April 2000 Names...News...Notes...

RYAN DEMPSTER, off to a great start in this 2000 campaign, became the first Canadian-born pitcher to win a game for the FLORIDA MARLINS .....FRED McGRIFF, who is the current record holder for home runs in different ballparks, with a total of 37, may just add to this after he gets an opportunity to poke a few out at the new COMERICA PARK, home for the DETROIT TIGERS .....JOHN OLERUD, now with the SEATTLE MARINERS, had the first ever hit at COMERICA PARK .....Former TORONTO BLUE JAYS minor league pitcher, BEN WEBER, made his MLB debut with the SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS at their beautiful new stadium, PACIFIC BELL PARK, on April 3, 2000, but was later sent down to their 'AAA' club .....MEL ROJAS recently signed a 'AAA' contract with the BOSTON RED SOX .....In 1994 and 1995, LEE STEVENS played with the KINTETSU BUFFALOES in Japan, where he had 20 and 23 homers, respectively ..... BILLY KOCH, of the TORONTO BLUE JAYS, talking about playing before the smallest crowd in SKYDOME history on Tuesday, April 4, 2000, which was only 13,514, as the BLUE JAYS downed the KANSAS CITY ROYALS by a 6-3 total, said, "It was like, jeez, is this it ? I was wondering if they thought it was an eight o'clock start." ....The bronze medal awarded, after those truly exciting matches at the PAN AMERICAN GAMES, played in the new home of the WINNIPEG GOLDEYES, was the first to ever be awarded to a team representing BASEBALL CANADA .....When NOLAN RYAN fanned EXPOS pinch-hitter BRAD MILLS, on April 22, 1983, in the 8th inning, it eclipsed the 56 - year-old mark of 3508 strikeouts attained by HALL of FAME pitcher WALTER JOHNSON, as the HOUSTON ASTROS won in a 4-2 result ..... MIKE MORGAN, now with the ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS, his record setting 13th team of his 20-year career, has been most impressive so far in over 20 innings .....In 1999, SCOTT STRICKLAND appeared with the JUPITER HAMMERHEADS ('A'), HARRISBURG SENATORS ('AA'), and OTTAWA SENATORS ('AAA') before he was called up to the MONREAL EXPOS later on in the season .....On April 17, 1969, BILL STONEMAN, in only the 10th game of the EXPOS' first-ever season, pitched the first of his two no-hitters, when he beat the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ..... Former BLUE JAYS Hitting Coach, GARY MATTHEWS, is now the newest member of the radio broadcast team in Toronto, where he joins TOM CHEEK, who has called every game since the beginning, 24 years ago, in 1977, and JERRY HOWARTH .....DEREK BELL switched from uniform number 19 to number 16 in honor of his fellow native of Tampa, and long time friend, DWIGHT GOODEN .....KIRK BULLINGER has recently been called up by the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES .....WCW Wrestler, DALE "THE DEMON" TORBORG, the one who wears face make - up as if a member of the Rock and Roll band 'KISS', but more importantly the son of JEFF TORBORG, who served as a Spring Training Instructor with the MONTREAL EXPOS, was in a uniform working out with the EXPOS on the morning of Saturday, March 18. He was in South Florida for a WCW pay-per-view event that evening at the new AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA, north of Miami . The 6' 5", 265 pounder, is a former minor league farmhand in the NEW YORK METS organization, where he was a teammate of current EXPOS pitcher GUILLERMO MOTA .....During the recently completed Spring Training, JUSTIN SPEIER, son of the former EXPOS infielder, CHRIS SPEIER, had an outstanding camp for the CLEVELAND INDIANS .....On April 18, 1997, ROGER PAVLIK, pitching for the TEXAS RANGERS, became the first AMERICAN LEAGUE hurler to ever walk the first four batters of a game in a 6-5 loss to the TORONTO BLUE JAYS ..... PETER BERGERON is only the fourth Rookie to start in centerfield for the EXPOS, joining MARQUIS GRISSOM, 1990; ANDRE DAWSON, 1977; and DON HAHN, in 1969 .....On April 24, 1996, GREG MYERS and PAUL MOLITOR each had five RBI as their MINNESOTA TWINS set a team record for runs as they routed the DETROIT TIGERS by a 24-11 mark, which was the most runs scored against the Bengals in 84 seasons, matching the previous mark set in a 24-2 loss to the PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS on May 18, 1912, four days into the life of new BENNETT FIELD, later to be renamed TIGER STADIUM, which closed after the 1999 season .....MIKE WEGENER gave up the 3000th hit to WILLIE MAYS on June 18, 1970 .....JEFF HUSON has resurrected his major league career once more in being named to the CHICAGO CUBS Opening Day Roster .....ROGER CLEMENS is close to reaching the 250 win mark .....RANDY JOHNSON has a good chance to go over the 3000 strikeout mark this season .....LARRY WALKER can arrive at the 300 home run level with a total of 37 in this 2000 season .....The HARRISBURG SENATORS added outfielder DAN McKINLEY to their active roster after trading outfielder BRIAN HUNTER, who was on the OTTAWA LYNX roster, to the CLEVELAND INDIANS on April 20, which brought the Eastern League 'AA' affiliate for the EXPOS up to the full amount of 24 players. McKINLEY comes to Harrisburg from the KINSTON INDIANS, the 'A' affiliate for the Tribe, where he had been batting at a .323 clip, over 13 games with 20 hits and 7 RBI .....On April 21, 2000, VLADIMIR GUERRERO went 3-for-4 with a pair of 2-run homers and drove in all five EXPOS runs, in a 5-1 win over the visiting MILWAUKEE BREWERS, to reach the 300th RBI plateau earlier than any other person in franchise history. In becoming the fastest hitter to reach this level, in only his 434th game, he eclipses MOISES ALOU, 300 in 510 games; ANDRES GALARRAGA, 300 in 555 games; ELLIS VALENTINE, 300 in 565 games; ANDRE DAWSON, 300 in 573 games; and, BOB BAILEY, 300 in 592 game .....ANDRES GALARRAGA had reached his 300th RBI on August 27, 1989 at San Francisco and also had a total of 5 RBI in that game .....ROB DUCEY is doing his usual good job as a pinch hitter and late game replacement for the PHILLIES .....MARK LANGSTON announced his retirement in mid-March, having compiled quite an impressive record over the years .....MARK WHITEN and JOLBERT CABRERA were called up to the Cleveland Indians from the Indian’s 'AAA' club, the BUFFALO BISONS .....JIM FREGOSI, named as manager of the BLUE JAYS on March 17, 1999, has now begun his second season as the skipper of the 2000 edition, his first full year with the team and at the start of this season he owned a career managing record of 945-1016 with an American League total of 514-553 and a National League tally of 431-463.