Willie Blair
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1990-2001)
Willie Blair was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1990 to 2001 for 8 teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, a span of 12 seasons. Across 418 career appearances, he went 60-86 with a 5.04 ERA and 759 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1990-04-11
- Last Game
- 2001-07-26
Full name: William Allen Blair
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | TOR | AL | 3 | 5 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68.2 | 66 | 31 | 28 | 43 | 4.06 | 3.86 (-5%) | 489.4 |
| 1991 | CLE | AL | 2 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36.0 | 58 | 27 | 10 | 13 | 6.75 | 3.91 (-73%) | -1500.0 |
| 1992 | HOU | NL | 5 | 7 | 29 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78.2 | 74 | 35 | 25 | 48 | 4.00 | 3.75 (-7%) | 653.0 |
| 1993 | COL | NL | 6 | 10 | 46 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 146.0 | 184 | 77 | 42 | 84 | 4.75 | 4.19 (-13%) | -1286.8 |
| 1994 | COL | NL | 0 | 5 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 77.2 | 98 | 50 | 39 | 68 | 5.79 | 4.51 (-28%) | -69.3 |
| 1995 | SDN | NL | 7 | 5 | 40 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 114.0 | 112 | 55 | 45 | 83 | 4.34 | 4.45 (+2%) | 912.1 |
| 1996 | SDN | NL | 2 | 6 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 88.0 | 80 | 45 | 29 | 67 | 4.60 | 4.61 (avg) | -408.4 |
| 1997 | DET | AL | 16 | 8 | 29 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 175.0 | 186 | 81 | 46 | 90 | 4.17 | 4.39 (+5%) | 596.8 |
| 1998 | ARI | NL | 4 | 15 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 146.2 | 165 | 87 | 51 | 71 | 5.34 | 4.43 (-20%) | -4535.9 |
| 1998 | NYN | NL | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.2 | 23 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 3.14 | 4.43 (+29%) | -148.7 |
| 1999 | DET | AL | 3 | 11 | 39 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 134.0 | 169 | 102 | 44 | 82 | 6.85 | 4.71 (-45%) | -3650.4 |
| 2000 | DET | AL | 10 | 6 | 47 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 156.2 | 185 | 85 | 35 | 74 | 4.88 | 4.77 (-2%) | 857.0 |
| 2001 | DET | AL | 1 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 | 38 | 28 | 11 | 15 | 10.50 | 4.42 (-138%) | -454.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 60 | 86 | 418 | 139 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1,274.0 | 1,438 | 713 | 415 | 759 | 5.04 | — | -8,545 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 418 | 148 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 89 | .074 | .110 | .081 | .191 | 0 |
Career AVG .074 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 72.0% below league average.
Career OBP .110 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 67.0% below league average.
Career SLG .081 vs. league average .414 across their career seasons — 80.4% below league average.
Career OPS .191 vs. league average .748 across their career seasons — 74.4% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | TOR | AL | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1991 | CLE | AL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1992 | HOU | NL | 29 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .059 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1993 | COL | NL | 46 | 36 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 19 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1994 | COL | NL | 47 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1995 | SDN | NL | 40 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1996 | SDN | NL | 60 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1997 | DET | AL | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1998 | ARI | NL | 23 | 48 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | .083 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1998 | NYN | NL | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1999 | DET | AL | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2000 | DET | AL | 47 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2001 | DET | AL | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 418 | 148 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 89 | .074 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (836 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 210 | 64 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | .094 |
| Away | 208 | 84 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .060 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 210 | 615.1 | 694 | 321 | 195 | 365 | 4.70 |
| Away | 208 | 658.2 | 744 | 392 | 220 | 394 | 5.36 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-07-26 | DET | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-07-21 | DET | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-07-16 | DET | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-07-15 | DET | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-07-07 | DET | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-07-01 | DET | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-06-26 | DET | KCR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-06-22 | DET | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-06-16 | DET | AZ | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2000-09-30 | DET | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-07-26 | DET | NYY | — | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001-07-21 | DET | CLE | — | 2.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001-07-16 | DET | CIN | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-07-15 | DET | CIN | W | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001-07-07 | DET | CHC | L | 5.1 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2001-07-01 | DET | MIN | L | 3.0 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 2001-06-26 | DET | KCR | L | 2.2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001-06-22 | DET | MIN | — | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-06-16 | DET | AZ | L | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2000-09-30 | DET | MIN | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | TOR | P | 27 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | CLE | P | 11 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 | HOU | P | 29 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 1993 | COL | P | 46 | 18 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | COL | P | 47 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 | SDN | P | 40 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| 1996 | SDN | P | 60 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997 | DET | P | 29 | 27 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998 | ARI | P | 23 | 23 | 10 | 29 | 1 | 3 |
| 1998 | NYN | P | 11 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | DET | P | 39 | 16 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | DET | P | 47 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 | DET | P | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 418 |
Salary History
Willie Blair's recorded salaries total $14,186,000 over 10 seasons, 1990 to 2000. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Blair's career ran from 1990 to 2001. No salary is recorded for 1991 and 2001.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | DET | AL | $4,500,000 |
| 1999 | DET | AL | $3,750,000 |
| 1998 | ARI | NL | $3,250,000 |
| 1997 | DET | AL | $800,000 |
| 1996 | SDN | NL | $750,000 |
| 1995 | SDN | NL | $400,000 |
| 1994 | COL | NL | $325,000 |
| 1993 | COL | NL | $172,500 |
| 1992 | HOU | NL | $138,500 |
| 1990 | TOR | AL | $100,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $14,186,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead State University | Morehead | KY | 1984, 1985, 1986 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Willie Blair (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Willie Blair: the record in brief
The profile opens with Willie Blair's first major league game on April 11, 1990; the last one listed came on July 26, 2001. The season rows list, in order, the Toronto Blue Jays (1990), the Cleveland Indians (1991), the Houston Astros (1992), the Colorado Rockies (1993 to 1994), the San Diego Padres (1995 to 1996), the Detroit Tigers (1997 to 2001), the Arizona Diamondbacks (1998), and the New York Mets (1998). Blair played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on December 18, 1965, in Paintsville, KY, USA and a listed size of 185 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. On the record, Willie Blair was born William Allen Blair.
The pitching table credits Blair with a 60-86 record and a 5.04 ERA in 418 games. Also on Blair's record: 759 strikeouts. Against a 4.34 league ERA for the same seasons, the 5.04 mark was 16.0% worse. Blair won 16 games in 1997, the most of any season listed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Blair
- What years did Willie Blair play?
- Willie Blair played in Major League Baseball from 1990 to 2001.
- Was Willie Blair a pitcher?
- Yes. Willie Blair pitched in the major leagues, recording 60 wins and 759 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Willie Blair hit?
- Willie Blair hit 0 career home runs with 11 hits.
- What teams did Willie Blair play for?
- Willie Blair played for 8 teams: the Toronto Blue Jays (1990), the Cleveland Indians (1991), the Houston Astros (1992), the Colorado Rockies (1993–1994), the San Diego Padres (1995–1996), the Detroit Tigers (1997, 1999–2001), the Arizona Diamondbacks (1998), and the New York Mets (1998).
- What were Willie Blair's career stats?
- In 418 games, Willie Blair went 60-86 with a 5.04 ERA, 759 strikeouts, 1,274.0 innings pitched, and 4 saves.
- How much did Willie Blair earn in his career?
- Willie Blair's recorded salaries total $14,186,000 over 10 seasons, 1990 to 2000. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Blair's career ran from 1990 to 2001. No salary is recorded for 1991 and 2001.
- What was Willie Blair's salary?
- Willie Blair's last recorded salary was $4,500,000, in 2000. His highest recorded salary was $4,500,000, in 2000, and his lowest was $100,000, in 1990. The Salary History table lists each season from 1990 to 2000.
- What position did Willie Blair play?
- Willie Blair played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Willie Blair and how much did he weigh?
- Willie Blair was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
- What was Willie Blair's career ERA?
- Willie Blair finished with a 5.04 career ERA, going 60-86 with 759 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Willie Blair have?
- Willie Blair recorded 759 career strikeouts.
- Is Willie Blair in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Willie Blair has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.