He may have been the best pitcher in the history of baseball. Actually, the best spelling of his name appears on one of his license plates: BLY11. Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven had the tightest rotation and velocity combination," Schmidt was quoted as saying in a recent Associated Press story. At which point Richie Scheinblum yells across the room to his wife, "We already have a Koufax ball!" One of his trademarks was circling fans with the telestrator on screen. Blyleven appeared as himself in the 1990 James Belushi film Taking Care of Business. 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. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in 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. Blyleven has ridden the curve to a career ERA of 3.00. So close he might hang for No. Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. Blyleven starred on the Santiago High School baseball team, also running cross country to build up his stamina and leg strength. He won fewer games than he should have, right? On a recent afternoon Blyleven went to see Todd play basketball for his seventh-grade team. "[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. Corrales feels the secret of Blyleven's curve is not in the grip but in his big, strong hands. If you grew up in the 1980s, you likely have a major memory of Blyleventhe guy who gave up all those homers. Uh, okay, Dean Chance). When The Chicken brought his act to Cleveland, pitchers (from left) Ernie Camacho, Blyleven, Luis Aponte and Mike Jeffcoat were his plucky backups. [4] His family moved to Melville, Saskatchewan, when Blyleven was two years old before ultimately settling in Garden Grove, California, in 1957 when Blyleven was five years old. It can ruin a career. See all categories. The only thing Blyleven hates more than pitch counts is the use of . Who? Blyleven, an intense competitor, wants it. So you know: later this week as induction day nears, Ill have a Bert Blyleven career highlights piece up at THT Live. . Enough to make your knees buckle. "Matlack, Milner Go In FourTeam Trade,", Durso, Joseph. [21] In 2009, he gained only two votes, for a total of 338, 62.7%. An inveterate practical joker, Blyleven likes to snip cravats. 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. The tournament follows a scramble format, in which all four team members play from the same lie, as determined by the foursome's best previous shot. Blyleven missed the entire 1991 season following rotator cuff surgery. 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. Shipping speed. "Golf is my life," Anthony keeps saying. 5.0. In 22 seasons, Blyleven had more than 3,700 career strikeouts, including more than 2,000 of those in 11 seasons with the Twins. Blyleven has a memento from each of his teams, a ball for every win and a replica of the 1979 Series trophy. 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. Fine pitchers, but a definite step down from what had come before. Thanks for the link at WGOM, by the way. Thats easy to figure: Take the difference between his actual win-loss record and what he should have had based on a pythaging of his actual run support and his actual RA/9IP. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. Those stats hit me in the face. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was 1979 - Blyleven goes 12-5 on 37 starts and the Pirates win the World Series. Brown ticket 58456? "[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 chatted up all the passing foursomes and made sure the volunteer marshals switched holes so they wouldn't get bored. 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 You have a half-dozen 300 game winnersGaylord Perry, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver. In all likelihood, Bert Blyleven is the best pitcher not in the Hall of Fame. Look again at that list of young big winners. Don Drysdale was done two weeks after his 33rd birthday. Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, the Netherlands on April 6, 1951. "I would like to say to my family, to my fans, to all the Puerto Rican people and . Chris Bando, who loves pizza, was given an almost-empty pizza box. Ron Necciai is one of the most dominating pitchers that never materialized in the Major Leagues. ", Royals manager Dick Howser is also a Blyleven fan. Call the curveball what you will. At 6 feet 3 inches, with long arms and large hands, he throws. Rik Aalbert (Bert) Blyleven [1951] Bert Blyleven was and still is the only native Dutchman to have made a successful career, as measured by quality of play, in American professional baseball. 4.9. "It finally ended when I was out in the back of the house, pulling weeds. Actually, given that the park factor was 104, Blylevens run support was nearly league average; 96% of league average to be precise. Bah! thrown with. He eventually came back after nearly two weeks. No player who had debuted on the ballot since 1970 had a vote total that low and later won election to the Hall. and 32 degrees. Kennedy got the message. "He knows how to finish a game now," says Indian pitching coach Don McMahon. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. Popular categories from this store. He also has balls from his 14 complete-game 1-0 victories, which put him third on the alltime list, tied with Christy Mathewson, behind Walter Johnson (an uncatchable 38) and Grover Cleveland Alexander (17). However, the velocity on his fastball adding to the effectiveness of his curveball. Kirkpatrick, 40, is sitting in the back of the dining room with his wife, Judy. "[His curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you thatenough to make your knees buckle. Position: Starting Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-3, 200lb (190cm, 90kg) . 28, "Longtime Twins broadcaster Bert Blyleven hangs up the mic", June 2, 1976: Minneapolis Tribune column on Blyleven's trade to Texas Rangers. While down with an arm injury in 1982, Blyleven coached a Little League team, and gave the kids chewing tobacco so theyd look more like real pros. On July 16, 2011, the Minnesota Twins formally retired Blyleven's number.[26]. For instance, in the middle of his careerthe Pirate/Indian yearshe comes out even with the murky third element. In the Florida Instructional League championship game, he beat the Indians 1-0 and was featured in a story in that year's Dec. 1 issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. [14] The Pirates traded him to the Cleveland Indians on December 9, 1980. Hmmm, no cork in it. "An autographed picture of Fernando Valenzuela. Only 16 other pitchers have at least 3,000 career strikeouts. A Tom Murphy autographed glove. Blyleven, who has a seven handicap, is teamed with a couple of Cadillac dealers and an attorney, a zany Mormon named Tom Anthony. [29] During a 2006 broadcast, Blyleven forgot the name of the movie and had to be reminded of it by a technician in the broadcast booth. I checked all pitchers with at least 25 SHO from 1920-2011. Of course, it's never as nice as the one he cut.". Hmmm, I wanted the color TV. (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). Then he filled out, picked up some speed on his fastball and wowed batters in rookie and A ball. I practiced it by myself. He also tied for third in shutouts, with four, and for fourth in complete games, with 12. He ran cross-country and played basketball and baseball at Santiago High School, and the baseball scouts began to come around. It showed that of the last 20 guys elected to Cooperstown by the BBWAA (as of then), none had ever received 20 percent or lower of the vote in any election they were up for. Kid Nichols is the all-time champ. But the injuries may have been a blessing in disguise, because they made him a better pitcher. His fastball overpowered hitters and was clearly the pitch he relied on most heavily. Bert knew what had happened right away and got Monte's elbow in a bucket of ice. This is Anthony's first time on a golf course in 10 years, and second time ever. Blyleven thinks little of drugs, pitch count. Given his temperamental behaviour and (more happily) reputation as a practical jokester as a player, which have carried over somewhat into an occasionally prickly demeanor as a broadcaster, I wonder if Blylevens early debut in the majors is partially to blame for his personalitys lack of leavening. O.K., I bid $300. And he couldn't help it if he was injured. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment. 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. Shipping speed. Joe worked on the railroads in Saskatoon and Regina and moved to California in 1955. Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." If it weren't for drug and injury issues late in his career, he easily could have reached the 3,000-strikeoutplateau. For two years we paid him a good salary, and he did nothing because he was hurt. Others will call it pitching to the score. Ted Williams called Pascual's curveball the "most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years. At least his induction might open the door for more worthy candidates, certainly Jimm Kaat is this mans superior as an MLB pitcher. Also, he felt that Tanner was pulling him from games too quickly. 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. Blyleven was one of baseball's most notorious dugout pranksters during his playing days. play. Heck, Matt Lawton made two All-Star games. What we're talking about here is a humongous stuffed panda, and he's auctioning off the bear at the banquet. "Somebody had a sign that read, 'We drove 660 miles from Detroit Lakes,' I . One of the nicknames for a curveball is a "yakker." See details. So far Blyleven has won 20 only once, in 1973, when he lost 17. In fact, he never came close. I bid $250. [2] From 1996 to 2020, he was a color analyst for Minnesota Twins television broadcasts.[3]. On September 22, 1977, just two weeks after being sidelined with a groin injury, Blyleven no-hit the California Angels 60 at Anaheim Stadium. Before the All-Star break, he was 150-140 with a 3.47 ERA, but after it he was 137-110 with a 3.12 ERA. When the Angels came to nearby Anaheim in 1966, Bert didn't switch his allegiance, although he did become one of the stadium rats. [27], On September 2, 2020, Blyleven broadcast his final game for the Twins.[28]. If youre a fan of sabermetrics, and of internet-based populism, this weekends induction ceremony is thus a double victoryone for Blyleven and one for Lederer. According to baseball-reference Cy Young won 195 games befroe his age 30 season. 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). 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. In 2008, he received 336 votes, or 61.9% of the vote. "Thanks everyone for coming, and good night. 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. [5] One of seven children, his parents anglicized their names to Joe and Jenny, with Rik Aalbert becoming simply "Bert". Blyleven's third batter was Frank Howard. He throws it a little differently than most pitchers, holding the ball so that every finger except his pinky is touching a seam. [23] "It's been 14 years of praying and waiting," he said on a conference call from Fort Myers, Florida. Known for his terrific curveball, pitcher Bert Blyleven won 287 games over a 22-year major league career. From a Cooperstown point of view, the debate is semantics. His answer told you all you need to know about the major-league curveball: Dont bother. And quite well, thank you. [18] He returned in his role for 2013 and 2017.[2]. That was where I learned to throw and control the pitch.. I wanted to be like him, he said. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) "I always played for my island," Alomar said in his induction speech. The Pirates also acquired John Milner from the Mets. In those years he was 59-66 (.472) at the break and 53-38 (.582) afterwards. In 1973, he pitched nine shutouts, the most of any AL pitcher that season. After his first year of Baseball Hall of Fame eligibility in 1998, Blyleven was widely considered to be the best eligible pitcher not yet enshrined. In his seven losses, the Indians scored only six runs. A 1971 Milwaukee Brewers uniform, No. One of seven children, Bert grew up in Garden Grove as American as, well, Dutch apple pie. 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.". He also won a World Series in 1979 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. No takers? I've had a nice life since, and tried my best never to look back. Roberto Alomar, Pat Gillick and Bert Blyleven on stage during a press conference during the 2011 Hall of Fame Weekend. The Orioles legend has four 20-win seasons, a World Series title and a Cy Young Award to his name. Hmmm, maybe I should bid on it. He currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will This isn't a tournament along the ropes of, say, the Hope or the Crosby. So how many wins did Blyleven lose solely due to his run support? Blyleven wanted $85,000, which seems like a piddling sum now, and the Twins were offering $65,000. Rice benefited from an orchestrated movement by the Boston press corps. Tanner is almost universally beloved, so Blyleven came out as the bad guy in Pittsburgh, especially after Tanner called him "Cryleven." 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. There, he got a job straightening bumpers and brought his family down the next year. However, during his time in the Mexican League, he was coached by Dolph Lugue, a curveball mastermind, which helped him rely on the pitch upon returning to the majors. 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. It has also appeared as Ricalbert and Ribalbert. "Then we'd sneak down into the dugouts and grab whatever we couldresin bags and broken bats. become a hit. "You know, from sticking our fingers in the dikes. Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . He later wished he could have erased the 3-2 fastball he threw to the first batter he faced, Lee Maye. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). June 14, 1985: Bert Blyleven achieves a career milestone as he collects his 200th career win, defeating the A's, 6-1. Weve already figured out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his RA/9IP and league-average run support. 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. MLB Advanced Media, LP. A doting daddy, Blyleven likes to spend time with his sons Timothy (above) and Thomas. Blyleven, 33, is such a cutup, in fact, that he recently cut off his five-year-old beard. Fansboth at home and at road gamescarried signs to the games saying "Circle me Bert". Terrys reaction was to swing straight down, like he was chopping the plate with an axe. 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. 555 N. Central Ave. #416 Collectibles; Books & Magazines; Entertainment Memorabilia; Cell Phones . "This is for a free membership to Racquetball World. The lone hit in that game was a bunt single by slow-footed Ed Kirkpatrick in the fifth inning. "Curveballs are like snowflakesnone are the same. Finally we'd make like we were playing the outfield and jump over the fence in left.". They have a right to act any way they like.". He came back in 1992 but was mostly unproductive, going 8-12 with a 4.74 ERA. Bert Blyleven addresses the ball. Terry Kennedy was a young player with St. Louis. "[17], Blyleven was a pitching coach for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Buyer pays for return shipping. Look at Blyleven in that 1974 campaign. Sold to me for $25. Even the guys who didnt completely implode aged poorly. That game happened to feature a. How to separate run support from that murky third factor? Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett would be describing Koufaxs curve that he threw off that high mound, Blyleven recalled. Adrian Devine, Tommy Boggs and Eddie Miller were traded from the Rangers to the Braves. 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. Call it sunspots for all I care, it ain't run support. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. "There's not a lot of dropoff in his stuff. You don't need this. Blyleven set the record that still stands with 50 gopher balls in 1986, and then topped the league again with 46 in 1987. That means isolating it. Blyleven was born in the Netherlands, one of only nine major leaguers to have been born in Holland as of 2020 (several major leaguers were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands outside Holland). Stanky quit on his own. In the middle of the 1976 season, he was traded to the Texas Rangers, where he threw a no-hitter in his final start for the team. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. Richie Scheinblum? As Blyleven wanders into earshot, Scheinblum says, "Of course, I feel very strongly that a person born in a foreign country should not be allowed to play in the major leagues.". I also wish we were in the other division.". Blyleven, just 19, was called up to replace him. This semicelebrity affair at Riviera was the second off-season charity event Bert has sponsored. Thats doesnt sould too bad. In honor of Blyleven, Id like to rip off the column format pioneered here at THT by Bossman Studes, who used to run a regular Ten things I didnt know last week feature. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. The team finishes at 3-under and out of hunt. He's now 200-173. Wes Ferrell won three games after his age-30 season. Blyleven said the Twins then played on the road in Detroit and there was a Twins fan with a sign, asking to be circled. Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? 19 7-4 over the Twins on the last day of the season. His 20 no decisions in 1979 are the most by an MLB starting pitcher in a season, dating back to at least 1908.[13]. Blyleven became the first Dutch-born player to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1997 Fleer Star Stickers Baseball #10 - Bert Blyleven - Minnesota Twins at the best online prices at eBay! Does it really seem that if you give him a slight increase in run support his wins will shoot up? He had looked up the records of Walter Johnson and Cy Young when he was young. The Dodgers were ready to draft him in the first round in 1969, but in one of his last high school games, Blyleven got shelled. ", Not only does Blyleven pitch for the Indians, he actually likes being an Indian. Only nine? They just started throwing me the curveball.. Blyleven went out and bought gifts for everyone. Thats the question. 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. In his last game with the Twins in 1976 before being traded, he made an obscene gesture to the crowd while walking off the mound. Blyleven got so upset with his role in Pittsburgh that he walked out on the Pirates for 10 days early in 1980. Blyleven has often been labeled a troublemaker. Ill be looking for it, Chris, and will pass the link on; youve got more than a few fans over at the WGOM. The Twins responded by trading him to the Texas Rangers. 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. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be 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! 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. Free shipping for many products! Blyleven did not know his correct name until he was about to get married. Of course, that might be half-baked psychoanalysis, but it does make one wonder. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. Add in assorted aces Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Catfish Hunter, Mickey Lolich, Luis Tiant, and thats some list. Stand behind a tree 60 feet away and Ill whomp you with an optical illusion, challenged Dizzy Dean. If he underachieved because of his own personal failings, then why was he so successful when things entirely depended on him? He blanked Milwaukee on four hits in his first start, followed by a three-hit shutout at Kansas City five days later. A dozen of his 1-0 complete game shutouts came from 1970-77. During the winter there are many of these Monday events in the Los Angeles area. 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. 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.