Paul Blair (baseball)

Paul Blair
Paul Blair in 2007
Center fielder
Born: (1944-02-01)February 1, 1944 Cushing, Oklahoma
Died: December 26, 2013(2013-12-26) (aged 69) Baltimore, Maryland
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 9, 1964, for the Baltimore Orioles
Last MLB appearance
June 20, 1980, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Batting average	.250
Home runs	134
Runs batted in	620
Teams
Baltimore Orioles (1964–1976) New York Yankees (1977–1979) Cincinnati Reds (1979) New York Yankees (1980)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star (1969, 1973) 4× World Series champion (1966, 1970, 1977, 1978) 8× Gold Glove Award (1967, 1969–1975) Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame

Paul L. D. Blair (February 1, 1944 – December 26, 2013) was an outfielder who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles (1964–76), New York Yankees (1977–79, 1980) and Cincinnati Reds (1979). He was the starting center fielder for the Orioles when they won two World Series Championships, four American League (AL) pennants and five American League East titles from 1966 to 1974. One of baseball's best defensive players at his position, he earned the Gold Glove Award eight times, including seven consecutive from 1969 to 1975. One of the best defensive oufielders of his era, he had excellent range and was brilliant at tracking fly balls. He seemed to taunt hitters by playing shallow, then running down balls hit over his head.

Blair was born in Cushing, Oklahoma but grew up in Los Angeles where he attended Manual Arts High School. An accomplished athlete, he played basketball, baseball and track while a student. Blair was originally signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1961. 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.