New Canadian ball hall inductee Boucher reflects on MLB debut and Expos debut

New Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Denis Boucher made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays on April 12, 1991.

February 1, 2023

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

April 12, 1991. The SkyDome. A Friday day game.

It was an electric moment for Canadian Denis Boucher of Montreal. It was his major-league debut, as a starting pitcher for the Blue Jays. The butterflies, the adrenalin, the moment of truth had arrived.

"One of the greatest days of my life,'' the modest Boucher was saying Wednesday on a Zoom call after he was elected into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. "I walked to the mound after pitching in the bullpen. I'm on the mound. A lot of friends were there, my parents were there, my grandparents.

"I faced Paul Molitor, Robin Yount and Gary Sheffield. That's who I faced in the first inning.''

Boucher shook off any worries he had. Molitor popped to third, Yount grounded out 6-3 and Sheffield flied to left. In the Milwaukee second, Franklin Stubbs lined to first, Greg Vaughn was called out on strikes and Dante Bichette popped to first.

After retiring the first six Brewers, Boucher went on to record a no-decision, finishing with 5 1/3 innings of commendable work, allowing three earned runs in a game won by Toronto in the 10th inning.

More than two years later, Boucher was in a similar situation at Olympic Stadium in Montreal on Sept. 6, 1993 when he pitched for the Expos with Joe Siddall of Windsor, Ont. behind the plate and B.C.'s Larry Walker in right field.

It was the first time in modern baseball history that three Canadians were in the starting lineup for the same team. With the start, Boucher also made history as the first Canuck to have suited up for both the Jays and Expos.

Like the game in 1991, the atmosphere was electrifying with 40,006 in attendance with the Rockies in town as the Expos chased a playoff spot. Again, Boucher got a no-decision but the Expos won, just like the Jays did, with the help of solo homers by Walker and Sean Berry. Boucher pitched six, solid innings, giving up only one run, a solo homer by onetime Expo Andres Galarraga.

"I've never seen anything like it,'' Boucher told the reporters on the Zoom call about the atmosphere in that special game in 1993. "There were 3-4 ovations after the game. It was incredible. Andre Dawson was my hero growing up so pitching at Olympic Stadium was a special feeling.’’

Along with Dawson, Boucher felt a strong allegiance with Quebec hero and long-ago Expo Claude Raymond, who in 1993 was an Expos’ broadcaster. As for comparing the atmosphere and the scenario in 1991 and 1993, Boucher found it difficult to choose any game over the other as a favourite.

"It’s hard to pick one of the two. One was my major-league debut and then you get to home and pitch for your hometown team,'' Boucher said. "Both were incredible days. They both brought great feelings.''

Boucher pitched for the Canadian national team prior to his big league career and has served as a pitching coach for the national team since 2003, but those games with the Jays and Expos will stand out forever.

Danny Gallagher’s new Expos book is called Around The Horn and it’s available at Amazon.