Cubs-Expos, Sept. 26, 1989 (9th inning, Cubs clinch NL East)

The Cubs went down in order in the top of the ninth. The bottom half was much more dramatic. Tom Foley led off with a single, representing the tying run. Pinch runner Otis Nixon advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. One out later, he stole third. Then, closer Mitch Williams faced pinch hitter Mike Fitzgerald ...

[@The.Ghostwolf]

Eight year-old me was watching this game on live TV from my home in Chicago... Man, this brought back memories!

[@deadmansgulf911]

Nice was the same age as you. Too bad they ran into Will Clark and the Giants in the NLCS. Was a fun team.

[@callydavis3071]

My 11 year old self fell in love with the Cubs and Mark Grace even more!

[@donnix768]

I remember watching this game with my dad and brother on WGN, my mom taped this on vhs. I attended my first cubs game earlier in that 1989 season, the second year of lights at Wrigley Field. I remember Harry saying “ alright hold everything, ok hold everything now.” Then Mitch Williams got that final strike call that sealed their pennant of the old NL East.

[@ryanjustice2670]

My goodness how the game has changed! Dennis Martinez still pitching in the 9th down by one run.

[@redmanr5522]

34 years ago today, it happened, Go Cubs Go! Tue. 9/26/2023

[@sherylannnarvasa6922]

What great memories! The first division championship I remember them winning.

[@ptakers]

Wow - you forget what a heart-attack in waiting Mitch Williams used to be ;)

[@clallseven]

+Todd Akers With the exception of Lee Smith, Randy Myers, & the one year Rod Beck had 51 saves, Cubs closers have been suspect for the 30+ seasons I've watched them.

[@Frank_Cohen]

clallseven Those are a lot of exceptions. Williams year was solid, but he was the reason many of us called them the "Cardiac Cubs" that year.

[@eltravo2112]

Even more-so with the Phillies

[@jamesd242]

Williams would walk the bases loaded,then strike out the side

[@clallseven]

@Robert Spence I said in the time I’ve been a fan. I started watching baseball in ‘83. Everyone you mentioned is before my time. Sutter is the only one who even played while I’ve been alive and he was a Cardinal by the time I was 3 years old.

[@sugarbelleash]

This was the day I became a Cubs fan. And I'm still a Cubs fan!

[@tadpole8677]

With so many teams making the playoffs now winning the division isn't as exciting as this.

[@christianfinkbeiner684]

I still have this game on VHS.

[@CBrolley]

Dirtbag KZbin throws a roadblock, a stupid 5 second commercial JUST BEFORE the final pitch.

[@biffalobull2335]

Lifelong Phillies fan but I always liked the Expos home uniforms

[@scoobycarr5558]

I really like how the plate umpire calls the strikes from the pitcher.

[@millypoo7713]

The home plate umpire was Dutch Rennert. Harry Caray once said on the air that when Rennert makes a called strike... it looks like he is laying an egg. 😆 🤣 😂 See 2:12

[@Watchinwheel]

Holy crap Mark Grace was on the 89 team?

[@millypoo7713]

You must have been born in 2011 LOL 😆 😂 🤣 😜 😅 😄 😆 😂 🤣

[@krierp8]

Montreal needs to bring back baseball there. The fans were awesome back then and cared about their team.

[@johnny1963ify]

Patrick Krier Said the empty seat.

[@alexh8613]

Then the fans completely abandoned them. I remember going to a 3/4 empty Olympic Stadium in Montreal and paying $5 Canadian for a bleacher ticket, hot dog, and Molson Beer. At the time $5 Canadian was equal to about $3.30 American. Man that was awesome!!!

[@tadpole8677]

I don't remember that place ever having fans even with great teams.

[@scoobycarr5558]

Cubs fan here and I'll admit that I miss when the Expos came to Chicago and the singer did Canada's national anthem. It's right up there with our own national anthem and USA and Canada has the two most beautiful flags around.

[@dirtyolchet151]

Yosh Kawano at the start, the man!!!

[@ksol1460tv]

"He flung the ball and then hilariously flung himself after it." - Roger Angell

[@jxy93]

"Come on down to the ballpark! Good seats available in Montreal!"

[@zcadwresx]

Could you have imagined, if the Cubs would have survived the infamous, "fast ball up". And beat San Fransisco. With the earthquake, that was looming. Cursed. I don't mean any disrespect, that's just something I have always thought about. On a more upbeat note, hearing Harry say, "go Cubs go", was nice. A pretty generic saying, that would become the Cubs own. Also, little did we know, the role Dave Martinez would play in Cub lore, many years later.

[@alexh8613]

They lost the series 4-1. They got whooped!!!

[@millypoo7713]

It doesn't matter and nobody cares. They won it all in 2016. The past was forgiven.

[@jimjohnson5752]

Is that umpire for real??? HOLY COW!

[@eldredbrown3463]

Bruce Froemming? Yeah, I remember him calling every strike as if it were Strike 3. (A little trivia for you: His most famous strike call was the one he DIDN'T make that blew Milt Pappas's bid for a perfect game in 1972.)

[@eltravo2112]

0:56 Rookie Joe Girardi

[@Blackhawk89]

Expos disbanded because their stadium NEVER sold out. This game is a perfect example

[@daboys1215]

+Blackhawk89 They relocated. They didn't disband.

[@Blackhawk89]

that's what I meant

[@daboys1215]

Blackhawk89 Lots of teams don't sell out. The Expos moved because they had no owner for 3 years and couldn't (and won't) get public money to build a new stadium. Did anyone think MLB would run the team forever? That's why they left.

[@Frank_Cohen]

If Ricketts owned the team and Theo was GM, they would have re-signed Maddux. Himes and Tribune sucked. Worst move ever was to let Maddux go to Braves. What was disgusting was their lying that they made an effort and that Maddux was unwilling to stay. Complete B.S.

[@musicman76enator]

Not necessarily

[@patricklee4316]

Tommy would not have wanted to pay Maddox.

[@LanceCampeau]

Awesome upload.... I'm an expos/cubs/giants fan from Montreal... god I miss the MLB in Montreal. I even liked the Olympic Stadium.

[@thedon1570]

Smh then you’re a bonafide LOSER with 2..

[@Nickrj3]

I think I read somewhere that when the team started celebrating, Ryne Sandberg accidentally stepped on Mark Grace's foot.

[@scoobycarr5558]

Isn't that the same Mitch Williams that threw the gopher ball to the Blue Jays' Joe Morgan in the 1993 World Series when he played for the Phillies?

[@ryanjustice2670]

Well, that is the same Mitch Williams. But it was Joe Carter for the Blue Jays. Not Joe Morgan.

[@vaughnmild4467]

"Waving" Wallace Johnson ex ChiSox 3rd base coach

[@rodzor]

let's go Expos

[@ab8588]

Why is Harry dumping on the Expos?

[@ir10031981]

CUBS 2017 NLDS Champions! good luck in the NLCS, beat the Dodgers, again!

[@ir10031981]

23:29 click on it!!!! may Cubs win the division again on October 11th 2017.

[@ir10031981]

make that October 12th 2017, congratulations Cubs, you did it!

[@garnunce786]

why are the cubs wearing white pants on the road?

[@BarryJowers]

that was part of their road uniform that season with the blue shirt

[@musicman76enator]

LOL it looks like there is barely anybody in the stands xD

[@Frank_Cohen]

Matthew Jay Evans That was normal there. I used to go there, when visiting, and would love paying peanuts for great seats behind visitors' dugout. Dreadful atmosphere for a game though, like an ugly cave with a lot of echo.

[@hotdogwater7037]

Matthew Jay Evans looks like? i bet at least half of montreal didnt even know they had a baseball team...i miss the budweiser play of the game

[@CBrolley]

Cold night in Montreal and the local team’s season has been over for weeks. Who the hell would show up except visiting Cubs fans?

[@michaelreisel4271]

The expos had a bad season in the late 1980s. Watch Expos games in the early 1980s when Olympic Stadiam aka Stade Olympique had no roof. These games had very high attendance and the Expos did draw well. People who do not know much about Montreal need not voice a wrong opinion.

[@rylandawe93]

BULLSHIT. First of all the Expos did NOT have a bad season in 1989, they were .500 and were in first as late as AUGUST. And when the team was dominating in 1994, and coming off a 94 WIN SEASON, attendance was still crap. So any enchantment Montreal had towards the team was dead by this time, no matter how much revisionists like to act like Montreal was in love with the team until mean old Major League Baseball took it away from them. The Expos had good teams as late as 2003 but no one gave a crap. And I know far too much about your shitty city, it's a cold shithole full of assholes that's so insecure that it punishes store owners who write English to big. You're greatest "culture" is trashing the city when your shitty hockey team actually wins a playoff game. There's a reason the rest of Canada hates Quebec.

[@rylandawe93]

BULLSHIT. First of all the Expos did NOT have a bad season in 1989, they were .500 and were in first as late as AUGUST. And when the team was dominating in 1994, and coming off a 94 WIN SEASON, attendance was still crap. So any enchantment Montreal had towards the team was dead by this time, no matter how much revisionists like to act like Montreal was in love with the team until mean old Major League Baseball took it away from them. The Expos had good teams as late as 2003 but no one gave a crap. And I know far too much about your shitty city, it's a cold shithole full of assholes that's so insecure that it punishes store owners who write English to big. You're greatest "culture" is trashing the city when your shitty hockey team actually wins a playoff game. There's a reason the rest of Canada hates Quebec.

[@daboys1215]

+Rylan Dawe You have no clue what you are talking about.

[@Frank_Cohen]

Michael Reisel You are sooooo wrong. I would go to games there many times, when visiting (business, pleasure) and pick up seats right behind visitors' dugout for peanuts. Being a Cubs fan, I watched Expos for decades on tv and sections of seats were conspicuous for their emptiness. Plus, Expos fielded many competitive teams worth watching. I'm not looking at attendance data, but I'm certain they would back me up. In fairness to the fans, that place was dreary and dreadful, an unsuitable setting for baseball.

[@Frank_Cohen]

daboys1215 He is spot on for first paragraph. That Expos documentary was good, but spread false info on fan devotion. It has misled many viewers.

[@zforce32]

Annnnd they shit the bed against the Padres...

[@ryanjustice2670]

Ummmm..... Giants.

[@zforce32]

@@ryanjustice2670 same shit, different team

[@millypoo7713]

And they won the World Series in 2016, and made you 💩 your pants ha ha 😂 😆 😄 🤣