In this All Sports History video, we'll take a look back to 1969 when a small baseball field in Montreal was transformed into a near 30,000 seat major league ready stadium. In today’s video, we’ll take a look back at how the Montreal Expos' desperate search for a temporary stadium, found them transforming an amateur baseball field into their home that lasted for eight seasons.

This Jarry Park and Montreal Expos Documentary includes:

When the Expos Baseball team looked at Jarry Park Montreal for a potential home, it only had 3,000 seats, but the area surrounding the stadium was largely undeveloped and could be expanded more easily and more cheaply. With mounting pressure from MLB to make a decision, the Expos chose Jarry Park baseball stadium and plans then got underway to renovate the stadium to bring it up to Major League standards. The biggest change of course was adding 25,00 seats to Jarry Park, bringing its capacity to just over 28,000. While that still made it the smallest Major League stadium at that time, it was only just 500 seats shy of Cincinnati’s Crosley Field capacity. Also, even as the league’s smallest stadium, Jarry Park still managed to draw 1.2 million people in its first year. This placed it just inside the top ten attended teams for that year, including ahead of more established clubs like the Yankees, Orioles, Giants, and Phillies.

Montreal Expos Jarry Park was of course intended to be a temporary home, until the Expos permanent home could be built. In 1970, Montreal was awarded the Summer Olympics for 1976, and part of that deal was a planned brand new stadium with a retractable roof that could host the opening and closing ceremonies. Montreal’s mayor, Jean Drapeau had also promised the Expos owner Charles Bronfman, that not only would the Olympic Stadium be the Montreal Expos new stadium but that it also would be open by 1972. Well, as that year approached it became clear that the stadium would not in fact be opening on time, mainly due to a workers strike in 1972 that caused a massive delay in the groundbreaking for the building. This setback caused the Expos to have to get permission from MLB to stay at Jarry Park another season, and repeat this process again and again, as there were continuous delays building Olympic Stadium. It would take another five years before the new stadium was ready for the Expos to move in, and make it officially the Montreal Expos Stadium.

The Montreal Expos last game played at Jarry Park, was actually a doubleheader, and it took place on September 26, 1976. The club lost both of Montreal Expos last home game in a doubleheader to the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1 in the first game, and 2-1 in the last game. Jarry Park witnessed memorable moments in Montreal Exposl history and full of Montreal Expos highlights, including the Expos' inaugural game and the legendary performances of players like Rusty Staub and Gary Carter. Sadly, In 2005 the Montreal Expos move to Washington D.C., and became the Washington Nationals. Fortunately, the club has continued to honor their roots over the years from time to time. For Expos baseball 50th anniversary, the Nationals wore Expos throwback uniforms and replicated Jarry Park’s scoreboard for the game against the Kansas City Royals on July 6, 2019. Although the Montreal Expos Olympic Stadium became their new home, Jarry Park remains a cherished landmark, evoking nostalgia and fond memories for baseball enthusiasts, particularly those who experienced the magic of the Expos' early years in this historic venue.

So what did you guys think of the baseball field at Jarry Park being transformed into tennis courts? Do you agree with Jarry Park’s pool being ranked number three as an all-time unique landing spot for home runs? Where would you place it? And, would you like to see Major League Baseball return to Montreal in the future, through a Montreal Expos expansion club? Let me know in the comments below!

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MONTREAL EXPOS' FIRST HOME, JARRY PARK? // JARRY PARK EXPOS STADIUM DOCUMENTARY