Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. Well, if its not luck, youre saying in so many words that the guy choked or lacked mental toughness. Blyleven has a memento from each of his teams, a ball for every win and a replica of the 1979 Series trophy. 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. That, of course, would belong to Sandy Koufax. Not many of these around. Sold for $200. But the injuries may have been a blessing in disguise, because they made him a better pitcher. [citation needed], MLB Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson said of Blyleven: "[his curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you that. What we're talking about here is a humongous stuffed panda, and he's auctioning off the bear at the banquet. References & ResourcesI checked Paper of Record for some of the items in No. 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 shouts someone from a passing golf cart. 1. play. "Matlack, Milner Go In FourTeam Trade,", Durso, Joseph. Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . Blyleven has ridden the curve to a career ERA of 3.00. And he was still a workhorse, completing 24 games in 1985, the last AL pitcher to top 20. But someone with a far greater mind than any scientist put the optical illusion theory to rest. Koufax combined his rising fast ball with an overhand 12-6 curveball that embarrassed hitters. 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. Bert Blyleven. Again last season he got embroiled in a couple of controversies. A Batted Ball Event represents any batted ball that 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) 4.9. "It was an off year for ties," says Blyleven. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. 1 fairway at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. "Hello, ball," he says, in homage to Art Carney as Ed Norton. The third pitch was a hard check swing. Stand behind a tree 60 feet away and Ill whomp you with an optical illusion, challenged Dizzy Dean. Especially back in those days, a pitchers win-loss record really mattered. "A Carl Yastrzemski bat. It was this way when hitters faced Blyleven, as former San Diego catcher Terry Kennedy can attest. background-image:unset; About 10 years ago, there was a debate at the late, great Rob Neyer Message Board about Blylevens Hall of Fame chances. Blyleven started the season in Triple A. A renowned curveball pitcher, Blyleven was also a two-time All-Star and World Series champion. If you think you just heard some big names, listen to these. Thats it? Brian yeah, if you look at pre-1920 guys its really nuts. Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? Blyleven debuted in major league baseball in 1970, right at the end of a great run of workhorse pitchers. Note that since the Neyer Board discussion ten years ago, things have already shifted. Even though he put more miles on his arm in his 20s then nearly all of them, he kept on going. Angels pitcher Bert Blyleven throws a pitch during a game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 3, 1990 . Jump is a Statcast metric that shows which players have "He's a great guy," says Judy Kirkpatrick. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. Bert Blyleven was a big part of that championship season and went 1-1 in the World Series. When Blyleven and Sutcliffe were together in Cleveland, their teammates had to be on constant lookout for pranks. Bert Blyleven. 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. Jack Brickhouse, a Chicago Cubs broadcaster, described the pitches Paige threw as "not quite legal but not quite illegal.". Blyleven was recently inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame after recording over 3,700 strikeouts in his career. Do I hear $275? He can't speak Dutch, but to this day he still understands a little of it. 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. He also won a World Series in 1979 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He didnt allowed more than 24 in any other season. player has saved over his peers. Mike Jeffcoat. 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. Two words Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson used to describe Bert Blyleven's curveball: "nasty" and "knee-buckling.". He knows how to pitch. One of seven children, Bert grew up in Garden Grove as American as, well, Dutch apple pie. Blyleven's third batter was Frank Howard. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. The Rangers received Al Oliver and Nelson Norman from the Pirates and Jon Matlack from the Mets. Like the first time, it doesn't go well, as he allows two runs in two innings and the NL wins, 6-1. Blyleven cared more that everyone was having a good time. Actually, Blyleven was suffering from a groin pull and eventually took himself out of the game. Spanky, we love you.". Well, its that murky third factorthe luck/pitch-to-the-score/sunspots one. Even back in 1969 Blyleven had his sensational curve. Being close to his 100th win is. Thats doesnt sould too bad. The Baseball Hall of Shame II first clued me in to some of those stories. 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. 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. Its that second wind that makes his career numbers impressive. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a 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.". Those stats hit me in the face. "Two pitchers that I know about who held it the way I do," says Blyleven, "were Koufax and Bob Feller.". That way I know he won't lose it on me like he did that one time. "Here's something special. 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. Blyleven had his problems from 1982 to early 1984, but he recovered, aging better than anyone not named Maddux on that list. "[17], Blyleven was a pitching coach for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. It was his second world championship. He responded with a flippant gesture. 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. i surely did my campaigning for blyleven too back in the day. 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). "I visualized the dropping motion.". ", Bert also inherited a love of the Dodgers from his father; he worshiped two in particular, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. His run support wasnt that good every year, but by and large it was better than I wouldve guessed. time of a pitcher's first movement or pitch release. I just wish we had more fans. Koosman's catcher in his Mets days, J.C. Martin, once said that Koosman could throw his 11-5 curveball "any time.". Around (over?) the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the 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. He pitched for the MLB All-Stars in the 1993 World Port Tournament in Rotterdam. That was the. His breaking ball was literally untouchable. In the '60s, Koufax had it. He's being serious, although whimsy soon bubbles to the surface. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. Free shipping for many products! He got him to fly out. In the last part of his careerhis second go-around in Minnesota and his final seasons in Californiahe came out eight games ahead. And I could throw it over at any time, any count."[6]. In the Florida Instructional League championship game, he beat the Indians 1-0 and was featured in a story in that year's Dec. 1 issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. And then when everybody was gone, we'd go out to the mound and make believe. Wes Ferrell won three games after his age-30 season. Gary Carter, Rich Gossage, Jim Rice, and Bruce Sutter have all gotten in, after initially finishing under 50 percent. That upset Blyleven, especially because he has given of himself to Cleveland. The question arose: Is there any way to adjust his W-L record by his run support? ", Blyleven raises every bid, and, finally, he says, "Sold to me. attempt. Bert Blyleven, who was actually born Rik Aalbert Blijleven, was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Minnesota Twins (1970-1976), Texas Rangers (1976-1977), Pittsburgh Pirates (1978-1980), Cleveland Indians (1981-1985), Minnesota Twins (1985-1988), and California Angels (1989-1990, 1992). Fortunately for him, life wasnt going to throw him that curve, and he now has his place in history. That just leaves the years in his apparent prime, from 1970-77, when he won 17 fewer games than youd expect. "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. Blyleven was happy to oblige. 16, worn by Ron Theobald. "Thanks everyone for coming, and good night. "[His curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you thatenough to make your knees buckle. 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. Blessed with one of the greatest curveballs the game has ever seen, Blyleven stands among the elite in several statistical categories, ranking fifth all-time in strikeouts (3,701), ninth in games started (685) and shutouts (60), and 24th in wins (287). Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1974 TOPPS BASEBALL #98 BERT BLYLEVEN MINNESOTA TWINS V.G. I wondered how anyone could pitch 7,000 innings like Cy Young. Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett would be describing Koufaxs curve that he threw off that high mound, Blyleven recalled. 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. I assumed Blyleven had no chance with the current BBWAA. No other prominent pitcher in his prime had such a lousy divergence from his expected W-L record based on his real-life run support as Blyleven did. He throws it a little differently than most pitchers, holding the ball so that every finger except his pinky is touching a seam. He pitched a no-hitter, was chosen to a pair of All-Star teams and also won two World Series Championships. 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. Though his age-28 season, Blyleven tossed 2,624 innings, more than anyone since Pete Alexander. (Also, Dean Chance? and 32 degrees. 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. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. On June 5, 1970, Rigney gave Blyleven his first start, against the Washington Senators. There, he got a job straightening bumpers and brought his family down the next year. Popular categories from this store. He came back in 1992 but was mostly unproductive, going 812 with a 4.74 ERA. Stanky quit on his own. He never surrendered more than 24 home runs in any year before, and after the 198687 campaigns, he averaged 21 allowed homers per season over the course of his career. Ill be home soon. 48 is from a one-hitter Blyleven threw against the Kansas City Royals on May 24, 1973. His career was put on hold by a stint with the United States Armed Forces. Bert Blyleven addresses the ball. The curveball has been around for ages and has taken many forms throughout the history of baseball. It's like the fellow at the golf tournament said. The answer is 11. 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. If youre going to try to adjust Blylevens record by his run support, you actually have to focus on his run support. The only problem was that his name was published as "Blylevan," which is the way the Twins spelled it in those days. But thats the problem, you had to go way back. Corrales got a bullwhip. An inveterate practical joker, Blyleven likes to snip cravats. Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, the Netherlands on April 6, 1951. Francisco the busboy? Steve Farr. "There's not a lot of dropoff in his stuff. If youre a fan of sabermetrics, and of internet-based populism, this weekends induction ceremony is thus a double victoryone for Blyleven and one for Lederer. 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. 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. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. When youre constantly winning 15 or more games a year, you dont need too many 20-win seasons to make this list. 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. Half of them blew their arms out right after turning 30. "It finally ended when I was out in the back of the house, pulling weeds. He blanked Milwaukee on four hits in his first start, followed by a three-hit shutout at Kansas City five days later. able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. The Pirates also acquired John Milner from the Mets. Says Corrales, "You love sending a guy like that every fifth day, and he's a great influence on a young ball club. He wound up completing 242 games and throwing 60 shutouts, the two numbers of which he is most proud. Contact SABR, LnRiLWhlYWRpbmcuaGFzLWJhY2tncm91bmR7cGFkZGluZzowfQ==, LnRiLWZpZWxke21hcmdpbi1ib3R0b206MC43NmVtfS50Yi1maWVsZC0tbGVmdHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOmxlZnR9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1jZW50ZXJ7dGV4dC1hbGlnbjpjZW50ZXJ9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1yaWdodHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOnJpZ2h0fS50Yi1maWVsZF9fc2t5cGVfcHJldmlld3twYWRkaW5nOjEwcHggMjBweDtib3JkZXItcmFkaXVzOjNweDtjb2xvcjojZmZmO2JhY2tncm91bmQ6IzAwYWZlZTtkaXNwbGF5OmlubGluZS1ibG9ja311bC5nbGlkZV9fc2xpZGVze21hcmdpbjowfQ==, 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, https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/Blyleven-Bert.png, /wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sabr_logo.png, an eight-hit, complete-game victory, 7-1, on October 5.

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