Valentine was one of a trio of young Expos outfielders (with Andre Dawson and Warren
Cromartie) for whom stardom was predicted in the late 1970s. Only Dawson met those
expectations. Valentine had two straight 25-HR, 76-RBI seasons (1977-78; .293, .289)
as Montreal's everyday
right fielder and hit two inside-the-park homers in Olympic
Stadium in 1977. In 1978 he led NL outfielders with 24 assists, winning a Gold Glove;
in 1979 he had 21 HR and a career-high 82 RBI. But on May 30, 1980 he was hit in
the face with a pitch by Roy Thomas of the Cardinals and was out 40 days with a fractured
cheekbone. Larry Parrish had injured his wrist earlier that month, and the two injuries
probably cost the Expos the pennant. Valentine could have been on his way to his
best season: He finished with a .315 average, 67 RBI, and 13 HR in just 86 games.
In
1981 Valentine hit just .208 and was traded to the Mets at the end of May for Jeff
Reardon and Dan Norman. He hit .280 in 1982, but his power was gone. He hit only
8 HR in 1982 and 13 for the Angels in 1983.
(WOR)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»September 8, 1977: At Wrigley, Cubs reliever Bruce Sutter strikes out the first six men he faces, including three batters (Ellis Valentine, Gary Carter, and Larry Parrish) on nine pitches in the 9th inning. The Cubs score in the 10th against Montreal's Joe Kerrigan, and Sutter picks up the win, 3–2.
»July 10, 1979:
Scoring four runs in the 13th after two are out, the Giants beat the Expos, 11–7. Losing pitcher Woodie Fryman balks in the last run. In the 4th inning, Expo RF Ellis Valentine picks up a line drive and his throw beats Darrell Evans at 1B for a 9–3 putout.
»May 29, 1981:
Montreal trades OF Ellis Valentine to the Mets for P Jeff Reardon, OF Dan Norman, and a player to be named. Valentine will play just 159 games for the Mets, while Reardon will blossom into one of baseball's best relievers.
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