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. 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. Position: Starting Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-3, 200lb (190cm, 90kg) . 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. He currently ranks 5th all-time in strikeouts, 9th all-time in shutouts, and 27th all-time in wins. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the The left-hander won over 200 games and struck out over 2,500 batters in his 18-year MLB career. "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. This year he is 4-6, with a 2.97 ERA. "Golf is my life," Anthony keeps saying. become a hit. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. His heart is invariably in the right placeit's just that his foot sometimes ends up in his mouth. A Tom Murphy autographed glove. With the power of the internet, Lederers persistenceand, oh yeah, Blylevens own solid casehell have a nice weekend in upstate New York this 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. Or 40 percent. Communication. If he underachieved because of his own personal failings, then why was he so successful when things entirely depended on him? 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. He must have had terrible run support. From the moment he came to the major leagues, as a 19-year-old with the Minnesota Twins in 1970, he has been considered a great talent. 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. 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. Sold to me for $25. He's being serious, although whimsy soon bubbles to the surface. Other; Seller feedback (2,522,561) s***c (1508 . He won fewer games than he should have, right? Monte tried to throw a curve, and something in his elbow snapped. It's hard to say anything based on one game, but he looks like he's got a great future ahead of him.". [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. His miniature car is a favorite. [1] He serves as the pitching coach for the Netherlands national baseball team, having done so in the 2009, 2013 and 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classic. Yes, he rubbed up his hands, went down for the bat, and it wasn't there!". Nolan Ryan is widely considered one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball. Of course, that might be half-baked psychoanalysis, but it does make one wonder. Hes going in. No one had much success with Blylevens curveball, in part because he had complete control over it. Mike Jeffcoat. Collectibles; Books & Magazines; Entertainment Memorabilia; Cell Phones . Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. If I see anymore, I'll fall in love." Bert Blyleven Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | MLB.com A doting daddy, Blyleven likes to spend time with his sons Timothy (above) and Thomas. I assumed Blyleven had no chance with the current BBWAA. 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. BASEBALL'S DUTCH TREAT - Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com That means isolating it. In 22 seasons, Blyleven had more than 3,700 career strikeouts, including more than 2,000 of those in 11 seasons with the Twins. He began teaching the pitch to himself, learning to throw a drop in junior high. Koosman was also an crucial piece to the Mets improbable World Series Championship in 1969. I have to ask him, 'Bert, what would you throw if you had my stuff?' So did Steve Busby, Jeff Conine, Bill Singer, John Smiley, and Ron Fairly. Bert Blyleven - Society for American Baseball Research 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. In Blyleven's first spring training with the Twins, manager Bill Rigney watched him throw batting practice and yelled to his pitching coach, Marv Grissom, "Get him out of there. "O.K., we've got a golf bag and a dozen balls. The Rangers received Al Oliver and Nelson Norman from the Pirates and Jon Matlack from the Mets. This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. It's one of the hardest things in sports to execute. (Lou Sauritch/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) Shop 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". Koosman's catcher in his Mets days, J.C. Martin, once said that Koosman could throw his 11-5 curveball "any time.". "I know Ed thinks the world of him.". After I ran off the mound, I looked over at the St. Louis' dugout. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven had the tightest rotation and velocity combination," Schmidt was quoted as saying in a recent Associated Press story. 1973 Topps Set-Break #199 Bert Blyleven EX-EXMINT *GMCARDS* Do I hear $275? If anyones curious, heres a list of the most 1-0 CG SHO for post-Walter Johnson pitchers: Nice lead for Blyleven. All Rights Reserved. He would continue to play for six different teams for the next 22 years . I bid $250. A renowned curveball pitcher, Blyleven was also a two-time All-Star and World Series champion. I have some sympathy for that approach, but ultimately remain agnostic. "And here's a ball signed by the 1984 Cleveland Indians. produces a result. as Active Spin. Go figure. 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). Blyleven has a memento from each of his teams, a ball for every win and a replica of the 1979 Series trophy. The Pirates also acquired John Milner from the Mets. This is a free article. The curve ball was something to behold, but the argument that a guy belongs because of the aesthetics of a pitch's arc is simply ridiculous. Just take a look at who emerged in baseball from 1959 to 1970. i surely did my campaigning for blyleven too back in the day. 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. "He's a great guy," says Judy Kirkpatrick. Friendship may be the tie that binds Blyleven and Scheinblum, but occasionally Bert can get snippy. ", Blyleven raises every bid, and, finally, he says, "Sold to me. [9], Following an incident in which Blyleven blatantly gave the finger to a television camera obviously focused on him during one of the Rangers' rare nationally broadcast games,[10] he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first four-team blockbuster deal in Major League Baseball history on December 8, 1977, that also involved the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and a total of 11 players changing teams. 1996-2023 DIY Baseball LLC All Rights Reserved. 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. In 2008, he received 336 votes, or 61.9% of the vote. [18] He returned in his role for 2013 and 2017.[2]. No player who had debuted on the ballot since 1970 had a vote total that low and later won election to the Hall. 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).. There are 16 names, but only one 300-game winner. The Pitching Prime of Bert Blyleven of Indians 1 fairway at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Blyleven said the Twins then played on the road in Detroit and there was a Twins fan with a sign, asking to be circled. the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the Blyleven appeared as himself in the 1990 James Belushi film Taking Care of Business. 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). 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. Hey, wait a minute, Francisco, where are you going? For $675.". A .264 career batter, Kennedy hit .120 in 25 at bats against Blyleven, collecting three hits while striking out five times. attempt. I checked all pitchers with at least 25 SHO from 1920-2011. Uh, okay, Dean Chance). 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. That game happened to feature a. Blyleven married Patricia Ann Whitehead, a friend from high school, during his second season in the majors, and they have raised a happy family. He made his debut on June 5, 1970 playing for the Minnesota Twins as a pitcher. Again last season he got embroiled in a couple of controversies. 4.9. Blyleven is the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the NLCS and Game 5 (pitching in relief) of the World Series. How is a batter supposed to hit a curveball when he constantly has to be ready for the 100 mile per hour heater? His fastball overpowered hitters and was clearly the pitch he relied on most heavily. They just started throwing me the curveball.. 1979 - Blyleven goes 12-5 on 37 starts and the Pirates win the World Series. He's fifth on the active list in shutouts, sixth in strikeouts, eighth in victories and eighth in innings pitched. Of course, it's never as nice as the one he cut.". See all categories. 300. Bert Blyleven: Pitching History and The Hall of Fame Free shipping for many products! Blyleven no-hits Angels in homecoming | Baseball Hall of Fame window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. Francisco, come up here. 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. He responded with a flippant gesture. He never surrendered more than 24 home runs in any year before, and after the 198687 campaigns, he averaged 21 allowed homers per season over the course of his career. 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. 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. Here you go. My dad built a mound in the backyard and had a canvas hung behind a horseshoe pit. Blyleven no-hits Angels in homecoming | Baseball Hall of Fame ", In a list full of "Uncle Charlies" (a common nickname for a curveball), Doc Gooden's deuce is "Lord Charles.". ", During a lull at the banquet, Scheinblum talks about Blyleven. 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 . 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. It wasn't until he got married in 1971 that he noticed on his birth certificate that he's really Rik Aalbert. Blyleven is well above the Coveleski line, regardless of how you slice his record. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. Patty came out and said, 'Don't you think you should go back?' He retired following that season with a career 287250 record with 3,701 strikeouts and a 3.31 ERA. 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.". Terry Kennedy was a young player with St. Louis. He earned the moniker "Frying Dutchman" by frequently setting fire to his teammates' shoelaces, a practical joke known as a "hot foot". (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) "I always played for my island," Alomar said in his induction speech. 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. But nobody really cared. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed When I first discovered Retrosheet eons ago, the first thing I wanted to do was look at Blylevens run support. "We have those long, strong fingers," he says. Blyleven started the season in Triple A. And now he has a little more command. "I visualized the dropping motion.". His run support wasnt that good every year, but by and large it was better than I wouldve guessed. But Blyleven is still a big kid at heart. Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, a municipality in Utrecht, Netherlands, the son of Johannes Cornelius and Jannigje Blijleven. "Bert got six of mine last year," says DiBiasio. Bert Blyleven addresses the ball. 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. During his time with the Angels, the fire extinguisher in the team's clubhouse at Angel Stadium read: "In case of Blyleven: Pull". Blyleven became the first Dutch-born player to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.