# Pearson Cup

The Pearson Cup (French: Coupe Pearson) was an annual midseason Major League Baseball rivalry between former Canadian rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos. Named after former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, it was originally created to raise money for minor league baseball in Canada. In later years, it was incorporated into the interleague baseball schedule.
The series began in 1978, and ran until 1986. Due to a strike, no game was played in 1981. In 2003, the series was revived as part of the Blue Jays–Expos interleague rivalry. It continued on into the 2004 season, after which the Expos moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Nationals. The cup is now on display in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ontario.

## Results

From 1978 to 1986, the Cup was awarded after a one-game exhibition, that had no effect on the major league standings. The 1979 and 1985 games were abandoned as ties due to time constraints; in 1979 the Expos had to catch an airplane flight, while in 1985 the Jays had to catch a flight.
The game was suspended in 1987 as the two teams could not find a mutually agreeable date to play the game. There was discussion about reviving the game in the preseason, or playing it in another Canadian city such as Vancouver, but this never took place.
During the 2003 and 2004 series, the Cup was awarded after a six-game set, three in Toronto and three in Montreal. These games counted in major-league standings and were played during the regular season.
Single exhibition games :
| Season | Date | Location | Visiting team | Runs | Home team | Attendance | Ref | Cumulative record | Cumulative record |
| 1978 | June 29 | Olympic Stadium | Toronto | 4–5 (10) | Montreal | 20,221 | | Montreal 1–0–0 | Montreal 1–0–0 |
| 1979 | April 19 | Exhibition Stadium | Montreal | 4–4 (11) | Toronto | 21,564 | | Montreal 1–0–1 | Montreal 1–0–1 |
| 1980 | July 31 | Olympic Stadium | Toronto | 1–3 | Montreal | 6,731 | | Montreal 2–0–1 | Montreal 2–0–1 |
| 1981 | July 6 | Exhibition Stadium | Cancelled due to players' strike | Cancelled due to players' strike | Cancelled due to players' strike | Cancelled due to players' strike | | Montreal 2–0–1 | Montreal 2–0–1 |
| 1982 | September 2 | Exhibition Stadium | Montreal | 7–3 | Toronto | 23,102 | | Montreal 3–0–1 | Montreal 3–0–1 |
| 1983 | May 5 | Olympic Stadium | Toronto | 7–5 | Montreal | 8,291 | | Montreal 3–1–1 | Montreal 3–1–1 |
| 1984 | May 24 | Exhibition Stadium | Montreal | 5–6 (13) | Toronto | 24,768 | | Montreal 3–2–1 | Montreal 3–2–1 |
| 1985 | May 9 | Olympic Stadium | Toronto | 2–2 (11) | Montreal | 11,075 | | Montreal 3–2–2 | Montreal 3–2–2 |
| 1986 | April 28 | Exhibition Stadium | Montreal | 2–5 | Toronto | 16,786 | | Tied 3–3–2 | Tied 3–3–2 |
| Regular season series ||||||||||
| Season | Date | Location | Visiting team | Games | Home team | Average Attendance | Ref | Series | Cumulative record |
| 2003 | June 20–22 | Olympic Stadium | Toronto | 2–1 | Montreal | 12,782 | | Tied 3–3 | Tied 3–3–3 |
| 2003 | June 27–29 | SkyDome | Montreal | 2–1 | Toronto | 31,571 | | Tied 3–3 | Tied 3–3–3 |
| 2004 | June 25–27 | SkyDome | Montreal | 1–2 | Toronto | 22,091 | | Tied 3–3 | Tied 3–3–4 |
| 2004 | July 2–4 | Hiram Bithorn Stadium (San Juan, Puerto Rico) | Toronto | 1–2 | Montreal | 8,443 | | Tied 3–3 | Tied 3–3–4 |

## The All-Canadian Series

The Blue Jays and Expos first played meaningful baseball in the 1997 season with the introduction of interleague play, with the teams being designated natural rivals. In 1997, the teams played three games at Toronto; the two teams played home and home series for the first time in 1998. The series was a decided boost to the paltry attendance numbers at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and gave a modest increase in attendance at SkyDome in Toronto; it failed, however, to become a serious rivalry amongst the players or the fans. Some people attribute this to a lack of Canadian players on both teams, while others point to the general discontent of Canadians with Major League Baseball during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Major League Baseball put the final nail in the Series' coffin by playing the final set between the Jays and Expos in San Juan, Puerto Rico instead of Montreal. Major League Baseball's intention to boost attendance by playing in San Juan ended up resulting in lower attendance than the series had attracted in Montreal a year earlier.
The All-Canadian Series ended after 2004 when the Expos were relocated and became known as the Washington Nationals. The Blue Jays won the series 24 games to 19 games, and Toronto also won the most season series (3–2–2).

## Season-by-season results

The two teams met annually from 1997 to 2004 as part of the All-Canadian Series, then met annually again starting in 2023 as a result of the scheduling formula change, meeting intermittently from 2005 to 2022.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals Season-by-Season Results :
1990s (Blue Jays, 9–4)
SeasonSeason seriesat Toronto Blue Jaysat Montreal ExposOverall seriesNotes
1997
Expos
2‍–‍1
Expos 2‍–‍1
no games
Expos 2‍–‍1
First regular season games played between the two clubs First regular season games played between two Canadian teams Only time Expos have held the overall series lead
1998
Blue Jays
4‍–‍0
Blue Jays 2‍–‍0
Blue Jays 2‍–‍0
Blue Jays 5‍–‍2
First regular season games played between the two clubs at Olympic Stadium First season series sweep by either team
1999
Blue Jays
4‍–‍2
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 9‍–‍4
First year of 6-game home and away format :
2000s (Blue Jays, 24–21)
SeasonSeason seriesat Toronto Blue Jaysat Montreal Expos/Washington NationalsOverall seriesNotes
2000
Blue Jays
4‍–‍2
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 13‍–‍6
2001
Tie
3‍–‍3
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Expos 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 16‍–‍9
2002
Expos
4‍–‍2
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Expos 3‍–‍0
Blue Jays 18‍–‍13
2003
Tie
3‍–‍3
Expos 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 21‍–‍16
Last meetings played in Montreal
2004
Tie
3‍–‍3
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Expos 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 24‍–‍19
Expos played their home games during this series in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Most recent MLB games between two Canadian franchises.
2005
Tie
3‍–‍3
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Nationals 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 27‍–‍22
First meetings between the Nationals and Blue Jays. Last 6-game series meeting Only Washington-Toronto meeting to have games played in both cities
2006
Blue Jays
3‍–‍0
Blue Jays 3‍–‍0
no games
Blue Jays 30‍–‍22
Second season series sweep for Blue Jays
2007
Blue Jays
2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
no games
Blue Jays 32‍–‍23
2009
Nationals
2‍–‍1
no games
Nationals 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 33‍–‍25 :
2010s (Blue Jays, 5–4)
SeasonSeason seriesat Toronto Blue Jaysat Washington NationalsOverall seriesNotes
2012
Nationals
3‍–‍0
Nationals 3‍–‍0
no games
Blue Jays 33‍–‍28
First season series sweep for Expos/Nationals franchise
2015
Blue Jays
2‍–‍1
no games
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 35‍–‍29
2018
Blue Jays
3‍–‍0
Blue Jays 3‍–‍0
no games
Blue Jays 38‍–‍29
Third season series sweep for Blue Jays :
2020s (Nationals, 8–6)
SeasonSeason seriesat Toronto Blue Jaysat Washington NationalsOverall seriesNotes
2020
Tie
2‍–‍2
no games
Tie 2‍–‍2
Blue Jays 40‍–‍31
Both Blue Jays home games relocated to Nationals Park due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as their alternate stadium (Sahlen Field) in Buffalo, New York was being prepared. These are considered home games for the Nationals, per official statistics, though each team played two games batting in the bottom of innings.
2021
Nationals
3‍–‍1
Tie 1‍–‍1
Nationals 2‍–‍0
Blue Jays 41‍–‍34
Both Blue Jays home games played at TD Ameritrade Park (their Spring Training venue) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023
Blue Jays
2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 2‍–‍1
no games
Blue Jays 43‍–‍35
Beginning this season, teams play three games annually in alternating venues as MLB adopts a new scheduling format.
2024
Nationals
2‍–‍1
no games
Nationals 2‍–‍1
Blue Jays 44‍–‍37
2025
Upcoming, March 31–April 2
no games :
Summary of Results
SeasonSeason seriesat Toronto Blue Jaysat Montreal Expos/Washington NationalsNotes
Toronto Blue Jays vs Montreal Expos
Blue Jays
24‍–‍19
Blue Jays, 14‍–‍9
Tie, 10‍–‍10
Toronto Blue Jays vs Washington Nationals
Blue Jays
20‍–‍18
Blue Jays, 13‍–‍7
Nationals, 11‍–‍7
Overall Regular season
Blue Jays
44‍–‍37
Blue Jays, 27‍–‍16
Nationals, 21‍–‍17
Seasonal record
Season series
at Toronto Blue Jays
at Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals
Notes
Toronto Blue Jays vs Montreal Expos series
Blue Jays
3‍–‍2‍–‍3
Blue Jays, 6‍–‍2
Blue Jays, 4‍–‍3
Toronto Blue Jays vs Washington Nationals series
Blue Jays
5‍–‍4‍–‍2
Blue Jays, 5‍–‍1‍–‍1
Nationals, 4‍–‍1‍–‍1
Overall Regular season series
Blue Jays
8‍–‍6‍–‍5
Blue Jays, 11‍–‍3‍–‍1
Expos/Nationals, 7‍–‍5‍–‍1 :