Blyleven recorded 3,701 career strikeouts, the fifth-most in MLB history. He didnt allowed more than 24 in any other season. Terry Kennedy was a young player with St. Louis. It has also appeared as Ricalbert and Ribalbert. This is a free article. Stand behind a tree 60 feet away and Ill whomp you with an optical illusion, challenged Dizzy Dean. Cleveland president Gabe Paul said, "Bert Blyleven isn't going anywhere. Nicknamed "the Barber," Sal Maglie commanded the corners of the plate as well as any pitcher in the history of baseball. I wanted 300 wins, 5,000 innings, and 4,000 strikeouts, he admits, but after shoulder surgery in spring training in 1993, I would pitch four or five innings and my body would say no more. Dad was made the timekeeper, and with a little creative use of the stopwatch he saw to it that his son's team got off the last shot at the end of each quarter, which was only fair because the referee was the father of a player on the opposing team. US $3.00Standard Shipping. Many new voters had entered the mix, and old ones passed on. Who? Camilo Pascual threw only two pitches, his fastball and his nasty overhand curveball, so as one can imagine those pitches were dominant. Popular categories from this store. Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. "My friends and I used to wait until they turned the lights out in the park," he says. "O.K., we've got a golf bag and a dozen balls. His heart is invariably in the right placeit's just that his foot sometimes ends up in his mouth. Jerry Willard. At least his induction might open the door for more worthy candidates, certainly Jimm Kaat is this mans superior as an MLB pitcher. Not many of these around. Sold for $200. Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." He also won a World Series in 1979 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. player has saved over his peers. "It was the worst time I've ever had in baseball," he says. Id say 95 percent of that mysterious third element is luck, but does that mean its never anything else? He won 287 games, 27th-most all-time, and pitched 4,970 innings, 14th-most all-time. There is some argument as to whether Candy Cummings or Fred Goldsmith invented the curveball, but there is no argument about this: Bert Blyleven perfected it and rode it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bert Blyleven was a big part of that championship season and went 1-1 in the World Series. So how does he earn a spot on this list? Blyleven was happy to oblige. The Pirates won by the same score in Game 5 of the World Series, as Blyleven earned the decision with four shutout innings of relief. Yeah, over his career. Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? 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. outfield. No one had much success with Blylevens curveball, in part because he had complete control over it. Bert was a terrific pitchera dominating pitcher. Blyleven started the season in Triple A. ". He keeps a collection of baseball memorabilia in his study. Hey, wait a minute, Francisco, where are you going? [18] He returned in his role for 2013 and 2017.[2]. 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). The Hulk, whose wife wonders where the galleries are, quits after two holes because his shoes are wet. He's also not afraid to throw inside to a hitter. Again last season he got embroiled in a couple of controversies. His career was put on hold by a stint with the United States Armed Forces. 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". [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. Fortunately for him, life wasnt going to throw him that curve, and he now has his place in history. 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. From 1984-89, he went 95-71 with a 115 ERA+. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. Ted Williams called Pascual's curveball the "most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years. Free shipping for many products! He's fifth on the active list in shutouts, sixth in strikeouts, eighth in victories and eighth in innings pitched. So it seems only fitting that Blyleven is something of a yakker. You've got work to do. In his first season, his sharp curveball helped him to ten victories, and he was named AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News. 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. 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.". His miniature car is a favorite. "Somebody had a sign that read, 'We drove 660 miles from Detroit Lakes,' I . An inveterate practical joker, Blyleven likes to snip cravats. He came back in 1992 but was mostly unproductive, going 812 with a 4.74 ERA. He played three seasons for the California Angels before retiring. Bert Blyleven addresses the ball. 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). 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. In the world of baseballan image comes to mind here of a white planet with red seams and American League president Bobby Brown's signature on itlabels are very easy to put on and very hard to take off. I have to ask him, 'Bert, what would you throw if you had my stuff?' 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. Francisco the busboy? Poor Terry. Especially back in those days, a pitchers win-loss record really mattered. Hmmm, no cork in it. "An autographed picture of Fernando Valenzuela. Or 40 percent. Maglie's numbers are not overly impressive due to his stint in the Mexican League that got him banned from Major League Baseball. Sold to me for $25. If you went back further, you could find guys whod risen up: Billy Williams, Luis Aparicio, Bob Lemon. This was especially pronounced in his first seven full seasons, 1971-77, when he was in his prime. "Then we'd sneak down into the dugouts and grab whatever we couldresin bags and broken bats. And let's not forget the classic knee-buckling curveball that has made countless hitters look foolish. and 32 degrees. He won fewer games than he should have, right? Koosman's catcher in his Mets days, J.C. Martin, once said that Koosman could throw his 11-5 curveball "any time.". "Bert got six of mine last year," says DiBiasio. Enough to make your knees buckle. 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. 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. Blyleven has reigned as the curveball champion longer than either Pascual or Koufax. It's like the fellow at the golf tournament said. So did Steve Busby, Jeff Conine, Bill Singer, John Smiley, and Ron Fairly. He can't speak Dutch, but to this day he still understands a little of it. There are 16 names, but only one 300-game winner. He got him to fly out. He knows how to pitch. Position: Starting Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-3, 200lb (190cm, 90kg) . The lone hit in that game was a bunt single by slow-footed Ed Kirkpatrick in the fifth inning. How much did this cost him? When you cant lift your arm for two days after throwing, you cant do any more.. He's referring to neckties. Paige has a unique ability to blow hitters away and come right back and make them look foolish. 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. Maye hit it out of the park. This past baseball season he merely cut up American League batters, finishing as the third-leading vote getter in the Cy Young Award balloting, behind relievers Willie Hernandez and Dan Quisenberry. 16, worn by Ron Theobald. I was a kid listening on the radio when Blyleven was in his short stint with the Rangers, and I loved his confidence in throwing that curve when everyone in the stadium and listening on the radio knew what was coming. Most people familiar with Blyleven's case for the HOF know that he stands fifth all-time in strikeouts. At 6 feet 3 inches, with long arms and large hands, he throws. Blyleven, 38, has won 271 major league games with one of baseball's best curves and a variety of offspeed pitches. The worst election by any of 20 guys who had gone on to election was one time Tony Perez finished exactly one vote shy of 50 percent. "Bob Boone is building a house over there, Enos Cabell lives in those hills." Blyleven, who has a seven handicap, is teamed with a couple of Cadillac dealers and an attorney, a zany Mormon named Tom Anthony. I remember talking to scout Jesse Flores and Ed Roebuck, the pitcher, about the rotation. Corrales feels the secret of Blyleven's curve is not in the grip but in his big, strong hands. (Thanks, Ron, wherever you are.) 30 day returns. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from "You know, from sticking our fingers in the dikes. But he did. 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. One fan posted, "Pete Rose in the Phillies booth "he threw a c**k high fastball". 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 thrown with. Spanky, we love you.". He currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida. Then theres the guy with six straight 20-win seasons (Fergie Jenkins) and the pitcher with eight 20-win seasons (Jim Palmer). one base to another, like Home To First. Even Hall of Fame players marveled at Blylevens curve. Call it sunspots for all I care, it ain't run support. All Rights Reserved. ++ (FREE SHIPPING) at the best online prices at eBay! Others will call it pitching to the score. Blyleven got so upset with his role in Pittsburgh that he walked out on the Pirates for 10 days early in 1980. ", Not only does Blyleven pitch for the Indians, he actually likes being an Indian. Richie, you don't even exercise. "Aw bleep, that was for him [Griffith] and his family." "It finally ended when I was out in the back of the house, pulling weeds. For instance, he referred to Paul and Phil Seghi, the Indians' general manager, as "two old men sitting up in the booth playing checkers." "I visualized the dropping motion.". If you think you just heard some big names, listen to these. 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. And then when everybody was gone, we'd go out to the mound and make believe. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. "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. 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. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff 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. 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. ", Last year Blyleven was 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA against the American League West champion Royals. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. "[19], By 2006, his total had increased to 53.33%. For years he thought his first name was Rikaalbert. Julio Franco, who had been arrested the previous winter for possession of a gun without a permit, received a toy pistol. 1.18 ERA 184 Fastball Speed 165 Regular Speed 160 Slowball Speed 10 Left Curve 6 Right Curve 9 Drop Rating 54 Endurance Bio Born Rik Aalbert Blyleven on April 6, 1951 in Zeist, Holland. ", Royals manager Dick Howser is also a Blyleven fan. "Here's a ball autographed by the 1957 Milwaukee Braves. In Texas, Blyleven got blamed for something he never did. At that time only 15 to 20 percent of the electorate supported him. He's being serious, although whimsy soon bubbles to the surface. 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. The Orioles legend has four 20-win seasons, a World Series title and a Cy Young Award to his name. 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. 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. In fact, he never came close. On a recent afternoon Blyleven went to see Todd play basketball for his seventh-grade team. Blyleven wanted $85,000, which seems like a piddling sum now, and the Twins were offering $65,000. 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. Blyleven has often been labeled a troublemaker. From a Cooperstown point of view, the debate is semantics. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Blyleven had his problems from 1982 to early 1984, but he recovered, aging better than anyone not named Maddux on that list. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed Despite winning 17 fewer games than he should have in his pre-Pittsburgh years, Blyleven can still claim to be one of only 16 men in the liveball era to win 150 games before turning 30. He pitched a no-hitter, was chosen to a pair of All-Star teams and also won two World Series Championships. Given another five years of success, Blyleven will have Hall of Fame credentials. (Also, Dean Chance? Now, does that really seem like an answer to the question of run support? It's also nice of Blyleven to host this tournament. 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. During the winter there are many of these Monday events in the Los Angeles area. 300. Calico Jack (Suwinski) is Back for the Attack. In between, while a Pirate in 1980, Blyleven jumped the team in midseason, flying to his home in California and demanding a trade. ", Blyleven raises every bid, and, finally, he says, "Sold to me. he asks. I'm thrilled to see Blyleven in the HOF. [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. 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. Blyleven, 33, is such a cutup, in fact, that he recently cut off his five-year-old beard. Free local pickup from Brooklyn, New York, United States. Even the guys who didnt completely implode aged poorly. 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. Take his 1974 season, when he went 17-17 despite a tremendous ERA+ of 142. For two years we paid him a good salary, and he did nothing because he was hurt. "I just don't think he knew how to use me." He was 17-5 for the Angels last season, allowing only 14 home runs. 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) Only 16 other pitchers have at least 3,000 career strikeouts. 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). No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. He has had only one 20-win season, in 1973, the first year of the DH, when 12 American League pitchers won 20 or more. What we're talking about here is a humongous stuffed panda, and he's auctioning off the bear at the banquet. Actually, Blyleven was suffering from a groin pull and eventually took himself out of the game. Finally we'd make like we were playing the outfield and jump over the fence in left.". Like the first time, it doesn't go well, as he allows two runs in two innings and the NL wins, 6-1. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. 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. Blyleven was quoted as saying, "My dad built me a mound in the backyard with a canvas backdrop over our horseshoe pits, and I would go back there and just throw and throw and throw until I developed it, and it became my curveball. At which point Richie Scheinblum yells across the room to his wife, "We already have a Koufax ball!" Look at Blyleven in that 1974 campaign. Stanky quit on his own. I've had a nice life since, and tried my best never to look back. As a player, Blyleven did not have the best reputation. And those TWENTY no-decisions on the WORLD CHAMPION Pittsburgh Pirates are probably a record of sorts. Even though he put more miles on his arm in his 20s then nearly all of them, he kept on going. About 10 years ago, there was a debate at the late, great Rob Neyer Message Board about Blylevens Hall of Fame chances. Bert Blyleven, in August of 1986, pitching with the Minnesota Twins against the Angels. None spent as many years as low on BBWAA ballots as Blyleven. 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. 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. Steve Farr. The team finishes at 3-under and out of hunt. Richie Scheinblum? The third pitch was a hard check swing. "Bert's always doing things for people," he says. 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. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. When The Chicken brought his act to Cleveland, pitchers (from left) Ernie Camacho, Blyleven, Luis Aponte and Mike Jeffcoat were his plucky backups. This led to a fundraising campaign with the Parkinson's Foundation and a sponsorship with the Minnesota Lottery. I know this sounds terrible, but who does Bert pitch for these days?". 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. How hard, in miles per hour, a pitch is thrown. You have a half-dozen 300 game winnersGaylord Perry, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver. He also has balls from his 14 complete-game 1-0 victories, which put him third on the alltime list, tied with Christy Mathewson, behind Walter Johnson (an uncatchable 38) and Grover Cleveland Alexander (17). I checked all pitchers with at least 25 SHO from 1920-2011. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. 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 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. So you know: later this week as induction day nears, Ill have a Bert Blyleven career highlights piece up at THT Live. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. When I first discovered Retrosheet eons ago, the first thing I wanted to do was look at Blylevens run support. Roberto Alomar, Pat Gillick and Bert Blyleven on stage during a press conference during the 2011 Hall of Fame Weekend. 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. Blyleven also won so many games because he was a great workhorse. The difference between the two projections should be what his run support cost him. I have some sympathy for that approach, but ultimately remain agnostic. CLEVELAND'S NETHERLANDS-BORN STAR, PITCHER BERT BLYLEVEN, PUTS HIS PEDAL TO THE METAL ON THE FIELD AND OFF Steve Wulf TABLE OF CONTENTS ORIGINAL LAYOUT Bert Blyleven addresses the ball.. "I think the world of Chuck Tanner," says Blyleven now. Blyleven set the record that still stands with 50 gopher balls in 1986, and then topped the league again with 46 in 1987. No player who had debuted on the ballot since 1970 had a vote total that low and later won election to the Hall. Ten years ago he took Twins owner Calvin Griffith to arbitration, and Griffith screamed. A doting daddy, Blyleven likes to spend time with his sons Timothy (above) and Thomas. He throws it a little differently than most pitchers, holding the ball so that every finger except his pinky is touching a seam. He wound up completing 242 games and throwing 60 shutouts, the two numbers of which he is most proud. The answer is 11. "Brought it in from Cleveland," comes the host's reply. 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. Heres how it looks year-by-year, and again, this is based on his real run support and RA/9IP: Recording 17 fewer wins than expected is historically bad. Blyleven, like so many Hall of Fame players, was driven to succeed. "Thanks everyone for coming, and good night. And once he came up, he stuck around. However, the velocity on his fastball adding to the effectiveness of his curveball. 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. This list is composed based not just on the nastiness of the curveball but also on how effectively it was used along with the pitcher's other weapons. He still he ranks fifth all-time in that department. 5.0. But thats the problem, you had to go way back. But the injuries may have been a blessing in disguise, because they made him a better pitcher. "But I'll be grateful to him for one thing in particular. Only nine? But bleep them. If you had to pick one starting pitcher to serve as in/out line for induction, Id go with Stan Coveleski. Blyleven was recently inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame after recording over 3,700 strikeouts in his career.