Gatineau, QC — Monday, June 29, 2026
It had been a long time coming.
A very long time.
After an absence of 6,969 (+6 days) days, the SweatSox finally returned to Parc Sanscartier on Monday night for the first time since May 25, 2007, and marked their long-awaited homecoming with a 13-9 victory over the Gatineau Expos.
For those keeping track, 6,975 days is just over 19 years — an eternity in baseball, although apparently not long enough for some SweatSox stories to disappear from the organization’s collective memory.
Historians will recall that the May 25, 2007 game was also the night Bill Freeman famously “accidentally” picked up a Lady of the Night on the highway onramp near Greber.
Freeman, who has spent the better part of two decades insisting the entire incident was misunderstood, offered his latest explanation.
“I was just trying to be a good guy and help somebody who appeared to be lost get home,” Freeman said. “Who knew?!”
And so, after nearly 7,000 days, the SweatSox returned to Parc Sanscartier. Thankfully, this time the only thing they picked up was a win.
The SweatSox wasted little time getting on the board.
Nick Henderson drew the first of his three walks on the night and eventually came around to score when Josh Ramage hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
Under the rules of baseball, Ramage was not credited with an RBI.
Naturally, Ramage believes the rules of baseball should be changed immediately.
“That is a terrible rule,” Ramage said. “Whoever invented it is stupid. I hit the ball. I drove the run in. The fact that they turned the double play shouldn’t somehow erase my RBI. This is exactly why baseball needs more people like me making the rules.”
The Expos answered back, and the two teams traded runs over the next several innings, with neither side able to establish much separation.
That changed in the sixth.
The SweatSox exploded for five runs in the sixth inning, turning what had been a tightly contested game into a 13-9 SweatSox advantage.
The big blows came from back-to-back RBI doubles by Steve Brown and Cory Bond, putting the SweatSox ahead for good and providing the breathing room they would ultimately need.
Geoff Nolan was one of the casualties of the lineup shuffle, exiting the game to allow Bond to enter during the key situation.
Rather than complain about being removed, Nolan offered a remarkably honest assessment.
“It was a huge inning, and Cory came in and got the job done,” Nolan said. “So I guess you could say me subbing out was maybe an addition by subtraction. I’m happy to contribute however I can — including by getting out of the way when necessary.”
The SweatSox tacked on additional insurance and took a 13-9 lead into the final inning.
Eric White made a special effort to be available for the game, extending his stay in Ottawa by an extra day so he could take the mound.
White delivered five innings, allowing 11 hits and seven earned runs while striking out six.
It wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it was enough to put the SweatSox in position to win.
And for White, the best part was knowing he didn’t have to finish what he started.
“It’s nice to know you can turn the ball over to somebody you trust to get the job done,” White said. “In previous years, I felt like I had to go the distance. Now I can throw five, give up seven earned runs and say, ‘Good luck, Cory.’ That’s growth.”
Bond responded by throwing a relatively clean sixth inning, securing what can technically be described as a non-save close, because baseball has apparently decided there aren’t enough statistical categories already.
Ramage led the SweatSox with three runs scored, while White and rookie James Paul each collected two hits.
Mike Pignat, Steve Brown and Craig Cornell each made a contribution to the offense without actually hitting the ball, as all three were hit by a pitch.
Some players take one for the team.
These three apparently took one from the Expos.
Defensively, Henderson led the way with five assists at second base, but the highlight of the night belonged to shortstop Geoff Nolan.
Nolan recorded three assists and two putouts, including one spectacular play that required him to field a ground ball bare-handed before making a strong throw to first.
The throw beat speedy Expos leadoff hitter Michael Theoret to the bag.
Theoret, clearly not expecting that kind of athleticism from a man of Nolan’s vintage, was left searching for an explanation.
“Je ne savais pas que les vieux avaient encore ce genre de talent,” Theoret said.
Nolan, naturally, declined to provide an age-related rebuttal.
Jaspreet Sanghra also made SweatSox history, although probably not the kind he was hoping for.
With zero putouts, zero assists and one error in center field, Sanghra finished the night with a .500 career fielding percentage in CF, making him statistically the worst center fielder in SweatSox history.
Coming into the game, Sanghra had been tied for 1st with Steve Brown at a perfect 1.000, having gone 1-for-1 in center-field opportunities against Los Latinos back in 2022.
One chance was apparently enough to create an undefeated legacy.
Two chances were enough to destroy it.
“I’m embarrassed,” Sanghra admitted. “I had a perfect record. A perfect record! And now I’m statistically the worst center fielder the SweatSox have ever had. I’m going to book a playoff cruise so I don’t let the team down when it actually counts.”
It remains unclear whether Sanghra’s playoff cruise will be refundable if the SweatSox need him.
The Expos received a huge performance from Jeremy Brossard, who went 3-for-4 with a single, double and home run, while also stealing a base and driving in four runs.
Brossard’s biggest moment came in the fifth inning when his home run tied the game and prompted an impressive bat toss.
Despite the setback, Brossard was more than willing to praise the opposition.
“J’ai été dominant contre plusieurs équipes dans plusieurs ligues au cours de ma jeune carrière, mais produire contre les légendaires SweatSox, c’est un honneur absolu.”
The Expos ultimately couldn’t match the SweatSox’s five-run sixth, but Brossard’s performance ensured that the return to Parc Sanscartier was anything but routine.
Following the game, Expos manager Gabriel Auger offered a gracious assessment of the SweatSox and hinted that Monday’s meeting may not be the last one between the two clubs this season.
“Nous avons énormément de respect pour les SweatSox. C’est une équipe avec beaucoup d’histoire, beaucoup de caractère et beaucoup de talent. Nous espérons vraiment les retrouver en séries éliminatoires.”
For now, the SweatSox will simply enjoy the victory — and perhaps enjoy the novelty of returning to a ballpark they hadn’t visited in 6,975 days.
The 13-9 win adds another chapter to the team’s increasingly bizarre history at Parc Sanscartier.
And somewhere, Bill Freeman is still insisting he was just helping someone find her way home.
The SweatSox return to action Thursday night in Kanata, taking on the Bulldogs under the lights.
The game is scheduled to be the first meeting between the two clubs since last year’s playoff series, when the SweatSox prevailed 2-0-1 in the three-game matchup.
Final SweatSox vs Expos Notes/Thoughts:
- Dragons 14, SweatSox 3. LP- Elias.
- Shoutout to Toby the Bathroom Attendant.
- Shutout to Texas.
- RIP to Bill’s checking account after 3 walks of shame + the corresponding withdrawal fees.
- The temporary fence at Sanscartier is way better than the temporary mound at Allen.
- Sean Keys is no Shaun Keay.
- Trev didn’t need to show up, he had confidence in the lineup to get it done.
