Willie Blair, baseball player, 1990-2001

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

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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

Career ERA 5.04 vs. league average 4.34 across their career seasons — 16.0% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

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 68.7 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%) -1511.2
1992 HOU NL 5 7 29 8 0 0 0 78.7 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%) -1325.4
1994 COL NL 0 5 47 1 0 0 3 77.7 98 50 39 68 5.79 4.51 (-28%) -70.4
1995 SDP NL 7 5 40 12 0 0 0 114.0 112 55 45 83 4.34 4.45 (+2%) -
1996 SDP NL 2 6 60 0 0 0 1 88.0 80 45 29 67 4.60 4.61 (avg) -
1997 DET AL 16 8 29 27 2 0 0 175.0 186 81 46 90 4.17 4.39 (+5%) 596.8
1998 AZ NL 4 15 23 23 0 0 0 146.7 165 87 51 71 5.34 4.43 (-20%) -
1998 NYN NL 1 1 11 2 0 0 0 28.7 23 10 10 21 3.14 4.43 (+29%) -149.6
1999 DET AL 3 11 39 16 0 0 0 134.0 169 102 44 82 6.85 4.71 (-45%) -3751.1
2000 DET AL 10 6 47 17 0 0 0 156.7 185 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%) -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

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 0.191 vs. league average 0.748 across their career seasons — 74.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

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 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