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. (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). If I see anymore, I'll fall in love." A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Free shipping for many products! 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. That may not mean much to you, but Ron Theobald is the only man in baseball history to go into the on-deck circle without his bat. Hmmm, maybe I should bid on it. He blanked Milwaukee on four hits in his first start, followed by a three-hit shutout at Kansas City five days later. His miniature car is a favorite. The umpire called it a strike and Jamie backed out and it looked to me like he kind of laughed a little bit. In all likelihood, Bert Blyleven is the best pitcher not in the Hall of Fame. 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. It was the last out of the inning. Known for his terrific curveball, pitcher Bert Blyleven won 287 games over a 22-year major league career. "Somebody had a sign that read, 'We drove 660 miles from Detroit Lakes,' I . This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. 5.0. Ill be home soon. In 1985 he again led the American League in shutouts with five. For some reason it has taken Blyleven 3,422 innings, 468 games, 195 wins, 15 years and four teams to be appreciated. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1971 Topps Bert Blyleven #26 Rookie Minnesota Twins at the best online prices at eBay! Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. "My friends and I used to wait until they turned the lights out in the park," he says. Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . Hal Newhouser barely won 200 games. 5.0. I remember talking to scout Jesse Flores and Ed Roebuck, the pitcher, about the rotation. Blyleven mingled easily with the other parents. His career was put on hold by a stint with the United States Armed Forces. "O.K., we've got a golf bag and a dozen balls. It gives the opposition fits when thrown properly. Hey, wait a minute, Francisco, where are you going? exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. "I have to say this for him, though. 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. ", Blyleven wraps up the evening. 1. Those who try to hit it show far more respect, calling it Lord Charles or Uncle Charlie. No matter what you call it, 150 years or so after Cummings or Goldsmith threw the first one, it is still the pitch that separates major-league hitters from the rest. Autographed in English. He would continue to play for six different teams for the next 22 years . 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. "I would like to say to my family, to my fans, to all the Puerto Rican people and . Joe worked on the railroads in Saskatoon and Regina and moved to California in 1955. "Bert got six of mine last year," says DiBiasio. Aside from that, he never led the league. One of seven children, Bert grew up in Garden Grove as American as, well, Dutch apple pie. He also became a baseball fan. Ted Williams called Pascual's curveball the "most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years. He has always hovered around .500: 10-9, 16-15, 17-17 twice. Two words Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson used to describe Bert Blyleven's curveball: "nasty" and "knee-buckling.". Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft. 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. 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. 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. Finally we'd make like we were playing the outfield and jump over the fence in left.". Blyleven got so upset with his role in Pittsburgh that he walked out on the Pirates for 10 days early in 1980. Here you go. 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. Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? 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. That game happened to feature a. Ball No. And I said, 'Yes.' For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. He wound up completing 242 games and throwing 60 shutouts, the two numbers of which he is most proud. Blyleven is rightPhil Seghi looks uncannily like Chief Wahoo. The ones better than him who are not in would make legitimate candidates. With all of the talk of some players not getting the votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America for entry into the Hall of Fame because of allegations and admissions regarding illegal substance abuse, pitcher Bert Blyleven, who became a member of the Hall earlier this month . Jack Brickhouse, a Chicago Cubs broadcaster, described the pitches Paige threw as "not quite legal but not quite illegal.". 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.". Who has blue ticket 92594? How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a When you divide his career into sections, it veers wildly. On June 5, 1970, Rigney gave Blyleven his first start, against the Washington Senators. O.K., I bid $300. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. 30 day returns. They have a right to act any way they like.". When I first discovered Retrosheet eons ago, the first thing I wanted to do was look at Blylevens run support. His run support wasnt that good every year, but by and large it was better than I wouldve guessed. 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. [11][12] With the Pirates, he led the team in ERA, strikeouts, and complete games in 1978, and he helped them to a World Series victory in 1979. 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. The only problem was that his name was published as "Blylevan," which is the way the Twins spelled it in those days. In fact, he never came close. ", Says Mike Ferraro, a K.C. I practiced it by myself. In his seven losses, the Indians scored only six runs. 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. 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". thrown with. Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven had the tightest rotation and velocity combination," Schmidt was quoted as saying in a recent Associated Press story. I'm thrilled to see Blyleven in the HOF. 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). [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. Thereupon he drives the addressee 250 yards straight down the middle of the No. "I just don't think he knew how to use me." Played in the Big Leagues from 1971-1990 and 1992. He eventually came back after nearly two weeks. Don Drysdale was done two weeks after his 33rd birthday. 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. [citation needed], MLB Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson said of Blyleven: "[his curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you that. Blyleven often looked back and saw players in the opposing dugout covering their face with their gloves as they laughed at a hitter who had ducked out of the way of a curve that had broken sharply across the heart of the plate, many of them ending up one of Blylevens strikeout victims. At which point Richie Scheinblum yells across the room to his wife, "We already have a Koufax ball!" Blyleven also won so many games because he was a great workhorse. I threw him an 0-2 curve and it snapped. Phoenix, AZ 85004 I still kid him about it.". 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. "A Carl Yastrzemski bat. Two years ago, when brush fires swept through the surrounding hills, Blyleven ascended to his roof, to water it down lest a flying spark set it afire, and fell off, breaking his left elbow. His fastball overpowered hitters and was clearly the pitch he relied on most heavily. Brown ticket 58456? "Then we'd sneak down into the dugouts and grab whatever we couldresin bags and broken bats. Patty came out and said, 'Don't you think you should go back?' Call it sunspots for all I care, it aint run support. "We have those long, strong fingers," he says. Bert Blyleven was a big part of that championship season and went 1-1 in the World Series. He can't speak Dutch, but to this day he still understands a little of it. He pitched a no-hitter, was chosen to a pair of All-Star teams and also won two World Series Championships. A banquet in a Riviera dining room follows the golf tournament, and Blyleven, nattily dressed in a camel's hair sports coat, navy blue trousers, blue shirt and uncut tie, is the master of ceremonies. Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven had the tightest rotation and velocity combination," Schmidt was quoted as saying in a recent Associated Press story. Bert knew what had happened right away and got Monte's elbow in a bucket of ice. He won 287 games, 27th-most all-time, and pitched 4,970 innings, 14th-most all-time. Bah! No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. And he couldn't help it if he was injured. In fact, the Blylevens feel so strongly about family living that they, and Anthony, have helped several baseball players and their wives to adopt children. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. So far Blyleven has won 20 only once, in 1973, when he lost 17. The youngest player to ever be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at age 34, Sandy Koufax is the best left-handed pitcher to ever take the mound. He's referring to neckties. Bert Blyleven, in August of 1986, pitching with the Minnesota Twins against the Angels. Its that second wind that makes his career numbers impressive. The Twins ran short of pitching early, the crusher coming on June 1, when Luis Tiant was put on the disabled list. 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. He pitched for the MLB All-Stars in the 1993 World Port Tournament in Rotterdam. None had ever fallen below 30 percent. . "We left one month-old piece in there, and I think Chris ate it." How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. [2] From 1996 to 2020, he was a color analyst for Minnesota Twins television broadcasts.[3]. 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 only thing Blyleven hates more than pitch counts is the use of . 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. Blyleven's first two teams, the Twins and Rangers, usually weren't very good, and even though the Pirates won the World Series in '79, Blyleven had some philosophical differences with manager Chuck Tanner. Those who throw it refer to it as The Hammer, The Yakker, even Public Enemy No. How much did this cost him? With the power of the internet, Lederers persistenceand, oh yeah, Blylevens own solid casehell have a nice weekend in upstate New York this year. When youre constantly winning 15 or more games a year, you dont need too many 20-win seasons to make this list. The answer is 11. So it seems only fitting that Blyleven is something of a yakker. Given another five years of success, Blyleven will have Hall of Fame credentials. When the Angels came to nearby Anaheim in 1966, Bert didn't switch his allegiance, although he did become one of the stadium rats. The ones worse than him who are in are generally mistakes. Stanky quit on his own. Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, a municipality in Utrecht, Netherlands, the son of Johannes Cornelius and Jannigje Blijleven. It's like the fellow at the golf tournament said. You cant do a simplistic, reductionistic system. Corrales got a bullwhip. That was where I learned to throw and control the pitch.. For years he thought his first name was Rikaalbert. But he's not a bad guy. Though his age-28 season, Blyleven tossed 2,624 innings, more than anyone since Pete Alexander. Especially back in those days, a pitchers win-loss record really mattered. This was especially pronounced in his first seven full seasons, 1971-77, when he was in his prime. 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. Because of his competitive streak, Blyleven says things he probably shouldn't, and he usually says them with a biting wit. Look again at that list of young big winners. This weekend the Hall of Fame will have its annual induction ceremony, and sabermetric darling Bert Blyleven will finally get his well-earned plaque put on display. I checked all pitchers with at least 25 SHO from 1920-2011. He ran cross-country and played basketball and baseball at Santiago High School, and the baseball scouts began to come around. Camilo Pascual threw only two pitches, his fastball and his nasty overhand curveball, so as one can imagine those pitches were dominant. 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. July 16, 1985: For the second time Blyleven pitches in an All-Star Game. The curveball has been around for ages and has taken many forms throughout the history of baseball. Nearly a decade later while an Indian, he flipped the bird to fans in Baltimore. Call the curveball what you will. "I think the world of Chuck Tanner," says Blyleven now. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the See all categories. We do. window.". At the Blyleven the biggest celebrity, literally and figuratively, is Lou Ferrigno, television's erstwhile Incredible Hulk. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. 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. "Thirty-one of them must have left by the third inning." Normally a guy entering the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot with 287 wins is pretty impressive. Uh, okay, Dean Chance). 122), his five one-hitters, his eight two-hitters and his five three-hitters. At the time of his election, he was the only eligible member of the 3,000 strikeout club and the only pitcher with 50 or more shutouts not in the Hall of Fame. From 1971 (his second year in the majors but first full season in a big league rotation) through 1975, Blyleven struck out 200-plus batters each season (224, 228, 258, 249 and 233, respectively).. Blyleven, 38, has won 271 major league games with one of baseball's best curves and a variety of offspeed pitches. Maye hit it out of the park. An inveterate practical joker, Blyleven likes to snip cravats. Let's look at some of the names. Being close to his 100th win is. 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. 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. Nicknamed "the Barber," Sal Maglie commanded the corners of the plate as well as any pitcher in the history of baseball. Saved him a lot of pain." "I know that stuff sounds silly," says Smith. ", Not only does Blyleven pitch for the Indians, he actually likes being an Indian. Naturally, he sinks all the birdie putts. He also won a World Series in 1979 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He came back in 1992 but was mostly unproductive, going 812 with a 4.74 ERA. During the winter there are many of these Monday events in the Los Angeles area. If you went back further, you could find guys whod risen up: Billy Williams, Luis Aparicio, Bob Lemon. There once was a rookie hitter who didnt need to be convinced the curve was something more than an optical illusion. 300. Thats especially the case for the guys who finished near the top of the list (and where Blyleven would be if he didnt weirdly have those 17 missing wins). But someone with a far greater mind than any scientist put the optical illusion theory to rest. The Twins responded by trading him to the Texas Rangers. Heck, Matt Lawton made two All-Star games. Why did Blyleven only make it twice? Of course, that might be half-baked psychoanalysis, but it does make one wonder. 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. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. At least his induction might open the door for more worthy candidates, certainly Jimm Kaat is this mans superior as an MLB pitcher. Blyleven has ridden the curve to a career ERA of 3.00. In 15 years with four teams he has 195 wins and a 3.00 ERA. Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." CLEVELAND'S NETHERLANDS-BORN STAR, PITCHER BERT BLYLEVEN, PUTS HIS PEDAL TO THE METAL ON THE FIELD AND OFF, 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Neal Heaton got a Gourmet Nosepicker. He later wished he could have erased the 3-2 fastball he threw to the first batter he faced, Lee Maye. Hey, these names might not seem too important now, but someday. Do I hear $2? All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, "Hello, ball," he says, in homage to Art Carney as Ed Norton. His 20 no decisions in 1979 are the most by an MLB starting pitcher in a season, dating back to at least 1908.[13]. It was 14 years of praying and waiting, but I want to thank the baseball writers for finally getting it right, he said when his election was announced on January 5. Plus, he keeps us loose.". "I have here a ball autographed by Sandy Koufax, a pretty fair pitcher. Mary Scheinblum bids $150; do I hear $175?" He must have had terrible run support. He will do anything to get it. Well, its that murky third factorthe luck/pitch-to-the-score/sunspots one. The Baseball Analysts: Optimal Fastball-Changeup Speed Separation *Examining the Past, Present, and Future* Lineup Card Rich Lederer Baseball Beat Patrick Sullivan Change-Up Jeremy Greenhouse Touching Bases Dave Allen F/X Visualizations Sky Andrecheck Behind the Scoreboard Marc Hulet Around the Minors Al Doyle Past Times
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