grissom were traded while Larry Walker was allowed to leave as a free agent. Moisés Alou, Pedro Martínez and Mel Rojas would eventually follow. They finished in last place in the NL East in 1995. They would finish in last place or second-to-last place in eight of the last ten years they were in Montreal. They would relocate to Washington, DC to become the Washington Nationals in 2005. The Expos/Nationals franchise would not return to the postseason again until 2012 and would not win another postseason series until 2019. This would be the last time the Expos/Nationals franchise won a World Series until 2019.
This would be the start of 14 straight postseason appearances by the New York Yankees. After losing in the ALDS to the Seattle Mariners in five games in 1995, they would return to the World Series in 1996 and defeated the Atlanta Braves in six games to win their first title in 18 years. After that, they would go on to win four pennants in the next seven years, winning the World Series in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Series quotes
"There's a ground ball over to second base, the throw to first, he's out. For the first time in franchise history, the Montreal Expos are world champions."
-Al Michaels calling the final out of Game 6 of the World Series between the Expos and the Yankees