Longtime lefty hitter Ron Fairly dies

Ron Fairly, a left-handed-hitting outfielder and first baseman who played in the big leagues for 21 seasons, won three World Series championships with the Dodgers, was among the Montreal Expos' first stars and was the Blue Jays' first All-Star, has died at the age of 81.

News of Fairly's death was announced on Wednesday by the Mariners, for whom he worked as a broadcaster for 17 seasons.

“Ron was a key voice in our history,” Mariners president and CEO Kevin Mather said. “He joined our team at the start of an important era of Seattle baseball, beginning the same year as Lou Piniella and bringing over a decade of exciting baseball to our fans on TV and radio. Our thoughts are with his three sons: Mike, Steve and Patrick; and his grandchildren.”

Fairly, who grew up in southern California and played two seasons for USC (where he was a teammate of future Hall of Fame executive Pat Gillick), broke into the Majors with the Dodgers in 1958 and played for them for parts of 12 seasons, becoming their starting first baseman in 1962. He played in four World Series for Los Angeles, which won the championship in 1959, '63 and '65. Fairly hit .376 with two homers and 6 RBIs in Los Angeles' seven-game victory over the Twins in the '65 World Series.

He remained with the Dodgers until June 1969, when he was traded to the expansion Expos for Maury Wills and Manny Mota. Fairly had struggled with the bat the season prior to the trade, but his hitting improved with the Expos, for whom he hit .276 with 86 homers and 331 RBIs in 718 games until he was traded to the Cardinals following the 1974 season. He was a National League All-Star in '73, when he hit .298.

Fairly's contract was purchased late in the 1976 season by the A's, who traded him to the Blue Jays before the start of Toronto's inaugural season in '77. He hit .279 with 19 homers and 64 RBIs in 132 games while moving around from first base to left and right fields and designated hitter. He was the Blue Jays' lone representative in that year's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, getting into the game as a pinch-hitter.

He is the only player to represent both Canadian teams in an All-Star Game.

Fairly was traded to the Angels after the 1977 season, and he finished his playing career with them in '78. His 215 home runs are the most in Major League history by a player without a single 20-homer season, and he is one of a small number of players to appear in more 1,000 games in the infield and more than 1,000 in the outfield.

He began his broadcasting career at KTLA in Los Angeles in 1979 and was part of the Angels' radio/TV team until 1986. He broadcast Giants games from 1987-92 and joined the Mariners in '93.

“Ron was not only a great broadcaster, he was a great friend,” Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs said. “He loved the game of baseball and everyone in it, and it showed. He was one of the best storytellers I’ve ever been around.