Nov. 1, 2019

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

Ron Fairly identified as a Los Angeles Dodger but Canadian fans remember him for the time he spent with the Montreal Expos and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Fairly was a rare breed in Canadian baseball history. He played for two Canadian expansion teams: the 1969 Expos and 1977 Blue Jays.

Fairly played for the Expos from 1969-74 and then a few years later suited up for the Jays in their rookie campaign in the American League in 1977.

Fairly died this week in Indian Wells, Calif. and fans remembered how solid No. 6 was as a hitter, outfielder and first baseman.

Fairly arrived in Montreal in a June, 1969 trade from the Dodgers who had employed him for close to 11 seasons. The three-time World Series champion was a key cog in the early, lean years of the Expos' franchise.

After scuffling at the plate with L.A. in his final two seasons, Fairly improved with Montreal. In five-and-a-half seasons with Montreal, Fairly hit 86 homers and drove in 331 runs while batting. 276. He earned an all-star berth in 1973.

In his only season with the Blue Jays, Fairly earned another all-star berth. That season saw him hit .279 with 19 homers and 64 RBI. Fairly is the only player to ever be named an all-star with both the Expos and Jays.

Fairly also played for the Cardinals, Athletics and Angels and then became a broadcaster for some 27 years for three teams. As a player and broadcaster, he was a part of more than 7,000 major-league games.

While attending USC he was a teammate of Hall of Fame general manager Pat Gillick.