[21] In 2009, he gained only two votes, for a total of 338, 62.7%. "A Carl Yastrzemski bat. They just started throwing me the curveball.. Joe worked on the railroads in Saskatoon and Regina and moved to California in 1955. Blyleven was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011 after receiving 79.7% of the vote on his 14th attempt. "O.K., I've got a ball here signed by Henry Aaron. Blyleven missed the entire 1991 season following rotator cuff surgery. Call it sunspots for all I care, it ain't run support. Bert Blyleven (born Rik Aalbert Blijleven, April 6, 1951) is a Dutch-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1992, primarily with the Minnesota Twins. become a hit. Poor Terry. Arguments for inducting Bert Blyleven into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers 10 of 10 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Despite retiring at age 30, Sandy Koufax recorded 2,396 strikouts, won four World Series. Dad was made the timekeeper, and with a little creative use of the stopwatch he saw to it that his son's team got off the last shot at the end of each quarter, which was only fair because the referee was the father of a player on the opposing team. He currently ranks 5th all-time in strikeouts, 9th all-time in shutouts, and 27th all-time in wins. But because Kirkpatrick can see and hear, he watches and listens as Blyleven moves into the final part of the evening's program. Carter only had one really low year, and it was never as low as Blyleven. At 6 feet 3 inches, with long arms and large hands, he throws. One of his best friends is Richie Scheinblum, the former outfielder for six big league teams, who as a Kansas City Royal battled Rod Carew for the batting title in 1972. 1996-2023 DIY Baseball LLC All Rights Reserved. MLB Advanced Media, LP. In Blyleven's first spring training with the Twins, manager Bill Rigney watched him throw batting practice and yelled to his pitching coach, Marv Grissom, "Get him out of there. He had looked up the records of Walter Johnson and Cy Young when he was young. Blyleven has reigned as the curveball champion longer than either Pascual or Koufax. Bert (Blyleven) was a terrific pitcher - a dominating pitcher." After the 1977 season, he was traded to the Pirates in a rare four-team trade. BASEBALL'S DUTCH TREAT - Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com Paige has a unique ability to blow hitters away and come right back and make them look foolish. The Blyleven tribe includes Kimberly, 10; wife Patty; Timothy, 3; Bert; Todd, 12; and Thomas, 17 months. Things went so sour in Minnesota that in Blyleven's last game as a Twin, some fans serenaded him with "Goodby, Bert, we're glad to see you go." Chris Bando, who loves pizza, was given an almost-empty pizza box. If I see anymore, I'll fall in love." Heck, Manny Trillo made four. Bert Blyleven | Baseball Wiki | Fandom he asks. He left in the eighth to a standing ovation from the Municipal Stadium faithful, 8,239 strong. The evening is winding down, and there are only a few more souvenirs left to be auctioned. The Hulk, whose wife wonders where the galleries are, quits after two holes because his shoes are wet. I assumed Blyleven had no chance with the current BBWAA. "[19] Still, it was not until his 14th year of eligibility, in 2011, that he was elected; he received 79.7% of the vote. "He knows how to finish a game now," says Indian pitching coach Don McMahon. The only problem was that his name was published as "Blylevan," which is the way the Twins spelled it in those days. See all categories. Blyleven became the first Dutch-born player to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Actually, Blyleven was suffering from a groin pull and eventually took himself out of the game. Blyleven threw two different styles of curveballs, the most unique one being the drop that he held across the seams, a grip that is said to have been mastered only by him, Bob Feller and, Koufax. "And then he went down." Normally a guy entering the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot with 287 wins is pretty impressive. At least his induction might open the door for more worthy candidates, certainly Jimm Kaat is this mans superior as an MLB pitcher. Half of them blew their arms out right after turning 30. This year he is 4-6, with a 2.97 ERA. One of his trademarks was circling fans with the telestrator on screen. This is a free article. Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, the Netherlands on April 6, 1951. Bert Blyleven career highlights | The Hardball Times raw numbers and as a measurement against average. Paired with his 98 mile-per-hour fastball, Gooden's sweeping curve made him one of the league's most feared pitchers during his playing days. From 1984-89, he went 95-71 with a 115 ERA+. In 22 seasons, Blyleven had more than 3,700 career strikeouts, including more than 2,000 of those in 11 seasons with the Twins. The Rangers received Al Oliver and Nelson Norman from the Pirates and Jon Matlack from the Mets. His wife, Patty, has a sneaking suspicion that he wanted the panda for himself as much as for their four children, Todd, 12, Kimberly, 10, Timothy, 3, and Thomas, 17 months. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft. In 2007, Blyleven's total dipped to 47.7% (75% is the minimum required for admission to the Hall). Of course, it's never as nice as the one he cut.". Enough to make your knees buckle. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. 1971 TOPPS # 26 BERT BLYLEVEN NICE CARD | eBay Bert Blyleven - Baseball-Reference.com produces a result. 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ His heart is invariably in the right placeit's just that his foot sometimes ends up in his mouth. He became interested in baseball as a young boy watching Sandy Koufax pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers and listening to Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett announce the Dodgers' radio broadcasts. With the power of the internet, Lederers persistenceand, oh yeah, Blylevens own solid casehell have a nice weekend in upstate New York this year. Bert Blyleven. A couple of years ago when he was on the disabled list and back home, he came to watch my son Monte pitch. Esteban Loaiza made two. He's fifth on the active list in shutouts, sixth in strikeouts, eighth in victories and eighth in innings pitched. He also won a World Series in 1979 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) "I always played for my island," Alomar said in his induction speech. Blyleven cared more that everyone was having a good time. From 1970-77, Blyleven went 122-113 despite an ERA+ of 134. "I know that stuff sounds silly," says Smith. One of the most remarkable things about Blyleven's career marks is that, of the active pitchers who rank ahead of him (Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Tommy John, Jerry Koosman and Phil Niekro), the youngest is nearly five years older than he is. No other prominent pitcher in his prime had such a lousy divergence from his expected W-L record based on his real-life run support as Blyleven did. CLEVELAND'S NETHERLANDS-BORN STAR, PITCHER BERT BLYLEVEN, PUTS HIS PEDAL TO THE METAL ON THE FIELD AND OFF Steve Wulf TABLE OF CONTENTS ORIGINAL LAYOUT Bert Blyleven addresses the ball.. "Bert Blyleven F-bomb on the live pregame" "Pete Rose in the Phillies coach who was Blyleven's manager in Cleveland for half a season, "He should win 30 games with the stuff he's got. He played three seasons for the California Angels before retiring. Bert Blyleven. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed Bert was an Instructional League Twin at 18 in 1969 and a Pittsburgh playoff winner at 28 in '79. "Two pitchers that I know about who held it the way I do," says Blyleven, "were Koufax and Bob Feller.". How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. And he couldn't help it if he was injured. Good Question: Why Does Bert Blyleven 'Circle' People? He currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida. "Somebody had a sign that read, 'We drove 660 miles from Detroit Lakes,' I . exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. The story went that the reason Eddie Stanky quit after one game as manager of the Rangers was that he went out to the mound to remove Blyleven from the game, and Byleven told him to go back to the dugout. Yeah, over his career. If you think you just heard some big names, listen to these. "Doug DeCinces lives over here," says Blyleven. Blyleven has always had trouble with his name. [1] He serves as the pitching coach for the Netherlands national baseball team, having done so in the 2009, 2013 and 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classic. Buyer pays for return shipping. Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. ", Royals manager Dick Howser is also a Blyleven fan. Do we have $225? Id say 95 percent of that mysterious third element is luck, but does that mean its never anything else? If you had to pick one starting pitcher to serve as in/out line for induction, Id go with Stan Coveleski. He also tied for third in shutouts, with four, and for fourth in complete games, with 12. He would continue to play for six different teams for the next 22 years . Bert Blyleven Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com Bert Blyleven Position: Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-3 , 200lb (190cm, 90kg) Born: April 6, 1951 in Zeist, Netherlands nl More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame 2x All-Star 2x World Series 28 28 28 22 22 22 28 28 Bert Blyleven belongs in the Hall Of Fame because he pitched nearly 5000 innings, struck out 3700 batters, threw 60 shutouts, and compiled a career 3.31 ERA which was 18 percent better than the league . [7] Unhappy with his salary there, Blyleven was traded (along with teammate Danny Thompson) to the Texas Rangers in a six-player deal on June 1, 1976. For some reason it has taken Blyleven 3,422 innings, 468 games, 195 wins, 15 years and four teams to be appreciated. Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . by Handedness, 10 things I didnt know about Bert Blyleven, http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/. Pittsburgh thought so little of him that it traded him and Manny Sanguillen to Cleveland after the '80 season for Victor Cruz, Bob Owchinko, Rafael Vasquez and Gary Alexander. So close he might hang for No. He pitched in eight postseason games and went 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA. Who does Bert pitch for these days? Wait a minute. Because of his competitive streak, Blyleven says things he probably shouldn't, and he usually says them with a biting wit. There are any number of reasons, starting with the fact that early in his career Blyleven relied too much on his ability to overpower hitters, especially late in the game. Neal Heaton got a Gourmet Nosepicker. [citation needed], MLB Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson said of Blyleven: "[his curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you that. You don't need this. I'm thrilled to see Blyleven in the HOF. A little more than three years ago he was in an automobile accident that put him in a wheelchair for life and left him unable to speak clearly. And let's not forget the classic knee-buckling curveball that has made countless hitters look foolish. Even alone Blyleven is a terror, whether he's giving a hotfoot, tying clothes in knots, cutting neckties or pulling down McMahon's pants. The Baseball Hall of Shame II first clued me in to some of those stories. My dad built a mound in the backyard and had a canvas hung behind a horseshoe pit. That was the. Around (over?) None spent as many years as low on BBWAA ballots as Blyleven. Blyleven's commentary was occasionally risqu for a baseball broadcast but provided interesting and friendly conversation between him and play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer. "This is for a free membership to Racquetball World. No takers? At that time only 15 to 20 percent of the electorate supported him. Blyleven has a memento from each of his teams, a ball for every win and a replica of the 1979 Series trophy. Saved him a lot of pain." It was during this second stint with Minnesota that Blyleven became the tenth member of the 3,000-strikeout club in 1986 and won a second World Series title in 1987. 48 is from a one-hitter Blyleven threw against the Kansas City Royals on May 24, 1973. Former Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven on 1987 World Series, today's game He will do anything to get it. Blyleven had his problems from 1982 to early 1984, but he recovered, aging better than anyone not named Maddux on that list. The kids see how hard he works. He knows how to pitch. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. Bert Blyleven was a big part of that championship season and went 1-1 in the World Series. Patty came out and said, 'Don't you think you should go back?' He also claims his heritage has something to do with his curveball, which is the one against which all others in the big leagues are judged. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. His answer told you all you need to know about the major-league curveball: Dont bother. But someone with a far greater mind than any scientist put the optical illusion theory to rest. Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Joe Adcock, Eddie Mathews. Sold for $150. "But I thought it was kind of nice. When he was younger, his stuff was so good that he didn't need a changeup or pinpoint control. "There were 32 scouts in the stands at the start," he recalls. Blyleven has a ball for every one of his regular-season major league victories, as well as for his win in the 1979 National League Championship Series for the Pirates and his '79 World Series victory over the Orioles. After Blyleven, the only 200-game winners to appear in the next five years were Rick Reuschel and Frank Tanana. Roberto Alomar, Pat Gillick and Bert Blyleven on stage during a press conference during the 2011 Hall of Fame Weekend. thrown with. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. In Texas, Blyleven got blamed for something he never did. Dutch-American baseball player (born 1951), Cleveland Guardians Opening Day starting pitchers, Los Angeles Angels Opening Day starting pitchers, List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual shutout leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders, List of Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers, List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leaders, List of Major League Baseball career shutout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders, "Twins' Bert Blyleven, a Fort Myers resident, moves from broadcast booth", "HOFers have long history with World Baseball Classic", "Wednesday's game marked Bert Blyleven's last Twins broadcast", "Bert Blyleven Society for American Baseball Research", "Sports of The Times; Blyleven And His Beard", -NY Times article Alomar and Blyleven elected to hall of fame, 1/5/11, "Blyleven traded to Texas in six-player transaction", Former Indians Blyleven, Alomar Elected to Hall of Fame, Durso, Joseph. If he underachieved because of his own personal failings, then why was he so successful when things entirely depended on him? (Also, Dean Chance? I also wish we were in the other division.". . Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." Blyleven got so upset with his role in Pittsburgh that he walked out on the Pirates for 10 days early in 1980. That means isolating it. He repaid some of his debt to Flores this off-season when he hosted a tournament to benefit the Hemophilia Foundation; Flores's grandson has that disease. He has lines around his eyes and a scar on the inside of his right elbow, testimony to the strain and pain of 15 years in the major leagues. He has had only one 20-win season, in 1973, the first year of the DH, when 12 American League pitchers won 20 or more. It was his second world championship. A Pirate fan friend named Mike Emeigh told me about Blylevens early-1980 walkout. Catfish Hunter lasted only a few months more. Blyleven, an intense competitor, wants it. Bert Blyleven, in August of 1986, pitching with the Minnesota Twins against the Angels. "We left one month-old piece in there, and I think Chris ate it." ", Blyleven raises every bid, and, finally, he says, "Sold to me. A .264 career batter, Kennedy hit .120 in 25 at bats against Blyleven, collecting three hits while striking out five times. BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: Blyleven thinks little of drugs, pitch count How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the Blessed with one of the greatest curveballs the game has ever seen, Blyleven stands among the elite in several statistical categories, ranking fifth all-time in strikeouts (3,701), ninth in games started (685) and shutouts (60), and 24th in wins (287). Digging a little deeper into the numbers, it looks like it really was just luck, because Blyleven was at his best when it counted the most. Hmmm, I wanted the color TV. Spanky, we love you.". "[19], By 2006, his total had increased to 53.33%. Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt became something of an expert on the curveball during his career. You have a half-dozen 300 game winnersGaylord Perry, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver. Well, its that murky third factorthe luck/pitch-to-the-score/sunspots one. He keeps a collection of baseball memorabilia in his study. "It was the worst time I've ever had in baseball," he says. Francisco, come up here. There aren't many higher compliments than that for any pitcher. He came back in 1992 but was mostly unproductive, going 812 with a 4.74 ERA. one base to another, like Home To First. Now, in the previous paragraph there are three things going on: 1) Blyleven's RA/9IP, 2) his run support, and 3) well, a third factor that's hard to define. When you divide his career into sections, it veers wildly. Corrales got a bullwhip. References & ResourcesI checked Paper of Record for some of the items in No. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Bert Blyleven (born Rik Aalbert Blijleven, April 6, 1951) is a Dutch-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1992, primarily with the Minnesota Twins. background-color:#ba3434; In his parting shot, Blyleven called the Twins' fans "bleep bleep" and said, "They're behind you when you do good, and they turn on you when things go wrong. He is very much at ease on the podium as he describes various raffle prizes, calls off winning numbers and awards golf trophies. Blyleven was quoted as saying, "My dad built me a mound in the backyard with a canvas backdrop over our horseshoe pits, and I would go back there and just throw and throw and throw until I developed it, and it became my curveball. He earned the moniker "Frying Dutchman" by frequently setting fire to his teammates' shoelaces, a practical joke known as a "hot foot". "My friends and I used to wait until they turned the lights out in the park," he says. Only 16 other pitchers have at least 3,000 career strikeouts. To answer the question, I went to my usual modus operandi: I looked at recent historical trends. "[20] Specifically, according to Welch, "the president and chief investment officer of Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel in Long Beach, California, a guy by the name of Rich Lederer, began spending some of his off-hours writing analysis on the Interwebs about Blyleven's overlooked case. "He's a great guy," says Judy Kirkpatrick. Blyleven, like so many Hall of Fame players, was driven to succeed. "O.K., we've got a golf bag and a dozen balls. One of the nicknames for a curveball is a "yakker." and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. (Lou Sauritch/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) Shop Bert Blyleven Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | MLB.com How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a background-image:unset; Terry Kennedy was a young player with St. Louis. The worst election by any of 20 guys who had gone on to election was one time Tony Perez finished exactly one vote shy of 50 percent. Hal Newhouser barely won 200 games. About 10 years ago, there was a debate at the late, great Rob Neyer Message Board about Blylevens Hall of Fame chances. Hmmm, no cork in it. "An autographed picture of Fernando Valenzuela. Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. "We have those long, strong fingers," he says. She says, "So now we'll have two.". How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the When you cant lift your arm for two days after throwing, you cant do any more.. Popular categories from this store. And now he has a little more command. Communication. He made his debut on June 5, 1970 playing for the Minnesota Twins as a pitcher. On a recent afternoon Blyleven went to see Todd play basketball for his seventh-grade team. When youre constantly winning 15 or more games a year, you dont need too many 20-win seasons to make this list. Before the game Blyleven went over to the lineup card and changed the spelling of his name from "Blylevan." Even the guys who didnt completely implode aged poorly. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement Shipping speed. 122), his five one-hitters, his eight two-hitters and his five three-hitters. Blyleven married Patricia Ann Whitehead, a friend from high school, during his second season in the majors, and they have raised a happy family. However, ESPN.com columnist Jayson Stark said, "No player has everand again, that word is 'ever'had his Hall of Fame candidacy helped more by the sabermetrics boom than Blyleven. The First Annual Blyleven Celebrity Golf Classic, to benefit Students Against Drunk Driving and the Orange County Trauma Society, is under way. Blyleven was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2002[25] and was chosen to the fan-elected "Wendy's- Minnesota Twins All-Metrodome Team" on July 28, 2009. Nearly a decade later while an Indian, he flipped the bird to fans in Baltimore. Kennedy got the message. That way I know he won't lose it on me like he did that one time. "Here's something special. Add in assorted aces Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Catfish Hunter, Mickey Lolich, Luis Tiant, and thats some list. In 2008, he received 336 votes, or 61.9% of the vote. The one who didn't give up on him was Jesse Flores Sr. of Minnesota, and the Twins made Blyleven their third pick that June. Blyleven went to the California Angels in 1989 and pitched a 2.73 ERA for a 175 record in his first season; he led the league for his third and final time in shutouts (5). The curveball of the '50s belonged to Camilio Pascual. "One curve I'll always remember was when I was pitching for Pittsburgh, Blyleven once recalled. Those who throw it refer to it as The Hammer, The Yakker, even Public Enemy No. Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . have been very good to me, I like the way Pat manages, I think we've got a good, young club, and I'd like to be a part of a winning team in Cleveland. Koosman was also an crucial piece to the Mets improbable World Series Championship in 1969. "It was nice of him to come anyway," says Blyleven. Blyleven's third batter was Frank Howard. Yes, he rubbed up his hands, went down for the bat, and it wasn't there!". Bert knew what had happened right away and got Monte's elbow in a bucket of ice. The left-hander won over 200 games and struck out over 2,500 batters in his 18-year MLB career. He ran cross-country and played basketball and baseball at Santiago High School, and the baseball scouts began to come around. Or 40 percent. "Here's a ball autographed by the 1957 Milwaukee Braves. }, Cronkite School at ASU You cant do a simplistic, reductionistic system. 300, a la Early Wynn. xwOBA is formulated using exit velocity, launch angle Blyleven, 33, is such a cutup, in fact, that he recently cut off his five-year-old beard. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted The team finishes at 3-under and out of hunt. Bert Blyleven - The RBI Baseball Database And he was still a workhorse, completing 24 games in 1985, the last AL pitcher to top 20. His miniature car is a favorite. ", Last year Blyleven was 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA against the American League West champion Royals. Blyleven was the epitome of dominant. Blyleven was a terrific pitchera dominating pitcher," Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson once said. In his first season, his sharp curveball helped him to ten victories, and he was named AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.
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