Longtime broadcaster and former MLB player Ron Fairly dies at 81

Ron Fairly, whose career as a player and broadcaster spanned nearly 50 years, has died at the age of 81, the Seattle Mariners announced Wednesday.

Fairly played 21 years in the majors, winning three World Series titles with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he played from 1958 to 1969. He also played with the Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays and California Angels, compiling a .266 average with 215 home runs and 1,044 RBIs.

He was an All-Star with the Expos in 1973 and the Blue Jays in 1977 and is the only player to represent both Canadian major league teams in the All-Star Game. After retiring in 1978 as an Angel, he joined the team's broadcast team the next season. He also broadcast San Francisco Giants games in 1987 before moving up the West Coast to Seattle in 1993.

"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 remained in the Mariners booth full time until 2006 and occasionally came out of retirement to fill in.

"Red was a true gentleman of the game and in life," former Mariners radio producer Kevin Cremin said. "He spanned many eras of baseball and had great stories to tell about all of them. He will be missed."