Paul Blair

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Blair was born on February 1, 1944, in Cushing, Oklahoma but grew up in Los Angeles where he attended Manual Arts High School. He was originally signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1961 as a shortstop, but moved himself to the outfield. After spending the 1962 season in their farm system, he was selected by the Orioles in the 1962 first-year draft on November 26, 1962. He played in Baltimore's minor league system in 1963 and 1964, and came up to the Orioles for the first time on September 9, 1964. In 1966, he hit a 430-foot home run off Claude Osteen in Game 3 of the World Series, and robbed Jim Lefebvre of an eighth-inning home run that would have tied Game 4. He also caught Lou Johnson's fly ball for the final out of the Series. In 1969, he became the first player to have 5 hits in a post-season game, with five hits in six at-bats against the Minnesota Twins on October 6. He was beaned by Ken Tatum on May 31, 1970, sustaining a broken nose, orbital floor fractures below his left eye and a broken cheekbone; he returned to the starting lineup three weeks later. In the 1970 World Series, he had the highest batting average and on-base percentage with .474 and .524 respectively, and shared with Series MVP Brooks Robinson the five-game World Series record with nine hits apiece. In 1971, he earned a place in baseball history in Game 4 by being the first man to bat in a World Series night game, singling off Pittsburgh's Luke Walker.

In Their Own Story

The 1966 World Series showcased Blair's clutch performance on the biggest stage. In Game 3, he crushed a 430-foot home run off Claude Osteen, helping secure a 1-0 victory. In Game 4, he demonstrated his defensive brilliance by robbing Jim Lefebvre of an eighth-inning home run that would have tied the game, then caught Lou Johnson's fly ball for the final out to clinch the title. His heroics continued in the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, where he posted a .474 batting average and shared the five-game series record with nine hits alongside MVP Brooks Robinson. Later, during the 1969 season, Blair made history by becoming the first player to collect five hits in a single postseason game against the Minnesota Twins, though the Orioles ultimately fell to the 'Miracle Mets' in that World Series.

Reader's Guide

Blair broke into the Orioles' lineup in 1965 and started in center field on opening day. In 1967, he became the Orioles fulltime center fielder and won the first of his eight Gold Glove Awards, establishing a career high .293 batting average with 11 home runs and 64 RBIs, along with an American League-leading 12 triples. In 1969, he hit .285 with career highs in home runs (26), runs batted in (76) and runs (102); his 26 homers along with 20 stolen bases made him the first Orioles player to achieve at least 20 in each category in the same season. He also made the All-Star team for the first time in 1969, and repeated in 1971. In 1970, he led the Orioles in stolen bases (24), tied for third on the team in home runs (18), and was fifth in runs (79) and RBIs (65). In 1971, he took up switch-hitting but stopped after batting only .193 (11-for-57); he finished the season hitting .262, with 10 home runs, 44 RBIs and 75 runs. In 1972, his average fell to .233, with 8 home runs, 49 RBIs.

Did You Know?

• Blair was originally signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1961, not drafted by the Orioles.
• Blair was the first Oriole to hit at least 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a single season, achieving this in 1969.
• Blair was the first man to bat in a World Series night game, leading off the top of the first inning in Game 4 of the 1971 World Series.
• The 1969 World Series Game 3 was not the only World Series game Nolan Ryan participated in; Ryan also appeared in the 1973 and 1986 World Series.