Rodger Brulotte, iconic Montreal Expos commentator, dies at age 79

Rodger Brulotte, renowned sports commentator and voice of the Montreal Expos, has died. He was 79. 

He was known for calling home runs with the French phrase, “Bonsoir, elle est partie!” — roughly, “Good night, it’s out of here!”

In a statement, Baseball Québec's general manager Maxime Lamarche said, “Rodger had a very big heart, and he used it selflessly in service of others. His generosity touched generations of players, coaches, and volunteers. We will remember him as a unifying and deeply humane man.”

Quebec Premier François Legault also took to X Friday, calling Brulotte a wonderful man and wishing condolences to his family. He commended Brulotte for his philanthropic efforts and said, “I treasure a baseball he gave me for my birthday.”

Born in January 1947, Brulotte's career began in 1969 as a scout for the Montreal Expos.

“In 1970, I became assistant to the director of international player recruitment. I had the opportunity to contribute to the signing of legendary players like Gary Carter, Steve Rogers and Larry Parrish,” Brulotte said in 2024 in an interview with the Webzine Le 76.

In the years that followed, Brulotte shifted into the team’s public relations and marketing.

With then–marketing vice-president Roger D. Landry, Brulotte helped create the Expos’ famous mascot, Youppi!, for which the team enlisted a designer who had worked with Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets.

Brulotte said the mascot’s name came from a brainstorming session, where they wanted a word that would spark enthusiasm. 

Quickly embraced by fans, the character even survived the Expos’ move to Washington in 2004 and later became the mascot of the Montreal Canadiens.

In the early 1980s, Brulotte made a few television appearances. But it was on radio that he made his mark, joining Jacques Doucet in 1983 to call Expos games on CKAC.

Charismatic and colourful, he became one of the defining voices of baseball in Montreal.

It was in 1983, during a game in San Diego, that Brulotte first delivered his famous line, "Bonsoir, elle est partie!" When Doucet pointed out the game was being played in the afternoon, Brulotte quipped that it must be evening somewhere.

For more than 20 years, he provided analysis on Expos games on radio and television, including on Réseau des sports alongside Denis Casavant starting in 1990.