Paul Blair, a Player as Good as Mark Kotsay, Has Died at 69

A collection of information about Paul Blair, the former Baltimore Orioles outfielder who passed away Thursday at age 69:

Blair was born in Cushing, Oklahoma in 1944. He was signed by the Mets as an amateur free agent in 1961. He made his major league debut September 9, 1964 with the Baltimore Orioles. He would play for the Orioles until 1976.

Blair played in his first World Series in 1966, going 1-for-7. His one hit was a home run.

He won his first Gold Glove in 1967.  He would win seven more, his last coming in 1975.

He made his first of two All-Star teams in 1969. That year he finished 11th in MVP voting. The Orioles lost to the Mets in the World Series that season.

He batted .474 in the 1970 World Series against the Reds, scoring five runs and driving in three. The Orioles defeated the Reds that year to claim the championship.

He finished his career with a .288 average in 28 World Series games.

Blair was traded to the Yankees in 1977 in exchange for Rick Bladt and Elliott Maddox.

He drove in the game winning run for the Yankees in the 12th inning of Game 1 of the 1977 World Series.

He signed as a free agent with Cincinnati in 1979. He ended his career in 1980 with the Yankees.

Blair’s nickname was Motormouth. He was renowned for his great outfield range and strong arm. He was a fantastic bunter. He was played by Seth Gilliam in the mini series The Bronx is Burning.

According to Baseball Reference’s similarity scores, he was as good as Mark Kotsay. Maybe a touch better.

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