Former Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven on 1987 World Series, today's game one base to another, like Home To First. Baseball-Reference.com provided the stats. June 14, 1985: Bert Blyleven achieves a career milestone as he collects his 200th career win, defeating the A's, 6-1. Things went so sour in Minnesota that in Blyleven's last game as a Twin, some fans serenaded him with "Goodby, Bert, we're glad to see you go." [2] From 1996 to 2020, he was a color analyst for Minnesota Twins television broadcasts.[3]. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. play. 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. That way I know he won't lose it on me like he did that one time. "Here's something special. 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. ". The one who didn't give up on him was Jesse Flores Sr. of Minnesota, and the Twins made Blyleven their third pick that June. "With his hands and wrist, he could throw that damn thing without any seams and it would curve," says Corrales. I practiced it by myself. But since no one close to 280 wins showed up after Blyleven, it helped him rise up over the years. He always goes out and buys me a new one. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. I remember talking to scout Jesse Flores and Ed Roebuck, the pitcher, about the rotation. Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." Yeah, over his career. 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. In 2007, Blyleven's total dipped to 47.7% (75% is the minimum required for admission to the Hall). 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. 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. In fact, he never came close. 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. He really helped the 1976 Rangers make a run for the pennant. Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. 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. Bah! 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. His miniature car is a favorite. 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. 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. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. But those were entire careers. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment. He's also not afraid to throw inside to a hitter. But thats the problem, you had to go way back. Essentially a two-pitch hurler (curveball and fastball) thus far in his career, Blyleven developed an offspeed pitch during spring training in 1971, and the results were immediate. That means isolating it. He tried out for the Twins again in the spring of 1993, but did not make the squad, which made his retirement official. Tanner is almost universally beloved, so Blyleven came out as the bad guy in Pittsburgh, especially after Tanner called him "Cryleven." Ten years ago he took Twins owner Calvin Griffith to arbitration, and Griffith screamed. The Baseball Analysts: The Case for Bert Blyleven: A Late Convert Joins But bleep them. 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. Last year he had 19 wins, seven losses and a dozen ties. Those who throw it refer to it as The Hammer, The Yakker, even Public Enemy No. 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. You don't need this. 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. This is Anthony's first time on a golf course in 10 years, and second time ever. background-image:unset; Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. If anyones curious, heres a list of the most 1-0 CG SHO for post-Walter Johnson pitchers: Nice lead for Blyleven. 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.". Thats doesnt sould too bad. ", Last year Blyleven was 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA against the American League West champion Royals. His 20 no decisions in 1979 are the most by an MLB starting pitcher in a season, dating back to at least 1908.[13]. 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). Blyleven set the record that still stands with 50 gopher balls in 1986, and then topped the league again with 46 in 1987. He also won a World Series in 1979 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The curveball of the '50s belonged to Camilio Pascual. According to baseball-reference Cy Young won 195 games befroe his age 30 season. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. Most people familiar with Blyleven's case for the HOF know that he stands fifth all-time in strikeouts. "It was an off year for ties," says Blyleven. He argued vehemently with the official scorer and later phoned the league office when outfielder George Vukovich wasn't given an error on a play on which two earned runs scored. Only two of them won 30 games after their age 30 seasonJim Palmer and Bob Fellerand none did it after age 32. 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. Julio Franco, who had been arrested the previous winter for possession of a gun without a permit, received a toy pistol. But he did. 16, worn by Ron Theobald. After I ran off the mound, I looked over at the St. Louis' dugout. Blyleven missed the entire 1991 season following rotator cuff surgery. I know this sounds terrible, but who does Bert pitch for these days?". Now look at Blylevens careerpitching in tough spots wasnt his problem. It gives the opposition fits when thrown properly. Theres a better factoid, though: Blyleven won 15 different 1-0 complete games, more than anyone else since Walter Johnson. "One curve I'll always remember was when I was pitching for Pittsburgh, Blyleven once recalled. "We left one month-old piece in there, and I think Chris ate it." "I would like to say to my family, to my fans, to all the Puerto Rican people and . The left-hander won over 200 games and struck out over 2,500 batters in his 18-year MLB career. "I have to say this for him, though. Mike Jeffcoat. 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ After all, 17 wins in eight years is a lot. Well, its that murky third factorthe luck/pitch-to-the-score/sunspots one. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed Blyleven made his major league debut at age 19 for the Twins. Blyleven got so upset with his role in Pittsburgh that he walked out on the Pirates for 10 days early in 1980. Possessing both a screwball and a curveball to go with a deceptive palmball, Cuellar was nearly untouchable in the prime of his career. Maglie's numbers are not overly impressive due to his stint in the Mexican League that got him banned from Major League Baseball. }, Cronkite School at ASU All Rights Reserved. From 1970-77, Blyleven went 122-113 despite an ERA+ of 134. In 1973, he pitched nine shutouts, the most of any AL pitcher that season. Position: Starting Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-3, 200lb (190cm, 90kg) . Bert Blyleven - Wikipedia Blyleven has ridden the curve to a career ERA of 3.00. He has all the stats of a potential Hall of Famer. Brett Butler was presented with an autographed picture of his favorite soap opera star. 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. He's now 200-173. The difference between the two projections should be what his run support cost him. And now he has a little more command. The question arose: Is there any way to adjust his W-L record by his run support? A dozen of his 1-0 complete game shutouts came from 1970-77. "I visualized the dropping motion.". http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/, interesting article. Stop asking old baseball players about the game - Sports Illustrated Like the first time, it doesn't go well, as he allows two runs in two innings and the NL wins, 6-1. Now, does that really seem like an answer to the question of run support? 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. 10 things I didn't know about Bert Blyleven | The Hardball Times [18] He returned in his role for 2013 and 2017.[2]. On a recent afternoon Blyleven went to see Todd play basketball for his seventh-grade team. "Then we'd sneak down into the dugouts and grab whatever we couldresin bags and broken bats. One fan posted, "Pete Rose in the Phillies booth "he threw a c**k high fastball". They had a profound disagreement over how often Blyleven should pitch; he wanted to go every fourth game, and Tanner gave him the ball every fifth. 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. Koufax combined his rising fast ball with an overhand 12-6 curveball that embarrassed hitters. A Pirate fan friend named Mike Emeigh told me about Blylevens early-1980 walkout. No one had much success with Blylevens curveball, in part because he had complete control over it. Blyleven appeared as himself in the 1990 James Belushi film Taking Care of Business. The Twins ran short of pitching early, the crusher coming on June 1, when Luis Tiant was put on the disabled list. "But if you had to have one pitcher to beat us, Blyleven would be the choice. "Bob Boone is building a house over there, Enos Cabell lives in those hills." Monte tried to throw a curve, and something in his elbow snapped. Blyleven's display includes his one no-hitter (win No. "I told our third baseman, Steve Braun, to watch for a bunt," says Blyleven, "but Spanky laid a perfect one down. 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! pitch. Corrales feels the secret of Blyleven's curve is not in the grip but in his big, strong hands. The kids see how hard he works. The only thing Blyleven hates more than pitch counts is the use of . Blyleven also won so many games because he was a great workhorse. His answer told you all you need to know about the major-league curveball: Dont bother. Blyleven went to the California Angels in 1989 and pitched a 2.73 ERA for a 17-5 record in his first season, but he missed the entire 1991 season following rotator cuff surgery. Collectibles; Books & Magazines; Entertainment Memorabilia; Cell Phones . Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. So close he might hang for No. In those years he was 59-66 (.472) at the break and 53-38 (.582) afterwards. A curveball can also be thrown with some velocity in an attempt jam a hitter. produces a result. (Also, Dean Chance? of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff He made his debut on June 5, 1970 playing for the Minnesota Twins as a pitcher. Kid Nichols is the all-time champ. In between, while a Pirate in 1980, Blyleven jumped the team in midseason, flying to his home in California and demanding a trade. 28, "Longtime Twins broadcaster Bert Blyleven hangs up the mic", June 2, 1976: Minneapolis Tribune column on Blyleven's trade to Texas Rangers. and 32 degrees. Paige has a unique ability to blow hitters away and come right back and make them look foolish. There's the looping 12-6 curveball, which drops off the table just as the hitter thinks he has a read on it. 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. It was this way when hitters faced Blyleven, as former San Diego catcher Terry Kennedy can attest. Everything keyed off the fastball, but I could throw it at any time in the count, 3-2, bases loaded, I could throw it and throw it where I wanted, he said. Blyleven has reigned as the curveball champion longer than either Pascual or Koufax. . Hey, these names might not seem too important now, but someday. Do I hear $2? Autographed in English. coach who was Blyleven's manager in Cleveland for half a season, "He should win 30 games with the stuff he's got. I have some sympathy for that approach, but ultimately remain agnostic. 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. 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. Shipping speed. He currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida. I still kid him about it.". 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).. Contact SABR, LnRiLWhlYWRpbmcuaGFzLWJhY2tncm91bmR7cGFkZGluZzowfQ==, LnRiLWZpZWxke21hcmdpbi1ib3R0b206MC43NmVtfS50Yi1maWVsZC0tbGVmdHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOmxlZnR9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1jZW50ZXJ7dGV4dC1hbGlnbjpjZW50ZXJ9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1yaWdodHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOnJpZ2h0fS50Yi1maWVsZF9fc2t5cGVfcHJldmlld3twYWRkaW5nOjEwcHggMjBweDtib3JkZXItcmFkaXVzOjNweDtjb2xvcjojZmZmO2JhY2tncm91bmQ6IzAwYWZlZTtkaXNwbGF5OmlubGluZS1ibG9ja311bC5nbGlkZV9fc2xpZGVze21hcmdpbjowfQ==, 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, https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/Blyleven-Bert.png, /wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sabr_logo.png, an eight-hit, complete-game victory, 7-1, on October 5. [27], On September 2, 2020, Blyleven broadcast his final game for the Twins.[28]. "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. All rights reserved. That game happened to feature a. During his time with the Angels, the fire extinguisher in the team's clubhouse at Angel Stadium read: "In case of Blyleven: Pull". July 16, 1985: For the second time Blyleven pitches in an All-Star Game. One of seven children, Bert grew up in Garden Grove as American as, well, Dutch apple pie. The lone hit in that game was a bunt single by slow-footed Ed Kirkpatrick in the fifth inning. Id say 95 percent of that mysterious third element is luck, but does that mean its never anything else? Looking it up, in his 37 starts, the Twins scored 151 runs, 4.1/game. Free shipping for many products! About 10 years ago, there was a debate at the late, great Rob Neyer Message Board about Blylevens Hall of Fame chances. Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven, who happened to be pitching coach for the Netherlands, didn't like what he saw during his team's loss to Puerto Rico. Blyleven, who has a seven handicap, is teamed with a couple of Cadillac dealers and an attorney, a zany Mormon named Tom Anthony. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. by Handedness, 10 things I didnt know about Bert Blyleven, http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/. A 1971 Milwaukee Brewers uniform, No. His run support wasnt that good every year, but by and large it was better than I wouldve guessed. "I open the bidding at $200. 1997 Fleer Star Stickers Baseball #10 - Bert Blyleven - Minnesota Twins Prospectus Q&A: Bert Blyleven - Baseball Prospectus Escape Velocity takes the average of a player's batted ball velocities subtracted from 88. 19 7-4 over the Twins on the last day of the season. It's hard to say anything based on one game, but he looks like he's got a great future ahead of him.". xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will He blanked Milwaukee on four hits in his first start, followed by a three-hit shutout at Kansas City five days later. Only nine? Blyleven has always had trouble with his name. "I know that stuff sounds silly," says Smith. You've got work to do. Angels pitcher Bert Blyleven throws a pitch during a game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 3, 1990 . In Texas, Blyleven got blamed for something he never did. Blyleven started the season in Triple A. 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. Take his 1974 season, when he went 17-17 despite a tremendous ERA+ of 142. How to separate run support from that murky third factor?