But he's not a bad guy. Yet last year was the first time he ever got a vote for the Cy Young Award. OK, now lets figure out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his actual RA/9IP and his actual run support. Phoenix, AZ 85004 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. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will Free shipping for many products! In between, while a Pirate in 1980, Blyleven jumped the team in midseason, flying to his home in California and demanding a trade. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Blyleven's curve breaks so quickly and so far that some batters swear they can hear it change direction. Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011 . 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 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. Brett Butler was presented with an autographed picture of his favorite soap opera star. shouts someone from a passing golf cart. How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a "Brought it in from Cleveland," comes the host's reply. Blyleven missed the entire 1991 season following rotator cuff surgery. Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven had the tightest rotation and velocity combination," Schmidt was quoted as saying in a recent Associated Press story. Blyleven set the record that still stands with 50 gopher balls in 1986, and then topped the league again with 46 in 1987. 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. 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. It showed that of the last 20 guys elected to Cooperstown by the BBWAA (as of then), none had ever received 20 percent or lower of the vote in any election they were up for. And I could throw it over at any time, any count."[6]. Bert knew what had happened right away and got Monte's elbow in a bucket of ice. Blyleven rounded up the usual suspects, most of them baseball names past and present: Scheinblum, Dan Petry, Ed Roebuck, Enos Cabell, Norm and Larry Sherry, Rick Rhoden, Ken McMullen, Buck Rodgers, Jim Colborn, Bruce Kison, Tom Murphy, Tom Brunansky, Dee Fondy, Jim Slaton, Gary Sutherland, Matt Young, Ed Crosby, Tim Leary, Tom Morgansorry, it's just that some people like to see baseball cards come to life. Spanky, we love you.". 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. Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. But the injuries may have been a blessing in disguise, because they made him a better pitcher. Those stats hit me in the face. How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out Call it sunspots for all I care, it ain't run support. Blyleven, 33, is such a cutup, in fact, that he recently cut off his five-year-old beard. "I just don't think he knew how to use me." 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. He chatted up all the passing foursomes and made sure the volunteer marshals switched holes so they wouldn't get bored. Do we have $225? Blyleven mingled easily with the other parents. . So how does he earn a spot on this list? Saved him a lot of pain." the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 13 business days. She says, "So now we'll have two.". I assumed Blyleven had no chance with the current BBWAA. And those TWENTY no-decisions on the WORLD CHAMPION Pittsburgh Pirates are probably a record of sorts. Position: Starting Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-3, 200lb (190cm, 90kg) . Maye hit it out of the park. Also, he felt that Tanner was pulling him from games too quickly. The umpire called it a strike and Jamie backed out and it looked to me like he kind of laughed a little bit. See details. This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. 1996-2023 DIY Baseball LLC All Rights Reserved. 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. Blyleven said the Twins then played on the road in Detroit and there was a Twins fan with a sign, asking to be circled. thrown with. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. His 2.74 career ERA with the Rangers remains the best in team history. "What other team gets to wear a picture of its general manager on its jacket?" He says, "Mister Paul and Mister Seghi [Mister?] In 15 years with four teams he has 195 wins and a 3.00 ERA. ", During a lull at the banquet, Scheinblum talks about Blyleven. Robin Roberts hung on a long time but was a shell of himself for many years. 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 48 is from a one-hitter Blyleven threw against the Kansas City Royals on May 24, 1973. Blyleven, an intense competitor, wants it. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/, interesting article. Koufax combined his rising fast ball with an overhand 12-6 curveball that embarrassed hitters. Actually, Blyleven was suffering from a groin pull and eventually took himself out of the game. 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. 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. 28, "Longtime Twins broadcaster Bert Blyleven hangs up the mic", June 2, 1976: Minneapolis Tribune column on Blyleven's trade to Texas Rangers. "It was the worst time I've ever had in baseball," he says. ", Bert also inherited a love of the Dodgers from his father; he worshiped two in particular, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. He must have had terrible run support. Just take a look at who emerged in baseball from 1959 to 1970. Even Hall of Fame players marveled at Blylevens curve. The Pirates won the World Series in 1979 and Blyleven went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in the Fall Classic after throwing a complete game in Game 3 of the NLCS. This is Anthony's first time on a golf course in 10 years, and second time ever. 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. window.". "I have here a ball autographed by Sandy Koufax, a pretty fair pitcher. Mary Scheinblum bids $150; do I hear $175?" Look at Blyleven in that 1974 campaign. Take his 1974 season, when he went 17-17 despite a tremendous ERA+ of 142. Blyleven has a different grip on his yakker than most, but, then, he has been more successful than most. Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. 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. [4] His family moved to Melville, Saskatchewan, when Blyleven was two years old before ultimately settling in Garden Grove, California, in 1957 when Blyleven was five years old. It wasn't until he got married in 1971 that he noticed on his birth certificate that he's really Rik Aalbert. 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. 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. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. Cleveland president Gabe Paul said, "Bert Blyleven isn't going anywhere. It was the last out of the inning. 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. Now he throws an excellent change, an occasional slider, an assortment of fastballs and, of course, his curve. He went out and used it to dominate high school hitters, and by age 19 found himself winning 10 games in the major leagues as a rookie for the Minnesota Twins, the start to a career that would last until he was 41. Plus, he keeps us loose.". "He knows how to finish a game now," says Indian pitching coach Don McMahon. 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. US $3.00Standard Shipping. At 6 feet 3 inches, with long arms and large hands, he throws. There are 16 names, but only one 300-game winner. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit 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. 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. Now, does that really seem like an answer to the question of run support? A little more than three years ago he was in an automobile accident that put him in a wheelchair for life and left him unable to speak clearly. 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. In 2010, Blyleven had 74.2% of the votes, missing admission to the Hall of Fame by only 5 votes (0.8%).[22]. Nicknamed "the Barber," Sal Maglie commanded the corners of the plate as well as any pitcher in the history of baseball. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, The only problem was that his name was published as "Blylevan," which is the way the Twins spelled it in those days. Arguments for inducting Bert Blyleven into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Blyleven was recently inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame after recording over 3,700 strikeouts in his career. Blyleven's first two full seasons back with the Twins produced major league records for home runs allowed in a single season (50) and in back-to-back seasons (96). One fan posted, "Pete Rose in the Phillies booth "he threw a c**k high fastball". The only thing Blyleven hates more than pitch counts is the use of . Bert Blyleven was a big part of that championship season and went 1-1 in the World Series. The left-hander won over 200 games and struck out over 2,500 batters in his 18-year MLB career. He was drafted straight out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the third round in 1969. Poor Terry. None had ever fallen below 30 percent. The curveball has been around for ages and has taken many forms throughout the history of baseball. Maglie's numbers are not overly impressive due to his stint in the Mexican League that got him banned from Major League Baseball. His fastball overpowered hitters and was clearly the pitch he relied on most heavily. During the winter there are many of these Monday events in the Los Angeles area. "Two pitchers that I know about who held it the way I do," says Blyleven, "were Koufax and Bob Feller.". [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. Phone: 602.496.1460 outfield. The day is cold and drizzly and awfully close to miserable, and if the setting didn't happen to include palm trees and the swell Riviera clubhouse, one might think one were in. "Hey, Bert, where'd you get the weather?" Although under-appreciated during his playing career, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011his second-to-last year of eligibility. "Matlack, Milner Go In FourTeam Trade,", Durso, Joseph. This semicelebrity affair at Riviera was the second off-season charity event Bert has sponsored. But he did. But Blyleven debuted on a ballot near the end of a stretch of 11 consecutive years with at least one 300-game winner up for nomination. Thereupon he drives the addressee 250 yards straight down the middle of the No. One of his favorite marks is Indians public relations director Bob DiBiasio. Last year he had 19 wins, seven losses and a dozen ties. i surely did my campaigning for blyleven too back in the day. Blyleven was the epitome of dominant. "This is for a free membership to Racquetball World. He pitched in eight postseason games and went 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA. "But if you had to have one pitcher to beat us, Blyleven would be the choice. See details. 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. Buyer pays for return shipping. 19 7-4 over the Twins on the last day of the season. window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. ", Blyleven wraps up the evening. Weve already figured out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his RA/9IP and league-average run support. "He's a great guy," says Judy Kirkpatrick. When Blyleven and Sutcliffe were together in Cleveland, their teammates had to be on constant lookout for pranks. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the The Baseball Hall of Shame II first clued me in to some of those stories. Ted Williams called Pascual's curveball the "most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years. After just 21 minor league starts, he found himself called up to the Majors at age 19 on June 2, 1970. I wondered how anyone could pitch 7,000 innings like Cy Young. In those years he was 59-66 (.472) at the break and 53-38 (.582) afterwards. Id say 95 percent of that mysterious third element is luck, but does that mean its never anything else? He won fewer games than he should have, right? Jerry Koosman was a two-time, all-star for the New York Mets and, like most lefties, relied heavily on his curveball for success. Then theres Blyleven. 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). Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . become a hit. "There were 32 scouts in the stands at the start," he recalls. Blyleven is well above the Coveleski line, regardless of how you slice his record. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. A curveball can also be thrown with some velocity in an attempt jam a hitter. "[17], Blyleven was a pitching coach for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. So you know: later this week as induction day nears, Ill have a Bert Blyleven career highlights piece up at THT Live. His father, Joe, was a handyman who, during World War II, hid his future father-in-law from the Nazis so he wouldn't be put in a concentration camp. 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. 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. His 20 no decisions in 1979 are the most by an MLB starting pitcher in a season, dating back to at least 1908.[13]. Hes going in. 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. He struck out 109 batters in 43 innings in his first season and 172 in his 126 career innings in Class D. Much like Nolan Ryan, Satchel Paige did not use his curveball as his primary pitch, but he still had a damn good one. Bert was a terrific pitchera dominating pitcher. One of his trademarks was circling fans with the telestrator on screen. Nolan Ryan is widely considered one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball. That means isolating it. [2] From 1996 to 2020, he was a color analyst for Minnesota Twins television broadcasts.[3]. "The guys who were real cheap during the season got real cheap gifts," he says. The curveball of the '50s belonged to Camilio Pascual. When he beat the Twins for Texas on July 26, 1976, Blyleven didn't mince words. 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. Jerry Willard. He throws it a little differently than most pitchers, holding the ball so that every finger except his pinky is touching a seam. I checked all pitchers with at least 25 SHO from 1920-2011. That game happened to feature a. The kids see how hard he works. And quite well, thank you. It's like the fellow at the golf tournament said. 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 . 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. During his time with the Angels, the fire extinguisher in the team's clubhouse at Angel Stadium read: "In case of Blyleven: Pull". So did Steve Busby, Jeff Conine, Bill Singer, John Smiley, and Ron Fairly. play. Actually, given that the park factor was 104, Blylevens run support was nearly league average; 96% of league average to be precise. background-color:#ba3434; Blyleven also won so many games because he was a great workhorse. 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). No takers? "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. Of course, it's never as nice as the one he cut.". It can ruin a career. Blyleven recorded 3,701 career strikeouts, the fifth-most in MLB history. Chris Bando, who loves pizza, was given an almost-empty pizza box. When the Angels came to nearby Anaheim in 1966, Bert didn't switch his allegiance, although he did become one of the stadium rats. Brown ticket 58456? 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. 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. Now look at Blylevens careerpitching in tough spots wasnt his problem. Others will call it pitching to the score. Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. He will do anything to get it. In 2007, Blyleven's total dipped to 47.7% (75% is the minimum required for admission to the Hall). In the last part of his careerhis second go-around in Minnesota and his final seasons in Californiahe came out eight games ahead. Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. Enjoy this run through the 10 best curveballs in the history of baseball. This year he is 4-6, with a 2.97 ERA. Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, a municipality in Utrecht, Netherlands, the son of Johannes Cornelius and Jannigje Blijleven. Look again at that list of young big winners. And he was still a workhorse, completing 24 games in 1985, the last AL pitcher to top 20. In Texas, Blyleven got blamed for something he never did. Blyleven has always had trouble with his name. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight It has also appeared as Ricalbert and Ribalbert. Bert Blyleven. Blyleven was happy to oblige. He also suggested publicly that the Indians might be better off trading him to a contender for younger talentas they would soon do with his friend Rick Sutcliffe. The story goes that he was tearing up the Grapefruit League, leading his wife to ask if she should begin house hunting in his new major-league city. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. Kirkpatrick, 40, is sitting in the back of the dining room with his wife, Judy. 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. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Here you go. "[His curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you thatenough to make your knees buckle. People in and out the game lauded Blyleven for having the games best curveball, but he was also temperamental. He can't speak Dutch, but to this day he still understands a little of it. Many new voters had entered the mix, and old ones passed on. On a recent afternoon Blyleven went to see Todd play basketball for his seventh-grade team. He may have been the best pitcher in the history of baseball. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second 300, a la Early Wynn. Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? It was this way when hitters faced Blyleven, as former San Diego catcher Terry Kennedy can attest. ", Blyleven raises every bid, and, finally, he says, "Sold to me. If youre going to try to adjust Blylevens record by his run support, you actually have to focus on his run support. 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. Adrian Devine, Tommy Boggs and Eddie Miller were traded from the Rangers to the Braves. [21] In 2009, he gained only two votes, for a total of 338, 62.7%. He won 287 games, 27th-most all-time, and pitched 4,970 innings, 14th-most all-time. Born in the Netherlands but raised in Southern California, Blyleven would spend many evenings listening to Vin Scullys radio description of what may have been the greatest curveball ever in the game. "My friends and I used to wait until they turned the lights out in the park," he says. "Bob Boone is building a house over there, Enos Cabell lives in those hills." "But I'll be grateful to him for one thing in particular. He had thought all his life his given name was "Rikaalbert". He earned the moniker "Frying Dutchman" by frequently setting fire to his teammates' shoelaces, a practical joke known as a "hot foot". 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. Then there are three guys over 280 winsTommy John, Jim Kaat, and Blyleven himself. His heart is invariably in the right placeit's just that his foot sometimes ends up in his mouth. "I would like to say to my family, to my fans, to all the Puerto Rican people and . Collectibles; Books & Magazines; Entertainment Memorabilia; Cell Phones . . He also won a World Series in 1979 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Koosman's catcher in his Mets days, J.C. Martin, once said that Koosman could throw his 11-5 curveball "any time.". At that time only 15 to 20 percent of the electorate supported him. He has always hovered around .500: 10-9, 16-15, 17-17 twice. When youre constantly winning 15 or more games a year, you dont need too many 20-win seasons to make this list. I know this sounds terrible, but who does Bert pitch for these days?". The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be He pitched a no-hitter, was chosen to a pair of All-Star teams and also won two World Series Championships. Blyleven was born in the Netherlands, one of only nine major leaguers to have been born in Holland as of 2020 (several major leaguers were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands outside Holland). "I told our third baseman, Steve Braun, to watch for a bunt," says Blyleven, "but Spanky laid a perfect one down. 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. Now he owes the Indians and the city of Cleveland something in return.". Blyleven became disgruntled with the Pirates and threatened to retire during the 1980 season if he was not traded. He was 17-5 for the Angels last season, allowing only 14 home runs. "It finally ended when I was out in the back of the house, pulling weeds. So why did this happen to Blyleven? 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. He left in the eighth to a standing ovation from the Municipal Stadium faithful, 8,239 strong. However, Blyleven's early career with the Twins was not always pleasant as he was hounded by critics and fans. Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt became something of an expert on the curveball during his career. Blyleven has often been labeled a troublemaker. 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. Blyleven did not know his correct name until he was about to get married.