Without Steve Rogers there’s no Blue Monday
Forty-years ago Tuesday, Montreal Expos ace Steve Rogers came in in relief in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series and allowed a go-ahead home run to Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Rick Monday. Photo: Getty Images
October 18, 2021
By Danny Gallagher
Canadian Baseball Network
Steve Rogers joked that "I can’t wait for the 45th anniversary, 50th anniversary and even better the 65th anniversary so I can talk about it some more.''
In reality, though, Rogers said he really is in no mood to talk about what happened on Blue Monday, Oct. 19, 1981 on this the 40th anniversary but he has always been so gracious in making himself available to chat. He has always faced the music.
Rick Monday struck a sword through Rogers' heart, the hearts of Expos players, officials and Expos fans everywhere when he crushed a Rogers pitch beyond the right-centre field fence to send the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series.
In our recent interview, Rogers tried to reason that day in Expos history would be a "footnote'' if somehow another Expos team could have gone to the World Series and won a championship or two. Instead, Blue Monday remains an indelible mark because no other Expos team made it to the postseason like the 1981 Expos did.
The event stunned a city, a province, a nation and a legion of fans throughout North America.
"I understand that the Rick Monday home run is a low point as far as the fan base goes. I wish it hadn't happened either. I wished it had not been on the books,'' Rogers said in a 50-minute interview. "I gave up the home run but without any of those four starts in October, we don't even get to that game.
“There was the (regular-season) game against the Mets, the two (NLDS) wins against the Phillies and the win against Jerry Reuss earlier in the Dodgers series. The highlight of my career was being able to be as effective as I could be in those four starts.''
So true, Rogers' performances on Oct. 2, Oct. 7, Oct. 11 and Oct. 16 made him Mr. October in Expos annals. With the series tied 2-2 and Game 5 postponed on Oct. 18, Rogers made the decision that day to tell manager Jim Fanning and pitching coach Galen Cisco he was willing to pitch on the 19th.
“For all intents and purposes, it was a foregone conclusion I was coming into the game once you volunteer,’’ Rogers told me. “The original idea was that if things did not go well for (starter) Ray Burris, I would be the first guy out of the bullpen.’’
Burris ended up pitching eight masterful innings and then Fanning brought Rogers into the game with the score tied 1-1. Also warming up was reliever Jeff Reardon, who told me he thought he was going into the game when the umpire “swiped his face’’ instead to mean Fanning wanted Rogers.
“I’d come down to warm up beside Jeff. He’d already been throwing,’’ Rogers said. “Reardon never said many words. That’s why we called him Yak Yak. I said, ‘How is your back?’ He said, ‘It’s fine.’ We all knew he was dealing with a bad back.’’
Rogers' heart was beating mightily and the butterflies were buzzing in his stomach.
Oh yeah, Rogers admitted the adrenalin was flowing because he was not accustomed to being a reliever, especially in what he labelled "a winner-take-all game.'' Research shows Rogers had only pitched two games in relief in his career prior to that point: once in 1976, the other time in 1978.
Rogers got Steve Garvey to pop up to second and then Ron Cey hit a scary line drive deep to left-fielder Tim Raines for out No. 2. Up came Monday who was on-spot the whole game.
"The way Monday was swinging the bat, he was the only player with the Dodgers swinging with authority in that game,'' Rogers remembered.
On the first pitch from Rogers, Monday snapped it back behind home plate. Earlier in the game, Monday had singled and drilled a long foul ball to right off Burris.
"I wish it had stayed fair,'' Monday told me about the near home run facing Burris.
"Monday was mad at himself for missing a pitch Rogers threw before the home run,'' former Dodgers announcer Ross Porter said in an interview.
After throwing three consecutive balls to run the count to 3-1, Rogers grooved one and Monday drilled it through the thick, cold, foggy air as outfielder Andre Dawson looked on in despair as the ball carried over the high fence.
The Dodgers ended up winning the game 2-1 and proceeded to win the World Series over the Yankees.
"I've said it a million times that absolutely I was 100% ready to pitch multiple innings but I didn't have the ability to harness the adrenalin going into that situation,'' Rogers said. "It's different than going into a game in the first inning (as a starter). It's an entirely different animal.
“My mechanics, because of the adrenalin, were so off. I had no feel for any of the pitches. I was overthrowing the ball. I failed at controlling my adrenalin. Once the air was out of the sails, once the (Monday) ball went over the fence, the adrenalin was gone. I got (next batter) Pedro Guerrero on three pitches.’’
Monday said he initially wasn’t able to track the flight of the ball.
“I was surprised,’’ Monday said about the ball going over the fence. “I knew I had hit it very well. In my mind, I was saying, ‘Did I get enough of it?’ When I got to first, I thought it might be off the wall. I was looking at Andre Dawson. He kept running for the ball and kept running for the ball.
“In the next instance, I had to see, it was almost a shooting star, just the glimpse of the ball as it was disappearing behind the fence.
“When he (Rogers) came into the game, from my standpoint, this game is probably going extra innings. He throws a heavy sinker and a good, hard slider. With a good team in the Expos, it’s going 13-14 innings.
“We were saying home runs are not going to be a topic of conversation in this game because of the temperatures, the dimensions of Olympic Stadium and the high walls. It was such a great series between two extremely talented teams. Neither side was going to give an inch.’’
Once he left the clubhouse, Rogers never went anywhere to have a few drinks and drown his sorrows. He drove to his residence on Montreal’s West Island and the next day, he drove back home to the U.S. Midwest, stung by what happened but happy with his contributions in October.
Rogers said he was never depressed, never sought help, didn’t need prescription drugs and never felt haunted by what happened.
“There was too much positive for me to dwell on one pitch,’’ he said. “The perception is that hitters win games and pitchers lose games. Some people will say a pitcher gave up too many runs but as a team, you win as a team and lose as a team.’’
When Rogers arrived home and settled in for the off-season, not once did he turn the television on to watch the Dodgers and Yankees play in the World Series.
“I did not see one second. I did not want to watch it,’’ Rogers said. “Absolutely, I did begrudge the Dodgers for being there. I hated them. I honestly felt they were not better than us.’’