Jacques Doucet, legendary French-Canadian baseball voice, passes away at 86

Jacques Doucet, the renowned French-language broadcaster who called over 5,000 Montreal Expos games, died Thursday at age 86. He was inducted into multiple halls of fame and is credited with coining French baseball terminology. The Blue Jays and MLB community expressed condolences.

EXPANDED:

Doucet's career with the Expos began in the franchise's early years and stretched across 33 seasons, during which he called more than 5,000 games. He was behind the microphone for two perfect games—Dennis Martinez's 1991 outing and David Cone's 1999 effort—and handled World Series broadcasts from 1982 through 1995. His inventive French terminology, such as "vol au sol" for a shoestring catch, helped French-speaking Canadians connect with the sport.

After the Expos relocated to Washington, Doucet kept broadcasting, lending his voice to independent league games. Though nominated multiple times for the Ford C. Frick Award, including in 2011, the honor never came. He once noted his only regret was never calling an Expos World Series appearance