Pearson Cup

The Pearson Cup was an annual mid-season Major League Baseball exhibition game between former Canadian rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Montréal Expos. Named after former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, it was originally created to raise money for minor league baseball in Canada. In later years, it was incorporated into the interleague baseball schedule.

The series began in by|1978, and ran for eight more seasons until by|1986. Due to a strike, no game was played in by|1981. In by|2003 the series was revived as part of the Blue Jays-Expos interleague rivalry. It continued on into the by|2004 season, before the Expos moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. The cup is now on display in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Results

From 1978-1986 the Cup was awarded after a one game exhibition, that had no effect on the major league standings. During the 2003 and 2004 series, the Cup was awarded after a six game set, three in Toronto and three in Montréal. These games did count toward the major league standings.

The All-Canadian Series

The Blue Jays and Expos first played meaningful baseball in the by|1997 season with the introduction of interleague play. Originally one game sets, the two teams played home and home series for the first time in by|1999. The series was a boost to the paltry attendance numbers at both the Olympic Stadium in Montréal and the SkyDome in Toronto, but failed to become a serious rivalry amongst the players or the fans. Some people attribute this to lack of Canadian players on both teams, while others point to the general malaise of Canadians with Major League Baseball during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Major League Baseball put the final nail in the Series' coffin by playing the final set between the Jays and 'Spos in San Juan, Puerto Rico instead of Montréal, making it even worse, the series included Canada Day. This is seen by many baseball fans in Canada as the ultimate disrespect to the series and to baseball north of the border. The All-Canadian Series ended after 2004 when the Expos were relocated to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. The Blue Jays won the series 24 games to 19 games, and Toronto also won the most season series (3-2-2).

Here's how the series broke down in number of games won.

*1997: Expos 2, Blue Jays 1
*1998: Blue Jays 4, Expos 0
*1999: Blue Jays 4, Expos 2
*2000: Blue Jays 4, Expos 2
*2001: Tie, 3-3
*2002: Expos 4, Blue Jays 2
*2003: Tie, 3-3
*2004: Tie, 3-3

Notes

Canadian Bill Atkinson was the winning pitcher and scored the winning run for the Expos in the first-ever Pearson Cup game at the Olympic Stadium in 1978.Fact|date=August 2008

ee also

* Toronto-Montreal rivalry

External links

*http://www.canadianbaseballnews.com/MonExpos/PearsonCup.html