Montréal wins the World Series! Expos 5, Yankees 4

It is 11:12 p.m., a Saturday night in October 2033, at the new downtown Montreal baseball stadium.

The Expos are playing the seventh game of the World Series against the New York Yankees.

Not the 1994 Expos. Not a transitional team. A real team, built to win, with a Quebec, Latino and American core that scares every team in the league.

And facing them, the Yankees did what the Yankees always do: they bought.

The Yankees broke out the checkbook

New York arrives in Montreal with an absurd roster.

Bobby Witt Jr., acquired in a mega trade three years earlier, bats third. Elly De La Cruz, signed in free agency after the Yankees offered a contract no one else could match, plays center field. Jackson Chourio, taken from the Brewers in a prospect deal, plays left field.

And on the mound for the seventh game: Paul Skenes.

Yes, the Yankees finally got him. After years of rumors, New York paid the price: three top prospects, two first-round picks and a star pitcher. Because the Yankees don't rebuild, they buy championships.

Their lineup looks like a video game team.

But Montreal has something money can't buy: a city that's been waiting for this since 2004.

The Expos, built to last

The Expos didn't become competitive by accident.

Their first real face is Jesús Made, the star shortstop drafted in the expansion and who became one of the best players in the league. In 2033, he's 26 years old, he bats second and he steals bases like the second base belongs to him.

Behind him: Konnor Griffin, the center fielder acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh before he even reached the majors. He became the offensive face of the franchise, a 30-home run, 30-stolen base hitter who sells jerseys in three languages.

At third base: Kevin McGonigle, the elite small hitter who became a silent leader. In right field: Josue De Paula, the Dodgers left-hander drafted by Montreal in the expansion and transformed into a 40-home run threat.

And on the mound for the decisive game: Kade Anderson, the Seattle left-hander who became the Expos' ace. He's 29 years old, he throws hard, he never panics and he hates the Yankees with an intensity perfectly suited to Montreal.

The game

The Yankees bat first.

Witt Jr. opens the game with a single. De La Cruz follows with a two-run homer. Skenes, down at first, already has a 2-0 lead.

The stadium goes quiet for a second.

Then Made responds immediately: single, stolen base, and a run scored on a Griffin single. 2-1.

In the fourth, De Paula ties it with a huge home run into the left field bleachers. Skenes watches the ball leave, then punches his glove.

The Yankees take the lead back in the sixth: solo home run by Chourio. 3-2.

New York adds a run in the seventh on a sacrifice by Austin Wells, older but still useful as a designated hitter. 4-2.

Everything looks like a classic scenario. The Yankees have the stars. The Yankees have the depth. The Yankees have the experience.

But the Expos have the last word.

The eighth

Against Skenes, exhausted after 105 pitches, Made hits a double to center field.

Griffin works a walk.

Then McGonigle hits a single to right field. Made scores. 4-3.

The Yankees manager pulls Skenes. Bad idea.

The new pitcher, a closer bought at the deadline, faces De Paula with two outs.

Count is 3-2.

Home run.

Home run to left field. Three runs. The Expos lead 5-4.

The stadium goes crazy.

The ninth

Anderson takes the mound for the ninth. He's thrown 112 pitches. His manager doesn't pull him.

Witt Jr. hits a single.

De La Cruz hits a deep fly to right field. Griffin backs up, backs up again, jumps at the wall.

Out.

Chourio receives an intentional walk.

Two outs, two runners.

Aaron Judge, 41 years old, enters as a pinch hitter for one last ride. The stadium salutes him, because even in Montreal, we respect baseball's monsters.

But respect doesn't mean pity.

Anderson throws a fastball at 99 miles per hour.

Judge swings.

The ball rises toward center field.

Griffin runs.

He reaches out his glove.

Out.

Expos 5, Yankees 4.

Montreal is world champion.