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Watch party: Vin Scully’s first NBC Game of the Week

Dodgers hosting the Expos, in 1983

Game Of The Week Photo by Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

This one is a relatively meaningless regular season game, an early-season matchup between the Dodgers and Expos in Los Angeles.

Dodgers-Expos lineups

Pos Expos Pos Dodgers
Pos Expos Pos Dodgers
LF Raines (S) 2B Sax
SS Little (S) CF Landreaux (L)
CF Dawson LF Baker
1B Oliver (L) 3B Guerrero
C Carter 1B Brock (L)
3B Wallach RF Marshall
RF Cromartie (L) SS Russell
2B Flynn C Yeager
P Lea P Welch
Baseball-Reference box score

But it is notable for being Vin Scully’s first ‘Game of the Week’ broadcast for NBC. It started a seven-year run at the network for the longtime Dodgers announcer, and he was teamed in this one with Joe Garagiola, a partnership that called several games for NBC in the 1980s.

This was just the fourth game of the season for both Los Angeles and Montreal, with Bob Welch starting for the Dodgers against Charlie Lea for the Expos.

Bill Russell started at shortstop in this one, the only one of The Infield remaining on the Dodgers. In the winter between 1982 and 1983, Steve Garvey signed with the Padres and Ron Cey was traded to the Cubs, replaced by Greg Brock and Mike Marshall. The latter indirectly, with Marshall taking a corner outfield spot opened up by moving Pedro Guerrero to third base.

The Dodgers and Expos met in a classic NLCS just two seasons prior, and were in contention into the final week of 1982 before falling short of the playoffs. Montreal won 86 games last year, finishing six games back of St. Louis, while the Dodgers won 88 games, one behind Atlanta.

Montreal entered this game at 3-0 early on in 1983, with the Dodgers 2-1, their only loss in Friday night’s series opener at Dodger Stadium.

We’ll watch this one on YouTube, NBC pregame show and all, beginning at 4 p.m. PT.

Watch party details

  • What: Expos at Dodgers
  • Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
  • When: Saturday, April 9, 1983
  • Box score
  • Watch: YouTube, 4 p.m. PT