Stoneman was selected by the Expos in the expansion draft and quickly established
himself as their ace starter. He tossed a 7-0 no-hitter at Philadelphia on April
17, 1969 in his fifth major league start. He finished the year 11-19, 4.39, the only
pitcher on the staff with more than seven wins, but led the NL in walks. He also
established a record as the easiest pitcher to strike out, fanning 55 times in 73
at-bats that year, 75 percent of the time; he hit just .086 for his career. Stoneman
dropped to 7-15 in 1970, but had his best season in 1971, going 17-16 (his only winning
record) with a 3.14 ERA, tying for the NL lead in starts, and leading again in walks.
Stoneman
threw his second no-hitter on October 2, 1972, a 7-0 victory over the Mets in which
he walked eight; it was the first major league no-hitter pitched outside the United
States. He was 12-14 with a 2.98 ERA that year, but declined thereafter. When he
was sold to the Angels at the start of 1974, he was the Expos' team leader in wins
(51), shutouts (15), and strikeouts (851); he still holds the team record for strikeouts
in a season (251 in 1971). He went on to work his way up through the Expos' front
office and became general manager in 1987.
(SH)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»April 17, 1969: Bill Stoneman's first win as a starter is a no-hitter for Montreal at Philadelphia. Rusty Staub's home run, three doubles, and three RBI pace a 5–0 win.
»June 24, 1971: The Mets Tom Seaver smashes an 8th inning homer, off Montreal's Bill Stoneman, to win his own game, 2–1.
»September 1, 1971:
At Wrigley, pitcher Fergie Jenkins leads the Cubs to a 5–2 win over Montreal by clouting two home runs and driving in three runs. Bill Stoneman takes the loss.
»September 22, 1971: The Phillies leave 14 men on base without scoring in a 2–0 loss to the Expos. Bill Stoneman is the winner over Rick Wise.
»July 7, 1972:
Back in the Expos lineup for the first time since June 27, Ken Singleton drives in three runs to support Bill Stoneman's 7–2 win over the Giants. Singleton wears a special uniform to prevent a rash from reoccurring because of his allergy to materials in the Expos regular uniform.
»October 2, 1972: Bill Stoneman of Montreal pitches his 2nd no-hitter, beating the Mets 7–0. The temperature at Jarry Park is 53 degrees as 7,184 watch the doubleheader split.
»October 2, 1995:
Montreal GM Kevin Malone announces his resignation, and is replaced on an interim basis by former Expos P Bill Stoneman.