I used to be a huge baseball fan. Growing up in Montreal, the Expos weren’t just another team; they were woven into the fabric of the city. Summer nights often revolved around baseball, and there was something special about watching games at Olympic Stadium. But when the Expos packed up and left for Washington in 2004, a part of my love for the sport left with them. I still catch the occasional game, but it has never been the same.
Even so, one unforgettable Expos moment still makes me smile. It wasn’t a dramatic home run or a spectacular catch. It was the night a mascot got thrown out of a Major League Baseball game.
On August 23, 1989, the Montreal Expos were locked in an exhausting battle against the Los Angeles Dodgers. What started as an ordinary game slowly turned into a marathon. By the 11th inning, with everyone feeling the strain of the scoreless contest, Youppi! decided the crowd needed a little entertainment.
The oversized orange mascot climbed onto the roof of the Dodgers’ dugout and started dancing, stomping, and pounding away above the visiting team. It may have been hilarious for the fans, but Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda wasn’t laughing. Annoyed by the constant racket, he stormed out of the dugout and complained to third base umpire Bob Davidson.
In one of the funniest decisions in baseball history, Davidson officially ejected Youppi! from the game.
Think about that for a second. Players get tossed. Managers get tossed. Coaches get tossed. But a mascot? That’s a club with exactly one member.
Being escorted away by security wasn’t enough to stop Youppi! from having the last laugh. Later in the game, he reappeared in the stands wearing a nightgown and carrying a pillow, pretending to settle in for a nap while the endless game dragged on. Considering the contest lasted an incredible 22 innings before the Dodgers finally won 1-0, he probably wasn’t the only one ready for some sleep.
As if getting Youppi! tossed from a game wasn’t enough, Tommy Lasorda already had a history with mascots. Just a year earlier, he found himself in one of baseball’s funniest feuds with the Phillie Phanatic. During a game at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium in August 1988, the wisecracking green mascot took things to another level by parading around the field with a stuffed mannequin dressed in a Dodgers uniform and wearing a Lasorda jersey. Let’s just say Lasorda didn’t appreciate being the punchline, and his legendary dislike of mischievous mascots was already well established before Youppi! entered the picture.
What makes the Youppi! incident, even more ironic is that Tommy Lasorda wasn’t exactly a villain in Montreal. Long before he became the fiery manager of the Dodgers, he was a genuine hero in the city. As a left-handed pitcher for the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, Lasorda spent parts of nine seasons in Montreal between 1950 and 1960. He racked up an incredible 107 wins, becoming the winningest pitcher in Royals history and earning the admiration of local baseball fans.
That’s what made the night of August 23, 1989, so unforgettable. The man who had once been cheered by Montreal faithful suddenly became the guy who got Youppi! thrown out of a baseball game. It’s probably safe to say that, for at least one night, all those fond memories of Lasorda’s playing days went right out the window. The crowd wasn’t about to side with him over their beloved orange mascot.
Today, more than three decades later, that ejection remains one of baseball’s greatest oddball moments. The Expos are gone, but Youppi! never left Montreal. Instead, he found a new home cheering on the Montreal Canadiens, becoming one of the rare mascots to make history in two professional sports.
It’s funny how sports memories work. I don’t remember many details from the Expos’ final seasons, but I will always remember the night an umpire looked at a giant orange furry mascot and decided, “That’s enough. You’re out of here.”
Maybe that’s why Youppi! He is still one of Montreal’s most beloved sports icons. Teams come and go, but legends have a way of sticking around.
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