The winningest pitcher in Expos history, Rogers cracked double figures in wins in 10 of his first 11 ML seasons and was an NL All-Star five times before arm problems ended his career. He was touted as the Expos guaranteed first 20-game winner after going 10-5 with a 1.54 ERA as a rookie in the second half of 1973, but became the club’s first 20-game loser instead, finishing a disappointing 15-22 with a 4.46 ERA in his first full ML season. He was still named to the NL’s mid-season All-Star team that year after only one full year in the ML, and although he never did win 20 games, for the next nine seasons the unimposing righthander posted only one ERA above 3.29.
Rogers led the NL in losses a second time in 1976, finishing 7-17 for a team that lost 107 games, then had winning records every year until 1984 as the Expos rose to prominence in the NL East. As the staff ace, he led the NL with five shutouts in 1979 and was 16-11 in 1980, then reached the playoffs for the only time in his career after winning 12 games in the strike-shortened 1981 season. In the special divisional playoff series, Rogers held the Phillies to one run in Game One and shut them out in the deciding Game Five to send the Expos to the LCS. There, Rogers beat the Dodgers 4-1 in Game Three, but lost Game Five in relief 2-1 when he surrendered a two-out ninth-inning home run to Rick Monday.
Rogers rebounded in 1982 to lead the NL in ERA (2.40) while winning a career-high 19 games, and was 17-12 in 1983, only to see his career crippled by arm woes the following year. Rogers was only 6-15 in 1984, and logged a 5.68 ERA in eight appearances in 1985 before retiring.
