Paul Blair

Eight-time Gold Glove center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles dynasty.

via Wikipedia: Paul Blair (baseball) · see source

Paul L. D. Blair (February 1, 1944 – December 26, 2013) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder, most notably as the center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1966 and 1970. He also played for the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds. A two-time All-Star player, Blair excelled as a defensive player, winning the Gold Glove Award eight times, including seven consecutive years. One of the best defensive outfielders of his era, he had excellent range and was brilliant at tracking fly balls. He challenged hitters by playing shallow, then running down balls hit over his head. In 1984, Blair was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.

Quick Facts

Position: Center fielder
Bats: Right
Born: 1 February 1944
Birthplace: Cushing, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died: 26 December 2013
Place of death: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Debut league: MLB
Debut date: September 9

Lore & Background

Blair hit a home run off Claude Osteen in Game 3 of the 1966 World Series, though no official distance is recorded for that blast. He also robbed Jim Lefebvre of an eighth-inning home run that would have tied Game 4, and 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, going 5-for-6 against the Minnesota Twins on October 6. He was beaned by Ken Tatum on May 31, 1970, sustaining a broken nose, orbital floor fractures, and a broken cheekbone, but returned to the starting lineup three weeks later. In the 1970 World Series, he had the highest batting average and on-base percentage (.474 and .524) and tied the Orioles franchise record for a five-game Series with nine hits. In Game 4 of the 1971 World Series, he was the first man to bat in a World Series night game, singling off Luke Walker.

Reader's Guide

Blair was originally signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent as a shortstop, but moved himself to the outfield. 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. He broke into the Orioles' lineup and started in center field on opening day. He won his first Gold Glove Award in 1967. He became the first Orioles player to achieve at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season (1969). He took up switch-hitting in 1971 but stopped after batting only .193 (11-for-57).

Did You Know?

Blair was a two-time All-Star and won eight Gold Glove Awards, including seven consecutive from 1967 to 1975.
He led the Eastern League in batting average (.311) and stolen bases (34) in 1964 while playing for the Elmira Pioneers.