MONTREAL – Tim Raines managed to rattle young Mets left-hander Glendon Rusch right out of any chance he had of winning his 2001 debut Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Olympic Stadium.
And Raines did nothing more than hear his name announced to pull off that feat.
A crowd of 45,183 – already jacked by a pre-game circus in which each starting Expos player stood on a mini-stage illuminated by a spotlight – completely lost it at the introduction of Raines’ first at bat, in the second inning.
Rusch lost it soon after that, bouncing curveballs in the dirt.
It was Raines’ first appearance in an Expos home uniform since 1990. That alone would have been enough to get the crowd to give him a special welcome. Add to that the fact he is coming back from a nearly two-year retirement forced by Lupus Disease. Pump up the volume.
Robin Ventura and Raines teamed with the White Sox after Raines left the Expos, beginning a journey that took him later to the Yankees and A’s before returning to where he started.
“Robin said, ‘Take your cap off, man,’ and I told him, ‘No way, that’ll make them stop and I don’t want them to stop,’ ” Raines said.
They didn’t stop. They kept cheering. They welcomed home a player whose career took them back to Andre Dawson, Gary Carter, Tim Wallach, Jeff Reardon, Dennis Martinez and Warren Cromartie.
“I actually had tears in my eyes,” said Virginia Raines, Tim’s wife. “I had to leave the stands to get some tissue paper.”
Raines called it the loudest ovation he ever had heard.
The excitement generated by the big home-opening splash carried over to yesterday, when the Expos looked like a contender in bullying the Mets, 10-0.
“This is a better team than a lot of people expected,” Raines said. “No team is going to come in here and intimidate us. We showed that [Friday night].”
And the Expos showed it again yesterday by posting their second consecutive 10-spot on the defending National League champions.
Javier Vazquez had little trouble cruising through a Mets lineup that was without Mike Piazza, given his first start of the season off for the day game after a night game. Rey Ordonez also was rested in favor of Desi Relaford.
Five games into the season, only Edgardo Alfonzo, Robin Ventura and Todd Zeile have made all five starts.
The Mets had No. 5 starter Steve Trachsel going against Vazquez, the Expos’ No. 1 starter.
The Expos go for the sweep today, which would be a nice way to let the baseball world know they are ready to compete.
Felipe Alou hasn’t a team this talented since 1996, when the Expos went 88-74 in their most recent winning season. The large opening-night crowd thanked him for sticking around through the lean years, including a 67-95 disaster in 2000.
“The ovation was for suffering with the fans,” Alou said. “They suffered for many years and I suffered with them.”
When will the suffering end?
“I don’t know,” Alou said. “It could be very close. It’s very exciting.”
The biggest difference?
“This is a more mature team,” Alou said.
The Expos have their holes, mostly in the starting rotation. Carl Pavano, the No. 2 starter, could be lost for the season. A trimmed down Hideki Irabu, the No. 5 starter, could rejoin the rotation by May. Whether that’s a good thing remains to be seen.
Talented young players such as Jose Vidro, Fernando Tatis, Vladimir Guerrero all have All-Star potential. Orlando Cabrera, Peter Bergeron and Michael Barrett all figure to have better seasons based on nothing more than being a year more experienced.
The bullpen, anchored by a healthier Ugueth Urbina, won’t blow many leads, unless the rotation is so deficient the bullpen becomes exhausted. Power arms Guillermo Mota and Scott Strickland set up Urbina and Graeme Lloyd lends experience as a situational lefty.
“With the kind of bullpen we have, if we can get the lead after five innings, we’re going to be tough to beat,” Alou said.
The Mets, who opened the season by winning two of three against the Braves at The Ted, already find the Expos extremely tough to beat.
