So close he might hang for No. For instance, in the middle of his careerthe Pirate/Indian yearshe comes out even with the murky third element. He left in the eighth to a standing ovation from the Municipal Stadium faithful, 8,239 strong. Blyleven is the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the NLCS and Game 5 (pitching in relief) of the World Series. Many years ago, I figured this out for the careers of nearly 200 pitchers, and only three did this bad (Tim Keefe and Curt Simmons both at 18, and Dizzy Trout the champion at 22). and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Arguments for inducting Bert Blyleven into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. I do. 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 I could throw it over at any time, any count."[6]. In 1985 he again led the American League in shutouts with five. CLEVELAND'S NETHERLANDS-BORN STAR, PITCHER BERT BLYLEVEN, PUTS HIS PEDAL TO THE METAL ON THE FIELD AND OFF, 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Now look at Blylevens careerpitching in tough spots wasnt his problem. 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. Koosman's catcher in his Mets days, J.C. Martin, once said that Koosman could throw his 11-5 curveball "any time.". Now he owes the Indians and the city of Cleveland something in return.". Bert Blyleven timeline: A lifetime of baseball - Star Tribune Weve already figured out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his RA/9IP and league-average run support. Corrales got a bullwhip. "It was the worst time I've ever had in baseball," he says. Bert Blyleven Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com 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. Blyleven married Patricia Ann Whitehead, a friend from high school, during his second season in the majors, and they have raised a happy family. In all likelihood, Bert Blyleven is the best pitcher not in the Hall of Fame. Popular categories from this store. Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? Blyleven is rightPhil Seghi looks uncannily like Chief Wahoo. One of his favorite marks is Indians public relations director Bob DiBiasio. I'll have to admit that was a hell of a curveball.". By this approach, Blyleven comes out nine wins behind. 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. I threw him an 0-2 curve and it snapped. Many out there in THTs readerland believe its all just luck and random variation, and we may as well do away with W-L records. 1. Heck, Matt Lawton made two All-Star games. US $3.00Standard Shipping. 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. It's like the fellow at the golf tournament said. "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. At 6 feet 3 inches, with long arms and large hands, he throws. 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. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft. His run support wasnt that good every year, but by and large it was better than I wouldve guessed. MLB Advanced Media, LP. It's hard to say anything based on one game, but he looks like he's got a great future ahead of him.". No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. He took quiet pride in Todd's 10-point game, a performance that reminded one of a young Jack Sikma. With the power of the internet, Lederers persistenceand, oh yeah, Blylevens own solid casehell have a nice weekend in upstate New York this year. 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.". Bert Blyleven is one of the great command pitchers in baseball history! I remember talking to scout Jesse Flores and Ed Roebuck, the pitcher, about the rotation. Blyleven's curve breaks so quickly and so far that some batters swear they can hear it change direction. Escape Velocity takes the average of a player's batted ball velocities subtracted from 88. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. July 16, 1985: For the second time Blyleven pitches in an All-Star Game. That upset Blyleven, especially because he has given of himself to Cleveland. 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. Blyleven has ridden the curve to a career ERA of 3.00. No one had much success with Blylevens curveball, in part because he had complete control over it. When Blyleven and Sutcliffe were together in Cleveland, their teammates had to be on constant lookout for pranks. During the winter there are many of these Monday events in the Los Angeles area. Why did Blyleven only make it twice? Monte tried to throw a curve, and something in his elbow snapped. In 15 years with four teams he has 195 wins and a 3.00 ERA. Naturally, he sinks all the birdie putts. "Golf is my life," Anthony keeps saying. You cant do a simplistic, reductionistic system. Ill be looking for it, Chris, and will pass the link on; youve got more than a few fans over at the WGOM. This is Anthony's first time on a golf course in 10 years, and second time ever. Of course, that might be half-baked psychoanalysis, but it does make one wonder. Call the curveball what you will. And now he has a little more command. Buyer pays for return shipping. Blyleven reaches rare mark with 250th win | Baseball Hall of Fame Calico Jack (Suwinski) is Back for the Attack. On the second-to-last weekend of the season, the Indian players had a little party to adjourn their kangaroo court. Call it sunspots for all I care, it ain't run support. Well, his curveball was good enough to strike out 27 batters in a nine-inning game at Class D Bristol and followed that up with a 24-strikeout performance. the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the Bert Blyleven Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | MLB.com Bert Blyleven discusses how the game has changed 12/01/2021 at 1:19 PM 12/01/2021 at 1:19 PM The 5 greatest seasons for Twins pitchers "[24] Blyleven was the first Dutch-born player inducted, and his Hall of Fame plaque depicts him with a Minnesota Twins cap. On September 22, 1977, just two weeks after being sidelined with a groin injury, Blyleven no-hit the California Angels 60 at Anaheim Stadium. Blyleven was recently inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame after recording over 3,700 strikeouts in his career. (Thanks, Ron, wherever you are.) Bert Blyleven. 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. Baseball '90 PREVIEW : ONE PITCH FROM STARDOM : Speed is not enough. In There, he got a job straightening bumpers and brought his family down the next year. 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. he asks. He always goes out and buys me a new one. In 1986, he. Fortunately for him, life wasnt going to throw him that curve, and he now has his place in history. The ones worse than him who are in are generally mistakes. Shipping speed. For the benefit of those who don't knowand it's quite understandable so don't feel ashamedBlyleven, a right-hander, pitches for the Cleveland Indians. 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: Blyleven has reigned as the curveball champion longer than either Pascual or Koufax. Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett would be describing Koufaxs curve that he threw off that high mound, Blyleven recalled. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from 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.". Communication. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1974 TOPPS BASEBALL #98 BERT BLYLEVEN MINNESOTA TWINS V.G. A couple of years ago when he was on the disabled list and back home, he came to watch my son Monte pitch. Richie Scheinblum? How much did this cost him? 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) Given another five years of success, Blyleven will have Hall of Fame credentials. People in and out the game lauded Blyleven for having the games best curveball, but he was also temperamental. 48 is from a one-hitter Blyleven threw against the Kansas City Royals on May 24, 1973. Blyleven said the Twins then played on the road in Detroit and there was a Twins fan with a sign, asking to be circled. But Blyleven is still a big kid at heart. background-color:#ba3434; 10 things I didn't know about Bert Blyleven | The Hardball Times How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a In between, while a Pirate in 1980, Blyleven jumped the team in midseason, flying to his home in California and demanding a trade. When I first discovered Retrosheet eons ago, the first thing I wanted to do was look at Blylevens run support. Bert Blyleven - BR Bullpen 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. It wasn't until he got married in 1971 that he noticed on his birth certificate that he's really Rik Aalbert. 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. His breaking ball was literally untouchable. All rights reserved. Heck, Manny Trillo made four. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second 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. But thats the problem, you had to go way back. Known for his terrific curveball, pitcher Bert Blyleven won 287 games over a 22-year major league career. I've had a nice life since, and tried my best never to look back. What have we got here? Rik Aalbert [Bert] Blyleven - New Netherland Institute "I open the bidding at $200. His career was put on hold by a stint with the United States Armed Forces. Maye hit it out of the park. For two years we paid him a good salary, and he did nothing because he was hurt. But nobody really cared. [14] The Pirates traded him to the Cleveland Indians on December 9, 1980. 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. 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. I still kid him about it.". When he was younger, his stuff was so good that he didn't need a changeup or pinpoint control. The Baseball Hall of Shame II first clued me in to some of those stories. "But I'll be grateful to him for one thing in particular. Ten years ago he took Twins owner Calvin Griffith to arbitration, and Griffith screamed. If you go through the above, he comes out to 298-239 for his career, ever so incredibly shy of 300. Those stats hit me in the face. In his seven losses, the Indians scored only six runs. He got him to fly out. Stand behind a tree 60 feet away and Ill whomp you with an optical illusion, challenged Dizzy Dean. I know this sounds terrible, but who does Bert pitch for these days?". 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. In the end, he fell virtually inches short of what would have been an unquestioned Hall of Fame career, just missing 300 wins (13 shy), 5,000 innings (30 shy), and 4,000 strikes (299 shy). Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. It was his second world championship. "Bert's always doing things for people," he says. "But I thought it was kind of nice. Phoenix, AZ 85004 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 . Blyleven got so upset with his role in Pittsburgh that he walked out on the Pirates for 10 days early in 1980. 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. In those years he was 59-66 (.472) at the break and 53-38 (.582) afterwards. "We have those long, strong fingers," he says. "We have a beautiful cutlery set. by Handedness, 10 things I didnt know about Bert Blyleven, http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/. Normally a guy entering the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot with 287 wins is pretty impressive. Yet last year was the first time he ever got a vote for the Cy Young Award. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. Corrales feels the secret of Blyleven's curve is not in the grip but in his big, strong hands. 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. For some reason it has taken Blyleven 3,422 innings, 468 games, 195 wins, 15 years and four teams to be appreciated. How is a batter supposed to hit a curveball when he constantly has to be ready for the 100 mile per hour heater? Blyleven thinks little of drugs, pitch count. That was where I learned to throw and control the pitch.. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. OK, now lets figure out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his actual RA/9IP and his actual run support. Possessing both a screwball and a curveball to go with a deceptive palmball, Cuellar was nearly untouchable in the prime of his career. So while the Sept. 22, 1977, contest wasn't a home game for Blyleven's Texas Rangers, it felt like it for Blyleven - who celebrated by pitching a no-hitter. Francisco, come up here. Bert Blyleven's curveball is his claim to fame - Twin Cities 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. "It was an off year for ties," says Blyleven. 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. He pitched for the MLB All-Stars in the 1993 World Port Tournament in Rotterdam. See details. 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. Fine pitchers, but a definite step down from what had come before. He was drafted straight out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the third round in 1969. None spent as many years as low on BBWAA ballots as Blyleven. One of seven children, Bert grew up in Garden Grove as American as, well, Dutch apple pie. Blyleven no-hits Angels in homecoming | Baseball Hall of Fame "Bert got six of mine last year," says DiBiasio. I just wish we had more fans. 1979 - Blyleven goes 12-5 on 37 starts and the Pirates win the World Series. 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. Just take a look at who emerged in baseball from 1959 to 1970. 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. See all categories. I'm thrilled to see Blyleven in the HOF. Blyleven's display includes his one no-hitter (win No. He must have had terrible run support. June 14, 1985: Bert Blyleven achieves a career milestone as he collects his 200th career win, defeating the A's, 6-1. ", Not only does Blyleven pitch for the Indians, he actually likes being an Indian. The Orioles legend has four 20-win seasons, a World Series title and a Cy Young Award to his name. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) "I always played for my island," Alomar said in his induction speech. So how many wins did Blyleven lose solely due to his run support? Now, in the previous paragraph there are three things going on: 1) Blylevens RA/9IP, 2) his run support, and 3) well, a third factor thats hard to define. by Retrosheet. Blyleven recorded 3,701 career strikeouts, the fifth-most in MLB history. This led to a fundraising campaign with the Parkinson's Foundation and a sponsorship with the Minnesota Lottery. [2] From 1996 to 2020, he was a color analyst for Minnesota Twins television broadcasts.[3]. The Blyleven tribe includes Kimberly, 10; wife Patty; Timothy, 3; Bert; Todd, 12; and Thomas, 17 months. 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. Says Roy Smith, a rookie pitcher who dressed next to Blyleven last season, "Because his stuff is so good, it really doesn't do me any good to ask him what he throws to certain hitters. Camilo Pascual threw only two pitches, his fastball and his nasty overhand curveball, so as one can imagine those pitches were dominant. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011 . A Tom Murphy autographed glove. 1971 TOPPS # 26 BERT BLYLEVEN NICE CARD. 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. 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). 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). 2001 Major League Baseball contraction plan, 1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase, The last night of the New York Yankees dynasty (2001), Chicago Cubs end the Billy Goat curse (2016), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bert_Blyleven&oldid=1142574454, American expatriate baseball players in Canada, Major League Baseball players from the Netherlands, Major League Baseball players with retired numbers, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, October 4,1992,for theCalifornia Angels, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 05:13. Bert Blyleven was a big part of that championship season and went 1-1 in the World Series. He blanked Milwaukee on four hits in his first start, followed by a three-hit shutout at Kansas City five days later.