I was totally surprised to hear the news that I would be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame,” said Stoneman. “I am looking forward to joining the group in St. Marys in June.”
Born on April 7, 1944 in Oak Park, IL, Bill Stoneman was the ace of the Montreal Expos during their early years. He’d later become a key executive with the club.
Selected in the 31st round of the 1966 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, Stoneman spent his first two big league seasons as a reliever with the Cubs before being chosen by the Expos in the 1968 expansion draft.
The right-hander cracked the Expos’ inaugural Opening Day roster and on April 17, 1969, in just the ninth regular season game in Expos’ history, he tossed a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium. This made him the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter for a Canadian major league team.
Stoneman proceeded to lead the Expos in wins (11), starts (36), innings pitched (235-2/3), strikeouts (185), complete games (8) and shutouts (five) in 1969.
Over the next four seasons, Stoneman was top-of-the-rotation starter for the Expos. In 1971, he recorded a career-high 17 wins and posted a 3.15 ERA in 39 appearances (38 starts) and established then franchise records in complete games (19), innings pitched (294-2/3) and strikeouts (251). He also ranked second in the National League in innings pitched, third in strikeouts and finished eighth in Cy Young Award voting.
Stoneman followed that up with another outstanding season in 1972 when he registered 12 wins and a career-best 2.98 ERA in 35 starts. On October 2 of that year, he threw his second no-hitter. This one came at home, at Montreal’s Jarry Park, in a 7-0 victory over the New York Mets. This made him the first pitcher from a Canadian major league team to throw a no-hitter in Canada. It has also made him the only pitcher to throw more than one no-hitter for a Canadian major league team.
After one more season with the Expos, Stoneman completed his playing career with the California Angels in 1974.
Upon his retirement, he came back to Canada and became a manager at Royal Trust before returning to the Expos in 1983 as an assistant to the president. In September 1984, he was promoted to the position of vice-president, baseball administration and then later to vice-president, baseball operations. In 1987, he was named the team’s interim general manager and he worked in that capacity until Dave Dombrowski replaced him in July 1988.
Stoneman continued as a prominent Expos executive through the 1999 season when he was hired to be the general manager of the Angels. In 2002, he assembled the Angels’ only World Series-winning team. He continued as the club’s GM through the 2007 campaign and then transitioned into a senior advisor role.