As baseball continues to wait things out along with the rest of the sports world, TSN digs into the archives to bring you a bundle of classic Montreal Expos games. Relive some of the best memories from the 36-year history of Canada’s first Major League franchise right here on TSN. On tap for today? The Expos battle the Phillies late in the 1993 season for the NL East division title.

The Toronto Blue Jays won their first World Series title in 1992, bringing a Canadian team to the top of the baseball summit for the first time. After a strong start to the 1993 season, it was clear the Blue Jays were taking a shot at repeating.

Given the historic success of the Jays, it was easy to overlook the Montreal Expos. Canada’s first MLB team had a nice 87-win season in 1992 but fell well short of the Barry Bonds-led Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League East race.

Going into 1993, the Pirates had won the division three seasons in a row, but Bonds’ departure to the San Francisco Giants that winter left the NL East up for grabs.

As the season wound down, the Philadelphia Phillies looked to be well on their way to keeping the crown in-state, leading the Expos by 14.5 games as of Aug. 18. As the calendar flipped to September, the Expos made a bit of a charge but still trailed by nine and a half games. Better, but still a near-impossible hole to climb out of.

Somehow, Montreal kept climbing. A seven-game winning streak pulled the Expos to within five games as the Phillies headed to Olympic Stadium for a late-season three-game series beginning Sept. 17. The teams split the first two games of the meeting, setting up a crucial series finale. If the Expos had any realistic shot at completing a historic September surge, they needed the rubber match.

Relive a thrilling matchup between the Expos and Phillies as the two teams battle for first place tonight on TSN2 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Rookie Kirk Rueter took the ball for the Expos against journeyman right-hander Danny Jackson in front of more than 40,000 fans. It wasn’t exactly Cy Young against Walter Johnson, but each starter was enjoying a nice 1993 campaign.

The Expos pushed across a run in the first and another in the second to take a 2-0 lead, but the visitors got two back in the third inning when Lenny Dykstra took a 1-0 offering over the wall to even the game.

Things stayed tied into the fifth inning with Rueter in a two-on, two-out jam. Perhaps the moment was too big for the rookie left-hander as he allowed three straight singles to Darren Daulton, Wes Chamberlain and Ruben Amaro as the Phils took a 5-2 lead and ended Rueter’s day.

With their season hanging in the balance, Montreal clawed back. A Marquis Grissom grounder through the left side and a Delino DeShields walk gave the Expos life. Next up was No. 3 hitter Rondell White, who lined a double to centre field. Grissom scored. So did DeShields, and just like the Expos cut into the Philadelphia lead – just like they’d been doing the entire month of September.

Both bullpens would hold tight and onto the ninth inning things went with the Phillies leading 5-4. In to close things out was Mitch Williams, who entered the matchup with a career-best 39 saves. Grissom flew out to start the frame but a single by DeShields and a walk to White put the tying and winning runs on base for the home side.

Montreal had their best hitter, Larry Walker, up next. On a 2-2 count, the Canadian hammered one on the ground to the right side that took a high hop on the Olympic Stadium turf. Phils’ first baseman John Kruk played it off his chest but was unable to get the ball to a covering Williams in time as Walker slid safely into first base.

That was the call, anyway, by first base umpire Charlie Williams. Phillies manager Jim Fregosi did not agree and came out to argue that Williams’ foot beat Walker’s outstretched hand to the bag. He may have had a case, but with replay still more than two decades away, the call would have to stand. Bases loaded, still only one away.

It proved costly as Sean Barry popped out to Kruk a few pitches later that would have otherwise ended the game. Instead, up stepped Wil Cordero as Montreal’s last hope.

Williams’ first two pitches were way inside and out to the mound went Daulton to calm his closer down. It worked – but only temporarily – as the lefty found the zone with a fastball to bring the count to 2-1. Expecting Williams to stick with the heater, Cordero caught the next offering out in front and lined it down the left field line for a two-run single. Expos win.

Pandemonium broke out at The Big O as Cordero’s teammates mobbed him on the infield. The Phillies’ 14.5-game division lead from August was now down to just four after the 6-5 win.

But like so many other times throughout Expos history, the good times wouldn’t last. Montreal dropped two of three games the following series in Atlanta while the Phillies went on to sweep the Florida Marlins.

Philadelphia won the NL East by three games that season and advanced all the way to the World Series to face the Blue Jays, where Williams would allow a walk-off far more devastating than Cordero’s.