Blyleven got so upset with his role in Pittsburgh that he walked out on the Pirates for 10 days early in 1980. Then theres Blyleven. 1996-2023 DIY Baseball LLC All Rights Reserved. In 1986, he. Angels pitcher Bert Blyleven throws a pitch during a game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 3, 1990 . In fact, he never came close. This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. "And here's a ball signed by the 1984 Cleveland Indians. I do. CLEVELAND'S NETHERLANDS-BORN STAR, PITCHER BERT BLYLEVEN, PUTS HIS PEDAL TO THE METAL ON THE FIELD AND OFF, 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Communication. Blyleven is the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the NLCS and Game 5 (pitching in relief) of the World Series. Note that since the Neyer Board discussion ten years ago, things have already shifted. 1 fairway at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. He's fifth on the active list in shutouts, sixth in strikeouts, eighth in victories and eighth in innings pitched. 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.". shouts someone from a passing golf cart. There once was a rookie hitter who didnt need to be convinced the curve was something more than an optical illusion. Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . 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. Tom Waddell. Looking it up, in his 37 starts, the Twins scored 151 runs, 4.1/game. The difference between the two projections should be what his run support cost him. A curveball can also be thrown with some velocity in an attempt jam a hitter. 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. One of his favorite marks is Indians public relations director Bob DiBiasio. Blyleven was recently inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame after recording over 3,700 strikeouts in his career. From a Cooperstown point of view, the debate is semantics. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. You cant do a simplistic, reductionistic system. Even though he put more miles on his arm in his 20s then nearly all of them, he kept on going. Watching him, one of his partners said, "He seems like a great guy. [2] From 1996 to 2020, he was a color analyst for Minnesota Twins television broadcasts.[3]. Why did Blyleven only make it twice? From 1984-89, he went 95-71 with a 115 ERA+. 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. "Matlack, Milner Go In FourTeam Trade,", Durso, Joseph. He may have been the best pitcher in the history of baseball. 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. The Orioles legend has four 20-win seasons, a World Series title and a Cy Young Award to his name. Its that second wind that makes his career numbers impressive. 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. Cleveland president Gabe Paul said, "Bert Blyleven isn't going anywhere. Then he filled out, picked up some speed on his fastball and wowed batters in rookie and A ball. 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. So did Steve Busby, Jeff Conine, Bill Singer, John Smiley, and Ron Fairly. For instance, he referred to Paul and Phil Seghi, the Indians' general manager, as "two old men sitting up in the booth playing checkers." the ERA scale, A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed 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. "[19] Still, it was not until his 14th year of eligibility, in 2011, that he was elected; he received 79.7% of the vote. The First Annual Blyleven Celebrity Golf Classic, to benefit Students Against Drunk Driving and the Orange County Trauma Society, is under way. Played in the Big Leagues from 1971-1990 and 1992. 28, "Longtime Twins broadcaster Bert Blyleven hangs up the mic", June 2, 1976: Minneapolis Tribune column on Blyleven's trade to Texas Rangers. Bert Blyleven. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) "I always played for my island," Alomar said in his induction speech. Ill be home soon. He became interested in baseball as a young boy watching Sandy Koufax pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers and listening to Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett announce the Dodgers' radio broadcasts. His run support wasnt that good every year, but by and large it was better than I wouldve guessed. When youre constantly winning 15 or more games a year, you dont need too many 20-win seasons to make this list. Bert Blyleven belongs in the Hall Of Fame because he pitched nearly 5000 innings, struck out 3700 batters, threw 60 shutouts, and compiled a career 3.31 ERA which was 18 percent better than the league . He was 17-5 for the Angels last season, allowing only 14 home runs. xBA measures the likelihood that a batted ball will 4.9. 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. 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. I know this sounds terrible, but who does Bert pitch for these days?". and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. He just hasn't played on too many clubs that scored a lot of runs for him.". 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. 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. Heck, Manny Trillo made four. He learned that his name actually was Rik Aalbert Blijleven after obtaining a copy of his birth certificate in order to get married.[30]. Those who throw it refer to it as The Hammer, The Yakker, even Public Enemy No. Well, if its not luck, youre saying in so many words that the guy choked or lacked mental toughness. On a recent afternoon Blyleven went to see Todd play basketball for his seventh-grade team. He has all the stats of a potential Hall of Famer. "There were 32 scouts in the stands at the start," he recalls. "It finally ended when I was out in the back of the house, pulling weeds. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have With the power of the internet, Lederers persistenceand, oh yeah, Blylevens own solid casehell have a nice weekend in upstate New York this year. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff Robin Roberts hung on a long time but was a shell of himself for many years. 1979 - Blyleven goes 12-5 on 37 starts and the Pirates win the World Series. On July 16, 2011, the Minnesota Twins formally retired Blyleven's number.[26]. Corrales got a bullwhip. This is Anthony's first time on a golf course in 10 years, and second time ever. For $675.". Others will call it pitching to the score. 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. That game happened to feature a. See details. For two years we paid him a good salary, and he did nothing because he was hurt. [citation needed], MLB Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson said of Blyleven: "[his curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you that. US $3.00Standard Shipping. ". Hes going in. The lone hit in that game was a bunt single by slow-footed Ed Kirkpatrick in the fifth inning. Now look at Blylevens careerpitching in tough spots wasnt his problem. "I open the bidding at $200. But Gossage and Sutter are relievers, and the Hall is still trying to figure them out. 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. Naturally, he sinks all the birdie putts. 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. See all categories. . ", Not only does Blyleven pitch for the Indians, he actually likes being an Indian. Mike Jeffcoat. the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the Phoenix, AZ 85004 To answer the question, I went to my usual modus operandi: I looked at recent historical trends. Blyleven did not know his correct name until he was about to get married. For years he thought his first name was Rikaalbert. coach who was Blyleven's manager in Cleveland for half a season, "He should win 30 games with the stuff he's got. He's now 200-173. It wasn't until he got married in 1971 that he noticed on his birth certificate that he's really Rik Aalbert. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an The curveball of the '50s belonged to Camilio Pascual. Aside from that, he never led the league. He currently ranks 5th all-time in strikeouts, 9th all-time in shutouts, and 27th all-time in wins. Add in assorted aces Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Catfish Hunter, Mickey Lolich, Luis Tiant, and thats some list. Blyleven was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011 after receiving 79.7% of the vote on his 14th attempt. He was drafted straight out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the third round in 1969. [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. In 2008, he received 336 votes, or 61.9% of the vote. The curveball has been around for ages and has taken many forms throughout the history of baseball. His career was put on hold by a stint with the United States Armed Forces. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, become a hit. Hey, wait a minute, Francisco, where are you going? "A Carl Yastrzemski bat. 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. See details. If you think you just heard some big names, listen to these. "I know Ed thinks the world of him.". "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. 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. 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. One of the nicknames for a curveball is a "yakker." ", Bert also inherited a love of the Dodgers from his father; he worshiped two in particular, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. So close he might hang for No. Hmmm, I wanted the color TV. 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. If youre going to try to adjust Blylevens record by his run support, you actually have to focus on his run support. Paired with his 98 mile-per-hour fastball, Gooden's sweeping curve made him one of the league's most feared pitchers during his playing days. Terrys reaction was to swing straight down, like he was chopping the plate with an axe. 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. A dozen of his 1-0 complete game shutouts came from 1970-77. Terry Kennedy was a young player with St. Louis. Blyleven became disgruntled with the Pirates and threatened to retire during the 1980 season if he was not traded. It can ruin a career. Blyleven set the record that still stands with 50 gopher balls in 1986, and then topped the league again with 46 in 1987. "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Many new voters had entered the mix, and old ones passed on. 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. How much spin, in revolutions per minute, a pitch was The evening is winding down, and there are only a few more souvenirs left to be auctioned. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. Collectibles; Books & Magazines; Entertainment Memorabilia; Cell Phones . Then there are three guys over 280 winsTommy John, Jim Kaat, and Blyleven himself. Calico Jack (Suwinski) is Back for the Attack. One fan posted, "Pete Rose in the Phillies booth "he threw a c**k high fastball". That way I know he won't lose it on me like he did that one time. "Here's something special. Rice benefited from an orchestrated movement by the Boston press corps. "My friends and I used to wait until they turned the lights out in the park," he says. attempt. [18] He returned in his role for 2013 and 2017.[2]. According to baseball-reference Cy Young won 195 games befroe his age 30 season. I wondered how anyone could pitch 7,000 innings like Cy Young. "[17], Blyleven was a pitching coach for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He earned the moniker "Frying Dutchman" by frequently setting fire to his teammates' shoelaces, a practical joke known as a "hot foot". That, of course, would belong to Sandy Koufax. Now he owes the Indians and the city of Cleveland something in return.". Actually, Blyleven was suffering from a groin pull and eventually took himself out of the game. And those TWENTY no-decisions on the WORLD CHAMPION Pittsburgh Pirates are probably a record of sorts. Arguments for inducting Bert Blyleven into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 15 years with four teams he has 195 wins and a 3.00 ERA. Then theres the guy with six straight 20-win seasons (Fergie Jenkins) and the pitcher with eight 20-win seasons (Jim Palmer). Last year he had 19 wins, seven losses and a dozen ties. If it weren't for drug and injury issues late in his career, he easily could have reached the 3,000-strikeoutplateau. 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. It was this way when hitters faced Blyleven, as former San Diego catcher Terry Kennedy can attest. "Bob Boone is building a house over there, Enos Cabell lives in those hills." Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 13 business days. 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. Only nine? 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. Bah! 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. If he underachieved because of his own personal failings, then why was he so successful when things entirely depended on him? Kennedy got the message. Even back in 1969 Blyleven had his sensational curve. Maglie's numbers are not overly impressive due to his stint in the Mexican League that got him banned from Major League Baseball. "[24] Blyleven was the first Dutch-born player inducted, and his Hall of Fame plaque depicts him with a Minnesota Twins cap. It's also nice of Blyleven to host this tournament. "Brought it in from Cleveland," comes the host's reply. He left in the eighth to a standing ovation from the Municipal Stadium faithful, 8,239 strong. "I just don't think he knew how to use me." Fortunately for him, life wasnt going to throw him that curve, and he now has his place in history. Upon his return, he was plagued by chronic stomach ulcers and a torn rotator cuff. That year, he pitched 293.2 innings and completed 24 games, a feat that has not been repeated since. Bert Blyleven was a big part of that championship season and went 1-1 in the World Series. This semicelebrity affair at Riviera was the second off-season charity event Bert has sponsored. Autographed in English. It's one of the hardest things in sports to execute. A renowned curveball pitcher, Blyleven was also a two-time All-Star and World Series champion. References & ResourcesI checked Paper of Record for some of the items in No. 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. Bert Blyleven addresses the ball. 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. Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. Thats a lot better than I wouldve expected. outfield. Although under-appreciated during his playing career, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011his second-to-last year of eligibility. 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. Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." I have to ask him, 'Bert, what would you throw if you had my stuff?' "It was the worst time I've ever had in baseball," he says. Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Joe Adcock, Eddie Mathews. Sold for $150. Bert Blyleven. Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett would be describing Koufaxs curve that he threw off that high mound, Blyleven recalled. Popular categories from this store. The Baseball Hall of Shame II first clued me in to some of those stories. [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. "Golf is my life," Anthony keeps saying. Communication. He's celebrity chairman of the 65 Roses Club for Cystic Fibrosis there. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. 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. 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. And I could throw it over at any time, any count."[6]. 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. Blyleven became the first Dutch-born player to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. ++ (FREE SHIPPING) at the best online prices at eBay! Baseball-Reference.com provided the stats. Roberto Alomar, Pat Gillick and Bert Blyleven on stage during a press conference during the 2011 Hall of Fame Weekend. Julio Franco, who had been arrested the previous winter for possession of a gun without a permit, received a toy pistol. 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. It gives the opposition fits when thrown properly. Here you go. Yes, he rubbed up his hands, went down for the bat, and it wasn't there!". 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. 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.

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