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. However, his election was a slow curve that was thrown to Blyleven, not being elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America until his 14thseason of eligibility despite 287 victories and 3,701 strikeouts. http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/, interesting article. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011 . 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 He blanked Milwaukee on four hits in his first start, followed by a three-hit shutout at Kansas City five days later. Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven reminding MLB's aging audience that starters were expected to finish games as recent as the 1980s should consider how effective he and his peers were the third . He currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida. The umpire called it a strike and Jamie backed out and it looked to me like he kind of laughed a little bit. In Texas, Blyleven got blamed for something he never did. He's now 200-173. 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. Yet last year was the first time he ever got a vote for the Cy Young Award. No. And so he ended his career, waiting and wondering if he would get into the Hall of Fame. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. In the last part of his careerhis second go-around in Minnesota and his final seasons in Californiahe came out eight games ahead. His answer told you all you need to know about the major-league curveball: Dont bother. Blyleven proceeded to finish Pittsburgh's sweep of Cincinnati in the National League Championship Series, pitching a complete game in the Pirates' 7-1 triumph in Game 3. Bert Blyleven. 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? MLB Advanced Media, LP. He always goes out and buys me a new one. On June 5, 1970, Rigney gave Blyleven his first start, against the Washington Senators. 16, worn by Ron Theobald. Blyleven was recently inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame after recording over 3,700 strikeouts in his career. Blyleven started the season in Triple A. Call it sunspots for all I care, it ain't run support. See details. Alomar, Blyleven and Gillick are inducted into the Hall of Fame His 2.74 career ERA with the Rangers remains the best in team history. I've had a nice life since, and tried my best never to look back. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. produces a result. He chatted up all the passing foursomes and made sure the volunteer marshals switched holes so they wouldn't get bored. Normally a guy entering the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot with 287 wins is pretty impressive. He took quiet pride in Todd's 10-point game, a performance that reminded one of a young Jack Sikma. For some reason it has taken Blyleven 3,422 innings, 468 games, 195 wins, 15 years and four teams to be appreciated. He didnt allowed more than 24 in any other season. If he underachieved because of his own personal failings, then why was he so successful when things entirely depended on him? That way I know he won't lose it on me like he did that one time. "Here's something special. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. Or 40 percent. These arent items I learned in the last week, but they are things I found out during the course of Blylevens seemingly never-ending Cooperstown candidacy. They have a right to act any way they like.". I do. "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. 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. "He knows how to finish a game now," says Indian pitching coach Don McMahon. Bert Blyleven's Top 10 moments - MLB.com xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from He also tied for third in shutouts, with four, and for fourth in complete games, with 12. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be See details. 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. 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. [citation needed], MLB Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson said of Blyleven: "[his curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you that. Blyleven was the epitome of dominant. Because of his competitive streak, Blyleven says things he probably shouldn't, and he usually says them with a biting wit. He ran cross-country and played basketball and baseball at Santiago High School, and the baseball scouts began to come around. He would continue to play for six different teams for the next 22 years . Blyleven, who has a seven handicap, is teamed with a couple of Cadillac dealers and an attorney, a zany Mormon named Tom Anthony. Add in assorted aces Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Catfish Hunter, Mickey Lolich, Luis Tiant, and thats some list. Blyleven went out and bought gifts for everyone. 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. Nice. It wasn't until he got married in 1971 that he noticed on his birth certificate that he's really Rik Aalbert. He's referring to neckties. About 10 years ago, there was a debate at the late, great Rob Neyer Message Board about Blylevens Hall of Fame chances. ", Bert also inherited a love of the Dodgers from his father; he worshiped two in particular, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. 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. 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. If you had to pick one starting pitcher to serve as in/out line for induction, Id go with Stan Coveleski. Who has blue ticket 92594? There were players rolling around on the floor, laughing. For $675.". What makes his statistics even more impressive is that he missed five starts after he broke a bone in his right foot; while shagging flies in the Milwaukee outfield in May, he stepped on a ball hiding in the grass. "We left one month-old piece in there, and I think Chris ate it." The question arose: Is there any way to adjust his W-L record by his run support? Born: April 6, 1951 in Zeist, Netherlands nl Draft: Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1969 MLB June Amateur Draft from Santiago HS (Garden Grove, CA).. High School: Santiago HS (Garden Grove, CA) Last Game: October 4, 1992 (Age 41-181d) Take his 1974 season, when he went 17-17 despite a tremendous ERA+ of 142. "Bert got six of mine last year," says DiBiasio. Blyleven recorded 3,701 career strikeouts, the fifth-most in MLB history. This isn't a tournament along the ropes of, say, the Hope or the Crosby. Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett would be describing Koufaxs curve that he threw off that high mound, Blyleven recalled. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Blyleven thinks little of drugs, pitch count. Heck, Matt Lawton made two All-Star games. Koufax combined his rising fast ball with an overhand 12-6 curveball that embarrassed hitters. Patty came out and said, 'Don't you think you should go back?' She says, "So now we'll have two.". ". Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Joe Adcock, Eddie Mathews. Sold for $150. One of his favorite marks is Indians public relations director Bob DiBiasio. Watching him, one of his partners said, "He seems like a great guy. by Handedness, 10 things I didnt know about Bert Blyleven, http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/. Bert Blyleven. thrown with. Says Corrales, "You love sending a guy like that every fifth day, and he's a great influence on a young ball club. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. Blyleven did not know his correct name until he was about to get married. Thereupon he drives the addressee 250 yards straight down the middle of the No. Many new voters had entered the mix, and old ones passed on. Blyleven set the record that still stands with 50 gopher balls in 1986, and then topped the league again with 46 in 1987. Enjoy this run through the 10 best curveballs in the history of baseball. Here he is, a workhorse with superlative ERAs and a world-renown curveball, but he only made the All-Star team twice, in 1973 and 1985. Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . If you went back further, you could find guys whod risen up: Billy Williams, Luis Aparicio, Bob Lemon. "[19] Still, it was not until his 14th year of eligibility, in 2011, that he was elected; he received 79.7% of the vote. 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. This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. Go figure. When I first discovered Retrosheet eons ago, the first thing I wanted to do was look at Blylevens run support. And I could throw it over at any time, any count."[6]. MLB Power Rankings: The Top 10 Curveballs in Baseball History