November 23, 2021

Former Expos manager Bill Virdon has passed away at the age of 90

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

Just last week, Bill Virdon and his wife Shirley had celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

Today, the baseball world is mourning his loss at the age of 90.

The 1983-84 Expos manager passed away in Springfield, Missouri, where he was born.

With his passing, Felipe Alou takes over as the oldest living Expos manager at 86.

Virdon took over an Expos roster that some people said was the best team the Expos ever assembled -- at least on paper -- in 1983.

The Expos were in first place for part of the 1983 season but they faded to finish at 82-80. When Virdon arrived, he assumed a club that also contended for part of the 1982 season.

Virdon had a reputation for driving the horses hard. Players weren't used to a manager forcing drills on them until they were ready to drop.

"I made them work,'' Virdon told this reporter in an interview in 2017. "I enjoyed it in Montreal. We had several pretty good clubs with guys like Andre Dawson, Gary Carter and Tim Raines. I'm proud of my time in Montreal. I have no regrets.''

Virdon lasted less than two seasons with the Expos. He never managed again in the majors. He also had managerial stints with the Yankees, Astros and Pirates and is remembered for his long tenure as a player with the Bucs. He was a member of their 1960 World Series-winning squad which beat out the Yankees.

"That was the highlight of my career, no question, winning the 1960 World Series,'' Virdon said in 2017. "We were underdogs in that series but we didn't back down from anything.

"I got several key RBI hits in that series. It was one of those things. It wasn't just me. It was everybody.''

Including Bill Mazeroski, who tagged the walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 as the Bucs prevailed 10-9.

"I remember standing on the dugout steps,'' Virdon recalled. "I would have been the third batter. I'm glad I didn't have to hit.''

Virdon had Bill Virdon Blvd. named after him and a statue was unveiled in his honour in Springfield May 25, 2017 by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Virdon's life story written with David Jerome was recently submitted to McFarland Publishing. It is called Bill Virdon: A Life in Baseball. It will be published at a later date.

Condolences to Shirley and the Virdon family.