Willie Blair
Born: 12/18/1965 in Paintsville, KY, USA
MLB Debut: 1990-04-11 | Final Game: 2001-07-26
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs
Full name: William Allen Blair
Biography
Willie Blair, born in 1965, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1990 to 2001. Over his 11 seasons in Major League Baseball, Blair played for several teams, showcasing his skills on the mound as a reliable, if not dominant, presence. He finished his career with a record of 60-86, an earned run average (ERA) of 5.04, and tallied a total of 759 strikeouts. While he recorded only four saves throughout his career, Blair's value often lay in his ability to eat innings and provide depth to pitching rotations during a time when offensive numbers were climbing across the league.
Blair's playing style was characterized by his durability and versatility, allowing him to take on various roles within a team's pitching staff. He competed during an era marked by offensive explosions and the rising importance of bullpen specialization, making his contributions noteworthy despite the challenging context. His journey through the major leagues reflected the competitive nature of the sport in the 1990s and early 2000s, where pitchers faced increasing scrutiny and pressure from powerful lineups. After his retirement, Blair remained a respected figure in baseball, remembered for his work ethic and contributions to the teams he played for.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 86 | 418 | 139 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1274.0 | 1438 | 713 | 170 | 415 | 759 | 5.04 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | TOR | AL | 3 | 5 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68.7 | 66 | 31 | 28 | 43 | 4.06 | 489.4 |
| 1991 | CLE | AL | 2 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36.0 | 58 | 27 | 10 | 13 | 6.75 | -1511.2 |
| 1992 | HOU | NL | 5 | 7 | 29 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78.7 | 74 | 35 | 25 | 48 | 4.00 | 653.0 |
| 1993 | COL | NL | 6 | 10 | 46 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 146.0 | 184 | 77 | 42 | 84 | 4.75 | -1325.4 |
| 1994 | COL | NL | 0 | 5 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 77.7 | 98 | 50 | 39 | 68 | 5.79 | -70.4 |
| 1995 | SDP | NL | 7 | 5 | 40 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 114.0 | 112 | 55 | 45 | 83 | 4.34 | - |
| 1996 | SDP | NL | 2 | 6 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 88.0 | 80 | 45 | 29 | 67 | 4.60 | - |
| 1997 | DET | AL | 16 | 8 | 29 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 175.0 | 186 | 81 | 46 | 90 | 4.17 | 596.8 |
| 1998 | AZ | NL | 4 | 15 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 146.7 | 165 | 87 | 51 | 71 | 5.34 | - |
| 1998 | NYN | NL | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.7 | 23 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 3.14 | -149.6 |
| 1999 | DET | AL | 3 | 11 | 39 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 134.0 | 169 | 102 | 44 | 82 | 6.85 | -3751.1 |
| 2000 | DET | AL | 10 | 6 | 47 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 156.7 | 185 | 85 | 35 | 74 | 4.88 | 857.0 |
| 2001 | DET | AL | 1 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 | 38 | 28 | 11 | 15 | 10.50 | -456.2 |
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 | 0.074 | 0.110 | 0.081 | 0.191 | 0.0 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | 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 | 0.059 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | COL | NL | 46 | 36 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0.111 | 0.0 |
| 1994 | COL | NL | 47 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1995 | SDP | NL | 40 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1996 | SDP | NL | 60 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1997 | DET | AL | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1998 | AZ | NL | 23 | 48 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 0.083 | 0.0 |
| 1998 | NYN | NL | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1999 | DET | AL | 39 | 1 | 0 | 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 | 0.333 | 0.0 |
| 2001 | DET | AL | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | NLDS2 | SDN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.00 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | NLDS2 | SDN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.00 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 418 | 139 | 65 | 140 | 9 | 8 |
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
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 418 |
Salary History
| 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 Career Earnings | $14,186,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead State University | Morehead | KY | 1984, 1985, 1986 |