| 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 runs | 112 |
| Runs batted in | 382 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Curtis Leroy"Clank"Blefary (July 5, 1943 – January 28, 2001) was an American professionalbaseballleft fielder who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theBaltimore Orioles (1965–1968),Houston Astros (1969),New York Yankees (1970–1971),Oakland Athletics (1971–1972) and theSan Diego Padres (1972). A native ofBrooklyn, 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.
Blefary was born on July 5, 1943, inBrooklyn, New York.[1] He grew up inMahwah, New Jersey and attendedMahwah High School.[2][3] 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.[4][5][6] As a senior, he switched from playingthird base to playingcatcher.[3]
The New York Yankees signed Blefary as an amateur free agent in 1962.[7]
In 1962, he was assigned to the YankeesClass-B team in Greensboro and played there in 1962-63,[8][9] but the Yankees waived him in April 1963, and the Orioles claimed him.[7] He played in the Orioles minor league system in 1963-64. He had his first professional experience playing catcher for the 1963Elmira Pioneers, under future Orioles managerEarl Weaver.[10][3] In 1964, with theTriple-ARochester Red Wings, he had a .287batting average, with 31home runs, 80runs batted in (RBI), 87runs scored, a .924on-base plus slugging (OPS), and 102bases on balls.[11]
In his debut year with theOrioles in1965, Blefary hit .260 with 22 home runs and 70 RBIs, winning both theAmerican League Rookie of the Year andThe Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards.[12][13]
During the 1965Winter Meetings, he was one of three players along withMilt Pappas andJack Baldschun whose names were originally submitted by theCincinnati Reds in discussions of any transaction which would have sentFrank Robinson to Baltimore, but the Orioles balked at trading Blefary.Dick Simpson was sent to the Reds instead of Blefary to complete the deal.[14] The following season, he was a member of the Orioles team that won the1966 World Series.[15] Blefary principally playedleft field (and 20 games atfirst base), hitting .255, with 23 home runs, 64 RBIs, 73 runs and an .839 OPS.[16]
Nicknamed "Clank" by Frank Robinson because of his below-average fielding abilities, Blefary started his career in theoutfield, tried atfirst base, then switched tocatcher, in an effort to keep his bat in the lineup.[17] In 1967, he played over 100 games in the outfield (bothright and left field) and over 50 games at first base.[1] Blefary hit .242, with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs.[18] On June 6, 1967, Blefary hit three home runs in a game against theCalifornia Angels, with 7 RBIs.[19]
In 1968, Blefary not only played the outfield and first base, but played 40 games at catcher, being moved to catcher by Orioles managerHank Bauer.[1][3] On April 27, 1968, he caughtTom Phoebus'sno-hitter against theRed Sox.[20] His batting average fell to .200 for the 1968 season, however, and he hit only 15 home runs with 39 RBIs in 451at 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 toHouston in December 1968, in the deal that broughtMike Cuellar to theOrioles.[17][7][23] Blefary said at the time that Weaver never appreciated his efforts, and was not surprised to be traded.[23]
Blefary was the Astros starting first baseman in 1969. He hit .253, with 12 home runs, 67 RBIs, 66 runs and 77 walks.[1] 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 theSan Francisco Giants.[24] In 1969 with the Astros, Blefary and teammate Don Wilson became the first interracial roommates in National League history.[17]
After a full season with theAstros, at the end of the1969 season he was traded to theYankees for fellowBrooklynite,Joe Pepitone.[7][25] Blefary was used as a part-time player by the Yankees. He played in 99 games, batting .212 in 269 at bats with only nine home runs.[26] He was dealt from the Yankees to theOakland Athletics forRob Gardner andDarrell Osteen on May 25,1971.[27] He was sent to thePadres in1972.[17] He played sparingly in his last two seasons, with little offensive production.[1]
In an eight-season career, Blefary was a .237 hitter with 112home runs and 382RBIs in 974games.[28]
After retiring in 1972, he tried unsuccessfully to continue his career in baseball as acoach. He worked as a sheriff, bartender, truck driver, and later owned a night club.[12]
He played and coached in the 1977 season with theNew Jersey Statesmen, a professional softball team in theAmerican Professional Slo-Pitch League (APSPL), as did fellow MLB alumnus Joe Pepitone.[29][30] Blefary managed the team in 1978 but was fired mid-season.[31]
Even as his health failed in his later years, he hoped to secure a professional coaching job,[12] but his only connection with baseball was as a volunteer coach forNortheast High School inFort Lauderdale.[32]
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 theUniversity of Mississippi.[33]
Blefary started drinking at age 18, and continued drinking hard liquor for 33 years, which he acknowledged harmed his career. Former major league pitcherSam McDowell helped Blefary find his way to rehabilitation.[12][17]
In the last years of his life, Blefary suffered fromchronic pancreatitis. He had hip replacement surgery due toavascular necrosis in the mid-1990s and experienced a variety of health and financial problems, including alcoholism and depression.[34][12]
Blefary died at his home inPompano 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'sMemorial 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. TheBabe 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.[35] "He loved Baltimore, and he loved his fans," said his wife.[35] "He was a lifelong student of the game."
· Baseball Almanac