Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, the Netherlands on April 6, 1951. At the Blyleven the biggest celebrity, literally and figuratively, is Lou Ferrigno, television's erstwhile Incredible Hulk. A couple of years ago when he was on the disabled list and back home, he came to watch my son Monte pitch. On June 5, 1970, Rigney gave Blyleven his first start, against the Washington Senators. He wound up completing 242 games and throwing 60 shutouts, the two numbers of which he is most proud. In the last part of his careerhis second go-around in Minnesota and his final seasons in Californiahe came out eight games ahead. That year, he pitched 293.2 innings and completed 24 games, a feat that has not been repeated since. 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. This semicelebrity affair at Riviera was the second off-season charity event Bert has sponsored. "One curve I'll always remember was when I was pitching for Pittsburgh, Blyleven once recalled. Thanks, Bob. Even Hall of Fame players marveled at Blylevens curve. Bert Blyleven was a big part of that championship season and went 1-1 in the World Series. window.". 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. ", Not only does Blyleven pitch for the Indians, he actually likes being an Indian. He also became a baseball fan. Popular categories from this store. Call the curveball what you will. Koufax combined his rising fast ball with an overhand 12-6 curveball that embarrassed hitters. 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. He must have had terrible run support. "Hello, ball," he says, in homage to Art Carney as Ed Norton. [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. That, of course, would belong to Sandy Koufax. Hal Newhouser barely won 200 games. "O.K., we've got a golf bag and a dozen balls. Enjoy this run through the 10 best curveballs in the history of baseball. His wife, Patty, has a sneaking suspicion that he wanted the panda for himself as much as for their four children, Todd, 12, Kimberly, 10, Timothy, 3, and Thomas, 17 months. Call it sunspots for all I care, it ain't run support. The house has lots of toys, some for the kids, some for Bert. This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. The lone hit in that game was a bunt single by slow-footed Ed Kirkpatrick in the fifth inning. 300. the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed 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. Francisco, come up here. Blyleven thinks little of drugs, pitch count. I assumed Blyleven had no chance with the current BBWAA. Upon his return, he was plagued by chronic stomach ulcers and a torn rotator cuff. Steve Farr. The evening is winding down, and there are only a few more souvenirs left to be auctioned. Nice. Just take a look at who emerged in baseball from 1959 to 1970. Blyleven became the first Dutch-born player to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. ". A curveball can also be thrown with some velocity in an attempt jam a hitter. Ill be looking for it, Chris, and will pass the link on; youve got more than a few fans over at the WGOM. One of the nicknames for a curveball is a "yakker." No one had much success with Blylevens curveball, in part because he had complete control over it. "I have to say this for him, though. 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. Thats the question. His 20 no decisions in 1979 are the most by an MLB starting pitcher in a season, dating back to at least 1908.[13]. 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. You cant do a simplistic, reductionistic system. His fastball overpowered hitters and was clearly the pitch he relied on most heavily. There's the looping 12-6 curveball, which drops off the table just as the hitter thinks he has a read on it. No. and 32 degrees. In 15 years with four teams he has 195 wins and a 3.00 ERA. Enough to make your knees buckle. "I know that stuff sounds silly," says Smith. Or 40 percent. Naturally, he sinks all the birdie putts. This isn't a tournament along the ropes of, say, the Hope or the Crosby. Phoenix, AZ 85004 "You know, from sticking our fingers in the dikes. I wanted to be like him, he said. Two years ago, when brush fires swept through the surrounding hills, Blyleven ascended to his roof, to water it down lest a flying spark set it afire, and fell off, breaking his left elbow. Known for his terrific curveball, pitcher Bert Blyleven won 287 games over a 22-year major league career. The kids see how hard he works. Patty came out and said, 'Don't you think you should go back?' Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." How far, in feet, a fielder or runner has traveled on a Blyleven became disgruntled with the Pirates and threatened to retire during the 1980 season if he was not traded. "Thirty-one of them must have left by the third inning." 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. Blyleven was one of baseball's most notorious dugout pranksters during his playing days. the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the "We left one month-old piece in there, and I think Chris ate it." The Hulk, whose wife wonders where the galleries are, quits after two holes because his shoes are wet. "I visualized the dropping motion.". Bert (Blyleven) was a terrific pitcher - a dominating pitcher." After the 1977 season, he was traded to the Pirates in a rare four-team trade. Gary Carter, Rich Gossage, Jim Rice, and Bruce Sutter have all gotten in, after initially finishing under 50 percent. He played three seasons for the California Angels before retiring. Now he owes the Indians and the city of Cleveland something in return.". one base to another, like Home To First. 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.". "Golf is my life," Anthony keeps saying. Actually, the best spelling of his name appears on one of his license plates: BLY11. Blyleven has ridden the curve to a career ERA of 3.00. Blyleven had pitched only 21 games in the minors; by comparison, Dwight Gooden, last year's 19-year-old sensation, needed 38 games before he was brought up to the Mets. I know this sounds terrible, but who does Bert pitch for these days?". 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. background-color:#ba3434; "I think the world of Chuck Tanner," says Blyleven now. Maglie's numbers are not overly impressive due to his stint in the Mexican League that got him banned from Major League Baseball. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. Blyleven's display includes his one no-hitter (win No. Blyleven made his major league debut at age 19 for the Twins. Other; Seller feedback (2,522,561) s***c (1508 . When he was younger, his stuff was so good that he didn't need a changeup or pinpoint control. Given another five years of success, Blyleven will have Hall of Fame credentials. See details. Fansboth at home and at road gamescarried signs to the games saying "Circle me Bert". He still he ranks fifth all-time in that department. 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. On the second-to-last weekend of the season, the Indian players had a little party to adjourn their kangaroo court. How far off the mound, in feet, a pitcher releases the Cleveland president Gabe Paul said, "Bert Blyleven isn't going anywhere. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight 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. Now, does that really seem like an answer to the question of run support? He currently ranks 5th all-time in strikeouts, 9th all-time in shutouts, and 27th all-time in wins. He really helped the 1976 Rangers make a run for the pennant. He took quiet pride in Todd's 10-point game, a performance that reminded one of a young Jack Sikma. 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. I still kid him about it.". All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. 1971 TOPPS # 26 BERT BLYLEVEN NICE CARD. A doting daddy, Blyleven likes to spend time with his sons Timothy (above) and Thomas. Blyleven dominated batters for more than two decades with one of the best curveballs the game has ever seen and an underappreciated fastball. But he did. Fortunately for him, life wasnt going to throw him that curve, and he now has his place in history. In his seven losses, the Indians scored only six runs. He earned the moniker "Frying Dutchman" by frequently setting fire to his teammates' shoelaces, a practical joke known as a "hot foot". A dozen of his 1-0 complete game shutouts came from 1970-77. produces a result. Blyleven, just 19, was called up to replace him. Richie, you don't even exercise. Neal Heaton got a Gourmet Nosepicker. I have some sympathy for that approach, but ultimately remain agnostic. He left in the eighth to a standing ovation from the Municipal Stadium faithful, 8,239 strong. 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. "Bert's always doing things for people," he says. Blyleven was the epitome of dominant. Arguments for inducting Bert Blyleven into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. About 10 years ago, there was a debate at the late, great Rob Neyer Message Board about Blylevens Hall of Fame chances. Ten years ago he took Twins owner Calvin Griffith to arbitration, and Griffith screamed. Thereupon he drives the addressee 250 yards straight down the middle of the No. 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. 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. After I ran off the mound, I looked over at the St. Louis' dugout. The Rangers received Al Oliver and Nelson Norman from the Pirates and Jon Matlack from the Mets. Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have He got him to fly out. I threw him an 0-2 curve and it snapped. 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. Then theres the guy with six straight 20-win seasons (Fergie Jenkins) and the pitcher with eight 20-win seasons (Jim Palmer). It's also nice of Blyleven to host this tournament. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an 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. In fact, he never came close. His heart is invariably in the right placeit's just that his foot sometimes ends up in his mouth. "It was nice of him to come anyway," says Blyleven. Blyleven debuted in major league baseball in 1970, right at the end of a great run of workhorse pitchers. 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?" The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in 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 years he thought his first name was Rikaalbert. 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. Bert knew what had happened right away and got Monte's elbow in a bucket of ice. Let's look at some of the names. In between, while a Pirate in 1980, Blyleven jumped the team in midseason, flying to his home in California and demanding a trade. Blyleven and his Villa Park neighbors could probably win the American League West. "Here's a ball autographed by the 1957 Milwaukee Braves. 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. 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. And he couldn't help it if he was injured. Blyleven, 33, is such a cutup, in fact, that he recently cut off his five-year-old beard. ", In a list full of "Uncle Charlies" (a common nickname for a curveball), Doc Gooden's deuce is "Lord Charles.". I bid $250. Blue 90672, raise your hand. (And the difference between Blylevens actual record and the second projection quantifies that murky third factor, but well get back to that in a second). 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. 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. Blyleven set the record that still stands with 50 gopher balls in 1986, and then topped the league again with 46 in 1987. Yeah, over his career. Blyleven cared more that everyone was having a good time. 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. "I have here a ball autographed by Sandy Koufax, a pretty fair pitcher. Mary Scheinblum bids $150; do I hear $175?" You have a half-dozen 300 game winnersGaylord Perry, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver. One of his trademarks was circling fans with the telestrator on screen. Ill be home soon. Blyleven married Patricia Ann Whitehead, a friend from high school, during his second season in the majors, and they have raised a happy family. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted Terry Kennedy was a young player with St. Louis. 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 . Now he throws an excellent change, an occasional slider, an assortment of fastballs and, of course, his curve. I'll have to admit that was a hell of a curveball.". How to separate run support from that murky third factor? become a hit. So you know: later this week as induction day nears, Ill have a Bert Blyleven career highlights piece up at THT Live. "And then he went down." 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). }, Cronkite School at ASU 122), his five one-hitters, his eight two-hitters and his five three-hitters. Communication. Heck, Matt Lawton made two All-Star games. 48 is from a one-hitter Blyleven threw against the Kansas City Royals on May 24, 1973. Bert Blyleven Stats by Baseball Almanac. Looking it up, in his 37 starts, the Twins scored 151 runs, 4.1/game. The Indians are happy to have him. "Curveballs are like snowflakesnone are the same. exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. Buyer pays for return shipping. I also wish we were in the other division.". Bert was a terrific pitchera dominating pitcher. Normally a guy entering the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot with 287 wins is pretty impressive. Before the game Blyleven went over to the lineup card and changed the spelling of his name from "Blylevan." 5.0. Stand behind a tree 60 feet away and Ill whomp you with an optical illusion, challenged Dizzy Dean. See details. 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. This was especially pronounced in his first seven full seasons, 1971-77, when he was in his prime. 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 far Blyleven has won 20 only once, in 1973, when he lost 17. But bleep them. It gives the opposition fits when thrown properly. 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 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. To answer the question, I went to my usual modus operandi: I looked at recent historical trends. That means isolating it. http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/, interesting article. Jerry Koosman was a two-time, all-star for the New York Mets and, like most lefties, relied heavily on his curveball for success. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft.

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