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Curt Blefary

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Curt Blefary
Blefary in 1970
Outfielder / First baseman
Born: (1943-07-05)July 5, 1943
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died: January 28, 2001(2001-01-28) (aged 57)
Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 14, 1965, for the Baltimore Orioles
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 1972, for the San Diego Padres
MLB statistics
Batting average.237
Home runs112
Runs batted in382
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Curtis Leroy "Clank" Blefary (July 5, 1943 – January 28, 2001) was an American professional baseball left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1968), Houston Astros (1969), New York Yankees (1970–1971), Oakland Athletics (1971–1972) and the San Diego Padres (1972). A native of Brooklyn, New York, he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

He was the 1965 Rookie of the Year. In 1969, he and teammate Don Wilson became the first interracial roommates in National League history.

Early life

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Blefary grew up in Mahwah, New Jersey and attended Mahwah High School.[1][2] He was a three-sport star (baseball, basketball and football), and received All-state baseball honors in 1960. He was captain of the school's baseball team as a senior.[3][4][5] As a senior, he switched from playing third base to playing catcher.[2]

Baseball Career

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The New York Yankees signed Blefary as an amateur free agent in 1962.[6]

Minor leagues

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In 1962, he was assigned to the Yankees Class-B team in Greensboro and played there in 1962-63,[7][8] but the Yankees waived him in April 1963, and the Orioles claimed him.[6] He played in the Orioles minor league system in 1963-64. In 1964, with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, he had a .287 batting average, with 31 home runs, 80 runs batted in (RBI), 87 runs scored, a .924 on-base plus slugging (OPS), and 102 bases on balls.[9]

He had his first professional experience playing catcher for the 1963 Elmira Pioneers, under future Orioles manager Earl Weaver.[10][2]

Baltimore Orioles

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In his debut year with the Orioles in 1965, Blefary hit .260 with 22 home runs and 70 RBI, winning both the American League Rookie of the Year and The Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards.[11][12]

During the 1965 Winter Meetings, he was one of three players along with Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun whose names were originally submitted by the Cincinnati Reds in discussions of any transaction which would have sent Frank Robinson to Baltimore, but the Orioles balked at trading Blefary. Dick Simpson was sent to the Reds instead of Blefary to complete the deal.[13] The following season, he was a member of the Orioles team that won the 1966 World Series.[14] Blefary principally played left field (and 20 games at first base), hitting .255, with 23 home runs, 64 RBI, 73 runs and an .839 OPS.[15]

Blefary in 1967

Nicknamed "Clank" by Frank Robinson because of his below-average fielding abilities, Blefary started his career in the outfield, tried at first base, then switched to catcher, in an effort to keep his bat in the lineup.[16] In 1967, he played over 100 games in the outfield (both right and left field) and over 50 games at first base.[17] Blefary hit .242, with 22 home runs and 81 RBI.[18] On June 6, 1967, Blefary hit three home runs in a game against the California Angels, with 7 RBI.[19]

In 1968, Blefary not only played the outfield and first base, but played 40 games at catcher, being moved to catcher by Orioles manager Hank Bauer.[17][2] On April 27, 1968, he caught Tom Phoebus's no-hitter against the Red Sox.[20] His batting average fell to .200 for the 1968 season, however, and he hit only 15 home runs with 39 RBI in 451 at bats.[21] Earl Weaver replaced Bauer as Orioles' manager in 1968, and considered Blefary's ability to play different positions valuable, even if his hitting declined for this one year.[22] Blaming his constant defensive shuffling for his offensive decline, Blefary was traded to Houston in December 1968, in the deal that brought Mike Cuellar to the Orioles.[16][6][23] Blefary also believed Weaver never appreciated his efforts, and was not surprised to be traded.[23]

Houston Astros, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres

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On May 4, 1969, Blefary, who was playing first base participated in all of the Astros record-tying seven double plays in a game against the San Francisco Giants.[24]

After a full season with the Astros, at the end of the 1969 season he was traded to the Yankees for fellow Brooklynite, Joe Pepitone. Blefary and teammate Don Wilson became the first interracial roommates in National League history.[16]

Blefary was used as a part-time player by the Yankees. He was dealt from the Yankees to the Oakland Athletics for Rob Gardner and Darrell Osteen on May 25, 1971.[25] He was sent to the Padres in 1972.[16]

In an eight-season career, Blefary was a .237 hitter with 112 home runs and 382 RBI in 974 games.[26]

Personal life

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After retiring in 1972, he tried unsuccessfully to continue his career in baseball as a coach. He worked as a sheriff, bartender, truck driver, and later owned a night club.[11]

He played and coached in the 1977 season with the New Jersey Statesmen, a professional softball team in the American Professional Slo-Pitch League (APSPL), as did fellow MLB alumnus Joe Pepitone.[27][28] Blefary managed the team in 1978 but was fired mid-season.[29]

Even as his health failed in his later years, he hoped to secure a professional coaching job,[11] but his only connection with baseball was as a volunteer coach for Northeast High School in Fort Lauderdale.[30]

Blefary's grandson, Anthony Servideo, was drafted in the third round of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft by the Orioles. Servideo is a shortstop and played college baseball at the University of Mississippi.[31]

Alcoholism, later life and death

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Blefary started drinking at age 18, and continued drinking hard liquor for 33 years, which he acknowledged harmed his career. Former major league pitcher Sam McDowell helped Blefary find his way to rehabilitation.[11][16]

In the last years of his life, Blefary suffered from chronic pancreatitis. He had hip replacement surgery due to avascular necrosis in the mid-1990s and experienced a variety of health and financial problems, including alcoholism and depression.[32][11]

Blefary died at his home in Pompano Beach, Florida on January 28, 2001, at the age of 57 from chronic pancreatitis and other related ailments. His last wish was to be buried in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. Although the park was nearly demolished when he died, his wife Lana was able to honor his request to scatter his ashes in Memorial Stadium. The Babe Ruth Museum supplied the home plate used in the penultimate game at the stadium and located it in the precise spot where it had been used. The ceremony was held on May 24, 2001.[33] "He loved Baltimore, and he loved his fans," said his wife.[33] "He was a lifelong student of the game."

References

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  1. ^ Goldstein, Richard. "Curt Blefary, 57, Outfielder And A.L. Rookie of the Year", The New York Times, January 30, 2011. Accessed May 16, 2016. "A native of Brooklyn, Blefary was a high school baseball and football star in Mahwah, N.J., and signed with the Yankees in 1962 for a reported $40,000 out of Wagner College on Staten Island."
  2. ^ a b c d Henshell, John. "Curt Blefary – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  3. ^ "Curt Blefary Leads T'Bird Baseball Club". The Sunday News (Ridgewood, New Jersey). March 12, 1961. p. 65.
  4. ^ "Don Bosco Cops Second, Preps for Tournament". The Sunday News (Ridgewood, New Jersey). December 20, 1959. p. 86.
  5. ^ "Percival Leads Area Scoring". Ridgewood-Herald News. November 3, 1960. p. 31.
  6. ^ a b c "Curt Blefary Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  7. ^ "1962 Greensboro Yankees Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  8. ^ "1963 Greensboro Yankees Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  9. ^ "1964 Rochester Red Wings Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  10. ^ "1963 Elmira Pioneers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e Brown, Doug (May 4, 1995). "Blefary, top rookie in '65, winning battle with bottle". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "Rookie Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Leggett, William. "The Reasons Why the Orioles Won," Sports Illustrated, October 24, 1966. Retrieved October 16, 2020
  14. ^ "1966 Baltimore Orioles Roster | Baseball Almanac". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "1966 Baltimore Orioles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c d e "#CardCorner: 1972 Topps Curt Blefary | Baseball Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Curt Blefary Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  18. ^ "1967 Baltimore Orioles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  19. ^ "Orioles Erupt Against Angels". Tallahassee Democrat (Associated Press). June 7, 1967. p. 22.
  20. ^ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Baltimore Orioles 6, Boston Red Sox 0". www.retrosheet.org.
  21. ^ "1968 Baltimore Orioles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  22. ^ "Birds to protect Blefary, Crowley? It's all speculation". Staten Island Sunday Advance. September 22, 1968. p. 44.
  23. ^ a b Dawson, Jack (December 6, 1968). "Swap No Surprise To Curt Blefary". The Baltimore Sun. p. 29.
  24. ^ "Box Score of Game played on Sunday, May 4, 1969 at Astrodome". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  25. ^ Rogers, Thomas. "Tigers Triumph over Yanks, 7–4, for 7th in Row," The New York Times, Wednesday, May 26, 1971. Retrieved October 25, 2020
  26. ^ "Curt Blefary Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  27. ^ "Clipped From The Daily Register". The Daily Register. December 25, 1977. p. 22 – via newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Clipped From The News". The News. June 10, 1977. p. 8 – via newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Clipped From Democrat and Chronicle". Democrat and Chronicle. June 29, 1978. p. 8 – via newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "BLEFARY DIES AT 57". Sun Sentinel. January 29, 2001. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  31. ^ "Anthony Servideo Player Profile". Ole Miss Baseball. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  32. ^ Jennifer Frey (February 26, 1995). "Baseball; 'I've Walked in Their Shoes'". The New York Times.
  33. ^ a b "Ex-Oriole Blefary in final trip to home". Baltimore Sun. May 25, 2001. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
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