May 8, 2024

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

Original Expos pitcher Mike Wegener died last December in Fort Collins, Colo., but his passing is only now coming to light.

Wegener had fought a 32-year battle with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was 77.

His obituary said he had gone through remission and recurrence of the dreaded disease many times. He chose to donate his physical body for medical research.

There were some great expectations for the 6-foot-4 Wegener and he was in the Expos’ pitching rotation throughout most of the 1969 season but his record ended at 5-14. He appeared in 32 games that season, 26 of them starts over 165 2/3 innings.

Wegener's biggest game with the Expos was a four-hit, complete-game 4-0 shutout of the San Francisco Giants on June 14, 1969. He struck out six. That gem was noted in his obituary.

Wegener didn't get as much time with the Expos in 1970, going 3-6 in 104 1/3 innings. He allowed the 3,000th hit of Willie Mays career on July 18, 1970. He didn't pitch in the majors following the 1970 season.

He had problems with his throwing arm and retired from baseball following the 1977 season. He later became a nuclear energy quality engineer.

Wegener and outfielder Mack Jones forged a close friendship during their days with Montreal and were roommates on the road. Montreal Gazette writer Ted Blackman wrote a story on this rare occurrence, saying it was special in those days for a white man (Wegener) to be close friends with a black man (Jones).

Jones was best man at Wegener's wedding to his first wife. Wegener was predeceased by his second wife Marcia and is survived by his brothers Fred Jr. and Ray.