Expos alumni taking field with Champions

Ottawa baseball fans will get to see a Spaceman and an Oil Can pitch Sept. 3.

Former Montreal Expos pitcher Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee, now 72, will pitch for the Ottawa Champions when they face the Rockland Boulders. On what will be Montreal Expos Day at RCGT Park, another former fan favourite, Dennis ‘Oil Can’ Boyd will come in to relieve Lee.

Also on hand for the special day will be Expos alumni Dave Cash, Rondell White and Cliff Floyd. The day will feature autograph sessions and silent auctions. Proceeds from every ticket will be donated to the CHEO and the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

“This is a thing we’ve wanted to do for awhile,” said Champions director of communications Mike Nellis. “We’ve had an Expos-themed game on the schedule since the start of the year.”

In 2012, as a 65-year-old, Lee signed with the San Rafael Pacifics of the North American League.

Nellis says there is no set timetable for how long Lee will stay in the game as a starting pitcher and it could depend on where the Champions and/or Boulders are in the standings.

“There’s no real expectation for him. Is he going to pitch to one batter or for one inning or longer? Who knows what he will be able to do? The indication we’ve had is that (Lee) has done it before and he’ll be ready.”

Ottawa has a deep connection with the former Montreal franchise. The Ottawa Lynx were the Expos’ AAA affiliate from 1993-2007. Both White and Floyd spent time in Ottawa while in the Expos system.

This will not be the first time that Lee and Boyd will appear in a Can-Am League game. Lee started a game for the Brockton Rox in 2010, pitching into the sixth inning while allowing two runs and picking up the win. Boyd played for Brockton in 2005, appearing in 17 games at the age of 45.