That was where I learned to throw and control the pitch.. [5] One of seven children, his parents anglicized their names to Joe and Jenny, with Rik Aalbert becoming simply "Bert". "We've got some baseball memorabilia donated to us by the players," Blyleven says, "and the money will go to help Ed Kirkpatrick back there. Blyleven sat out most of the 1982 season with an elbow injury and struggled again in 1983, but he came back in 1984 with one of his best seasons: a 197 record with a 2.87 ERA. The Orioles legend has four 20-win seasons, a World Series title and a Cy Young Award to his name. Heres the chart showing how he shakes out year-by-year by this system: Looking at it above, how come he didnt win more games when pitching so great in the early part of his career? From a Cooperstown point of view, the debate is semantics. Jerry Koosman was a two-time, all-star for the New York Mets and, like most lefties, relied heavily on his curveball for success. That way I know he won't lose it on me like he did that one time. "Here's something special. This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. Add in assorted aces Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Catfish Hunter, Mickey Lolich, Luis Tiant, and thats some list. Scheinblum's son, Monte, who's active in SADD at Villa Park High School in Villa Park, Calif., asked Blyleven if he'd help him organize a tournament. 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. Blyleven wanted $85,000, which seems like a piddling sum now, and the Twins were offering $65,000. So it seems only fitting that Blyleven is something of a yakker. It gives the opposition fits when thrown properly. Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven had the tightest rotation and velocity combination," Schmidt was quoted as saying in a recent Associated Press story. That upset Blyleven, especially because he has given of himself to Cleveland. 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. In 1973, he pitched nine shutouts, the most of any AL pitcher that season. At which point Richie Scheinblum yells across the room to his wife, "We already have a Koufax ball!" 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. "The guys who were real cheap during the season got real cheap gifts," he says. Joe's brother, Cor, had gone to the U.S. before the war, and because it was easier to enter from Canada than from Holland, the Blylevens emigrated to Saskatchewan when Bert was two. "Bob Boone is building a house over there, Enos Cabell lives in those hills." I do. She says, "So now we'll have two.". Catfish Hunter lasted only a few months more. Patty came out and said, 'Don't you think you should go back?' "I visualized the dropping motion.". "And then he went down." A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven, who happened to be pitching coach for the Netherlands, didn't like what he saw during his team's loss to Puerto Rico. "With his hands and wrist, he could throw that damn thing without any seams and it would curve," says Corrales. None spent as many years as low on BBWAA ballots as Blyleven. In 2007, Blyleven's total dipped to 47.7% (75% is the minimum required for admission to the Hall). During his time with the Angels, the fire extinguisher in the team's clubhouse at Angel Stadium read: "In case of Blyleven: Pull". The question arose: Is there any way to adjust his W-L record by his run support? It was his second world championship. Even the guys who didnt completely implode aged poorly. The Hulk, whose wife wonders where the galleries are, quits after two holes because his shoes are wet. "There were 32 scouts in the stands at the start," he recalls. "And here's a ball signed by the 1984 Cleveland Indians. But bleep them. Now, does that really seem like an answer to the question of run support? At that time only 15 to 20 percent of the electorate supported him. After all, 17 wins in eight years is a lot. But since no one close to 280 wins showed up after Blyleven, it helped him rise up over the years. Nearly a decade later while an Indian, he flipped the bird to fans in Baltimore. After just 21 minor league starts, he found himself called up to the Majors at age 19 on June 2, 1970. Played in the Big Leagues from 1971-1990 and 1992. He tied for second in the league in wins and was second in winning percentage (.731), third in ERA (2.87) and fourth in strikeouts (170). His answer told you all you need to know about the major-league curveball: Dont bother. Its that second wind that makes his career numbers impressive. What have we got here? Blyleven had his problems from 1982 to early 1984, but he recovered, aging better than anyone not named Maddux on that list. Baseball-Reference.com provided the stats. 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. Well, its that murky third factorthe luck/pitch-to-the-score/sunspots one. by Retrosheet. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) "I always played for my island," Alomar said in his induction speech. So how does he earn a spot on this list? Let's look at some of the names. My dad built a mound in the backyard and had a canvas hung behind a horseshoe pit. Blyleven was happy to oblige. No takers? Maglie's numbers are not overly impressive due to his stint in the Mexican League that got him banned from Major League Baseball. Blyleven has put on more than his share in the past, for a variety of causes, and this is his second of the current off-season. He is very much at ease on the podium as he describes various raffle prizes, calls off winning numbers and awards golf trophies. This is Anthony's first time on a golf course in 10 years, and second time ever. Bert Blyleven, who was actually born Rik Aalbert Blijleven, was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Minnesota Twins (1970-1976), Texas Rangers (1976-1977), Pittsburgh Pirates (1978-1980), Cleveland Indians (1981-1985), Minnesota Twins (1985-1988), and California Angels (1989-1990, 1992). Bert Blyleven is one of the great command pitchers in baseball history! Or 40 percent. ". He pitched a no-hitter, was chosen to a pair of All-Star teams and also won two World Series Championships. Blyleven received only 17.55% of the vote for Hall of Fame admission in 1998 (his first year of eligibility), and his vote total dropped to 14.1% in 1999. For some reason it has taken Blyleven 3,422 innings, 468 games, 195 wins, 15 years and four teams to be appreciated. And quite well, thank you. Yeah, over his career. Normally that would be a random fact, but here it goes to the heart of things. Blyleven is rightPhil Seghi looks uncannily like Chief Wahoo. The evening is winding down, and there are only a few more souvenirs left to be auctioned. The First Annual Blyleven Celebrity Golf Classic, to benefit Students Against Drunk Driving and the Orange County Trauma Society, is under way. From 1984-89, he went 95-71 with a 115 ERA+. Free shipping for many products! In his second stint in Minnesota, Bert Blyleven helped the Twins win the 1987 World Series and won his 250th career game a year later. background-image:unset; Afterward he issued these immortal words: "I knew I'd never win the Cy Young Award, so I was trying to be Fireman of the Year.". I wanted to be like him, he said. Like the first time, it doesn't go well, as he allows two runs in two innings and the NL wins, 6-1. But the injuries may have been a blessing in disguise, because they made him a better pitcher. When he beat the Twins for Texas on July 26, 1976, Blyleven didn't mince words. You've got work to do. None had ever fallen below 30 percent. Blyleven went on to win the game 2-1, allowing five hits in seven innings and retiring the outsized Howard all three times he faced him. Robin Roberts hung on a long time but was a shell of himself for many years. Monte tried to throw a curve, and something in his elbow snapped. He had looked up the records of Walter Johnson and Cy Young when he was young. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. Blyleven set the record that still stands with 50 gopher balls in 1986, and then topped the league again with 46 in 1987. "Brought it in from Cleveland," comes the host's reply. Uh, okay, Dean Chance). Go figure. "A Carl Yastrzemski bat. "It finally ended when I was out in the back of the house, pulling weeds. He currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida. 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. [citation needed], MLB Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson said of Blyleven: "[his curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you that. When you cant lift your arm for two days after throwing, you cant do any more.. I used to say about myself that I knew the day I would have to grow up and get a real job- it was the day, in Babe Ruth League in Seattle in the summer of 1957, when a guy named Ron Waara threw me a curveball that scared the living daylights out of me. 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. Kirkpatrick, 40, is sitting in the back of the dining room with his wife, Judy. The Twins ran short of pitching early, the crusher coming on June 1, when Luis Tiant was put on the disabled list. [27], On September 2, 2020, Blyleven broadcast his final game for the Twins.[28]. He argued vehemently with the official scorer and later phoned the league office when outfielder George Vukovich wasn't given an error on a play on which two earned runs scored. I wondered how anyone could pitch 7,000 innings like Cy Young. "We have those long, strong fingers," he says. Thats surprising. Fansboth at home and at road gamescarried signs to the games saying "Circle me Bert". The Twins responded by trading him to the Texas Rangers. Bert was a terrific pitchera dominating pitcher. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. Francisco, come up here. The only problem was that his name was published as "Blylevan," which is the way the Twins spelled it in those days. Again last season he got embroiled in a couple of controversies. He always goes out and buys me a new one. It's hard to say anything based on one game, but he looks like he's got a great future ahead of him.". He says, "Mister Paul and Mister Seghi [Mister?] Do we have $225? At 6 feet 3 inches, with long arms and large hands, he throws. When the Angels came to nearby Anaheim in 1966, Bert didn't switch his allegiance, although he did become one of the stadium rats. Do I hear $275? We'd go from one dugout to the other, our backs pressed against the backstop while we heard the typewriters going in the press box. OK, now lets figure out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his actual RA/9IP and his actual run support. I checked all pitchers with at least 25 SHO from 1920-2011. The Indians are happy to have him. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ Bert Blyleven Stats by Baseball Almanac. Who has blue ticket 92594? Look at his hits to innings pitched [8.10 per nine innings], his walks to strikeouts [7.02 strikeouts and 2.47 walks per nine innings] and his ERA. Blyleven was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011 after receiving 79.7% of the vote on his 14th attempt. On September 22, 1977, just two weeks after being sidelined with a groin injury, Blyleven no-hit the California Angels 60 at Anaheim Stadium. "You know, from sticking our fingers in the dikes. The answer is 11. Also, while I think Blyleven is a better pitcher than Kaat, I wrote a column on Kaat years ago arguing in 1967 he had the greatest stretch run by a pitcher ever in a pennant race: July 16, 1985: For the second time Blyleven pitches in an All-Star Game. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that When he was younger, his stuff was so good that he didn't need a changeup or pinpoint control. If you think you just heard some big names, listen to these. Blyleven went out and bought gifts for everyone. "I know Ed thinks the world of him.". 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. Others will call it pitching to the score. Bert was an Instructional League Twin at 18 in 1969 and a Pittsburgh playoff winner at 28 in '79. And now he has a little more command. When announcing partner Bremer attempted to circle fans with the telestrator, he drew geometric forms that were non-circular, and Blyleven and fans started to jostle Bremer with phrases like "Rhombus me, Dick" or "Triangle me, Dick". He went out and used it to dominate high school hitters, and by age 19 found himself winning 10 games in the major leagues as a rookie for the Minnesota Twins, the start to a career that would last until he was 41. 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. In all likelihood, Bert Blyleven is the best pitcher not in the Hall of Fame. That just leaves the years in his apparent prime, from 1970-77, when he won 17 fewer games than youd expect. I practiced it by myself. However, the velocity on his fastball adding to the effectiveness of his curveball. But Gossage and Sutter are relievers, and the Hall is still trying to figure them out. Hey, wait a minute, Francisco, where are you going? 555 N. Central Ave. #416 I know this sounds terrible, but who does Bert pitch for these days?". [23] "It's been 14 years of praying and waiting," he said on a conference call from Fort Myers, Florida. Stanky quit on his own. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011 . The Mets got from the Braves Willie Montaez and from the Rangers Tom Grieve and Ken Henderson who was sent to New York to complete the transaction three months later on March 15, 1978. His career was put on hold by a stint with the United States Armed Forces. Blyleven started the season in Triple A. If you went back further, you could find guys whod risen up: Billy Williams, Luis Aparicio, Bob Lemon. ", Says Mike Ferraro, a K.C. [15] Blyleven was unhappy playing for the lackluster Indians and forced a trade back to the Twins,[16] where he passed the 3,000-strikeout mark and helped the Twins to a 1987 World Series victory. Then there are three guys over 280 winsTommy John, Jim Kaat, and Blyleven himself. In 2010, Blyleven had 74.2% of the votes, missing admission to the Hall of Fame by only 5 votes (0.8%).[22]. Paige has a unique ability to blow hitters away and come right back and make them look foolish. Richie, you don't even exercise. Koosman's catcher in his Mets days, J.C. Martin, once said that Koosman could throw his 11-5 curveball "any time.". Thats doesnt sould too bad. Buyer pays for return shipping. Blyleven debuted in major league baseball in 1970, right at the end of a great run of workhorse pitchers. Arguments for inducting Bert Blyleven into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. See details. The no-hitter was his final start as a Ranger; not until Cole Hamels during the 2015 season would a pitcher be traded after pitching a no-hitter in his most recent start for the team that traded him. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. It was the last out of the inning. According to baseball-reference Cy Young won 195 games befroe his age 30 season. Blyleven pitched very well for the Indians in the strike year of 1981 (11-7, 2.89 ERA), but in the first game after play resumed, he hurt his right elbow. "I told our third baseman, Steve Braun, to watch for a bunt," says Blyleven, "but Spanky laid a perfect one down. "What other team gets to wear a picture of its general manager on its jacket?" But someone with a far greater mind than any scientist put the optical illusion theory to rest. And then when everybody was gone, we'd go out to the mound and make believe. Also, he felt that Tanner was pulling him from games too quickly. "Aw bleep, that was for him [Griffith] and his family." According to Matt Welch of Reason Magazine, "there had long been a strong case that the Dutch-born curveballista was the most deserving player on the outside of Cooperstown looking in. Now he throws an excellent change, an occasional slider, an assortment of fastballs and, of course, his curve. Jack Brickhouse, a Chicago Cubs broadcaster, described the pitches Paige threw as "not quite legal but not quite illegal.". Blyleven, who has a seven handicap, is teamed with a couple of Cadillac dealers and an attorney, a zany Mormon named Tom Anthony. Popular categories from this store. You don't need this. O.K., I bid $300. Take his 1974 season, when he went 17-17 despite a tremendous ERA+ of 142. If it weren't for drug and injury issues late in his career, he easily could have reached the 3,000-strikeoutplateau. So you know: later this week as induction day nears, Ill have a Bert Blyleven career highlights piece up at THT Live. I bid $250. 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. His 20 no decisions in 1979 are the most by an MLB starting pitcher in a season, dating back to at least 1908.[13]. Others will call it pitching to the score. The house has lots of toys, some for the kids, some for Bert. You cant do a simplistic, reductionistic system. 1996-2023 DIY Baseball LLC All Rights Reserved. All rights reserved. CLEVELAND'S NETHERLANDS-BORN STAR, PITCHER BERT BLYLEVEN, PUTS HIS PEDAL TO THE METAL ON THE FIELD AND OFF, 2023 ABG-SI LLC. The Blyleven abode, one of many handsome houses on his street, should bear a plaque commemorating one of the best baseball lines of this decade. That, of course, would belong to Sandy Koufax. 1979 - Blyleven goes 12-5 on 37 starts and the Pirates win the World Series. Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven had the tightest rotation and velocity combination," Schmidt was quoted as saying in a recent Associated Press story. Bert Blyleven Twins 2022 Topps Gilded Collection 1X Case 18X Box Break #7 | Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop, Sports Trading Cards, Trading Card Box & Case Breaks | eBay! I remember talking to scout Jesse Flores and Ed Roebuck, the pitcher, about the rotation. Spanky, we love you.". How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out This isn't a tournament along the ropes of, say, the Hope or the Crosby. The ones better than him who are not in would make legitimate candidates. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Blyleven has a memento from each of his teams, a ball for every win and a replica of the 1979 Series trophy. Even Hall of Fame players marveled at Blylevens curve. He wound up completing 242 games and throwing 60 shutouts, the two numbers of which he is most proud. Heres how it looks year-by-year, and again, this is based on his real run support and RA/9IP: Recording 17 fewer wins than expected is historically bad. Id say 95 percent of that mysterious third element is luck, but does that mean its never anything else? Nicknamed "the Barber," Sal Maglie commanded the corners of the plate as well as any pitcher in the history of baseball. coach who was Blyleven's manager in Cleveland for half a season, "He should win 30 games with the stuff he's got. In Texas, Blyleven got blamed for something he never did. Plus, he keeps us loose.". The bullpen page for Hal Newhouser lists the 16 liveballers who won 150 games before turning 30 years old, but I feel a bit odd citing that, since Im the guy that put that info there in the first place. Blyleven did not know his correct name until he was about to get married. ", Bert also inherited a love of the Dodgers from his father; he worshiped two in particular, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. There are 16 names, but only one 300-game winner. (And the difference between Blylevens actual record and the second projection quantifies that murky third factor, but well get back to that in a second). How is a batter supposed to hit a curveball when he constantly has to be ready for the 100 mile per hour heater? Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be . About 10 years ago, there was a debate at the late, great Rob Neyer Message Board about Blylevens Hall of Fame chances. Well, if its not luck, youre saying in so many words that the guy choked or lacked mental toughness. "If you gave baseball people their choice among Dan Petry, Jack Morris and Blyleven, Blyleven would probably be third," says Hal McRae, Kansas City's longtime designated hitter. Blyleven mingled easily with the other parents. Does it really seem that if you give him a slight increase in run support his wins will shoot up? This list is composed based not just on the nastiness of the curveball but also on how effectively it was used along with the pitcher's other weapons. His breaking ball was literally untouchable. "It was the worst time I've ever had in baseball," he says. He has always hovered around .500: 10-9, 16-15, 17-17 twice. Says Corrales, "You love sending a guy like that every fifth day, and he's a great influence on a young ball club. He will do anything to get it. He needed elbow surgery in '82 after throwing only 20 innings, and in '83 he missed most of the last two months with a right shoulder injury. Until last year, fate had not been overly kind to Blyleven. Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have But he's not a bad guy. If you just take his actual RA/9IP and pythag it with league-average, park-adjusted run support, it comes out that he should have gone 21-13 over 34 decisions. Those who throw it refer to it as The Hammer, The Yakker, even Public Enemy No. Though his age-28 season, Blyleven tossed 2,624 innings, more than anyone since Pete Alexander. Blyleven, 33, is such a cutup, in fact, that he recently cut off his five-year-old beard. Blyleven was a terrific pitchera dominating pitcher," Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson once said. 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). But Blyleven is still a big kid at heart. Look at Blyleven in that 1974 campaign. Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . Terrys reaction was to swing straight down, like he was chopping the plate with an axe. The story goes that he was tearing up the Grapefruit League, leading his wife to ask if she should begin house hunting in his new major-league city. That was the. There is some argument as to whether Candy Cummings or Fred Goldsmith invented the curveball, but there is no argument about this: Bert Blyleven perfected it and rode it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? Upon being traded to the Cleveland Indians, Blyleven initially struggled with injuries, but then enjoyed a late-career resurgence, finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting in back-to-back years, with Cleveland in 1984 and also the following 1985 season that he split between the Indians and Twins. Blyleven rounded up the usual suspects, most of them baseball names past and present: Scheinblum, Dan Petry, Ed Roebuck, Enos Cabell, Norm and Larry Sherry, Rick Rhoden, Ken McMullen, Buck Rodgers, Jim Colborn, Bruce Kison, Tom Murphy, Tom Brunansky, Dee Fondy, Jim Slaton, Gary Sutherland, Matt Young, Ed Crosby, Tim Leary, Tom Morgansorry, it's just that some people like to see baseball cards come to life. Only nine? Blyleven missed the entire 1991 season following rotator cuff surgery. Call it sunspots for all I care, it ain't run support. That's why he gave up so many solo shots late in games - he was throwing his pitch with a comfortable lead and didn't care if the batter knew it was coming. And as for Reggie Jackson, well, hed just as soon take the day off as hit against Blyleven, who struck him out 47 times and held him to a .214 career average. Corrales got a bullwhip. Even alone Blyleven is a terror, whether he's giving a hotfoot, tying clothes in knots, cutting neckties or pulling down McMahon's pants. "When they asked us who wanted to play in the Instructional League in the fall of '69, I was the first one to raise my hand," he says. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com.