Possessing both a screwball and a curveball to go with a deceptive palmball, Cuellar was nearly untouchable in the prime of his career. References & ResourcesI checked Paper of Record for some of the items in No. When I first discovered Retrosheet eons ago, the first thing I wanted to do was look at Blylevens run support. Pittsburgh thought so little of him that it traded him and Manny Sanguillen to Cleveland after the '80 season for Victor Cruz, Bob Owchinko, Rafael Vasquez and Gary Alexander. "It finally ended when I was out in the back of the house, pulling weeds. A batted ball with the perfect combination of exit Position: Starting Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-3, 200lb (190cm, 90kg) . If you think you just heard some big names, listen to these. 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. 1997 Fleer Star Stickers Baseball #10 - Bert Blyleven - Minnesota Twins See all categories. 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. Prospectus Q&A: Bert Blyleven - Baseball Prospectus Bert was an Instructional League Twin at 18 in 1969 and a Pittsburgh playoff winner at 28 in '79. 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. Thats it? 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.. "And here's a ball signed by the 1984 Cleveland Indians. They have a right to act any way they like.". Escape Velocity takes the average of a player's batted ball velocities subtracted from 88. (Lou Sauritch/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) Shop And now he has a little more command. Bert Blyleven timeline: A lifetime of baseball - Star Tribune Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). . Blyleven's curve breaks so quickly and so far that some batters swear they can hear it change direction. No takers? That was the. the fastest reactions and most direct routes in the 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). 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. The Indians are happy to have him. Francisco the busboy? I checked all pitchers with at least 25 SHO from 1920-2011. Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. 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. He keeps a collection of baseball memorabilia in his study. But because Kirkpatrick can see and hear, he watches and listens as Blyleven moves into the final part of the evening's program. become a hit. Naturally, he sinks all the birdie putts. Hey, wait a minute, Francisco, where are you going? 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).. OK, now lets figure out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his actual RA/9IP and his actual run support. Buyer pays for return shipping. ", Says Mike Ferraro, a K.C. "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. However, ESPN.com columnist Jayson Stark said, "No player has everand again, that word is 'ever'had his Hall of Fame candidacy helped more by the sabermetrics boom than Blyleven. produces a result. He tied for second in the league in wins and was second in winning percentage (.731), third in ERA (2.87) and fourth in strikeouts (170). Take his 1974 season, when he went 17-17 despite a tremendous ERA+ of 142. player has saved over his peers. Blyleven was one of baseball's most notorious dugout pranksters during his playing days. 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). 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. "There were 32 scouts in the stands at the start," he recalls. About 10 years ago, there was a debate at the late, great Rob Neyer Message Board about Blylevens Hall of Fame chances. The curveball has been around for ages and has taken many forms throughout the history of baseball. But he's not a bad guy. We do. "We left one month-old piece in there, and I think Chris ate it." He's now 200-173. She says, "So now we'll have two.". Corrales feels the secret of Blyleven's curve is not in the grip but in his big, strong hands. 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 . Blyleven, an intense competitor, wants it. However, Blyleven's early career with the Twins was not always pleasant as he was hounded by critics and fans. This is a free article. I bid $250. He began teaching the pitch to himself, learning to throw a drop in junior high. If you go through the above, he comes out to 298-239 for his career, ever so incredibly shy of 300. Brian yeah, if you look at pre-1920 guys its really nuts. The only problem was that his name was published as "Blylevan," which is the way the Twins spelled it in those days. [2] From 1996 to 2020, he was a color analyst for Minnesota Twins television broadcasts.[3]. 1996-2023 DIY Baseball LLC All Rights Reserved. velocity and launch angle. Because of his competitive streak, Blyleven says things he probably shouldn't, and he usually says them with a biting wit. Spanky, we love you.". Now he throws an excellent change, an occasional slider, an assortment of fastballs and, of course, his curve. 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.". Nice. It's also nice of Blyleven to host this tournament. Many new voters had entered the mix, and old ones passed on. From 1984-89, he went 95-71 with a 115 ERA+. Well, its that murky third factorthe luck/pitch-to-the-score/sunspots one. Blyleven became disgruntled with the Pirates and threatened to retire during the 1980 season if he was not traded. [21] In 2009, he gained only two votes, for a total of 338, 62.7%. A range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a Blyleven has put on more than his share in the past, for a variety of causes, and this is his second of the current off-season. Blyleven wanted $85,000, which seems like a piddling sum now, and the Twins were offering $65,000. 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 you gave baseball people their choice among Dan Petry, Jack Morris and Blyleven, Blyleven would probably be third," says Hal McRae, Kansas City's longtime designated hitter. What we're talking about here is a humongous stuffed panda, and he's auctioning off the bear at the banquet. 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. What have we got here? The ones better than him who are not in would make legitimate candidates. None spent as many years as low on BBWAA ballots as Blyleven. Jerry Koosman was a two-time, all-star for the New York Mets and, like most lefties, relied heavily on his curveball for success. 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. From a Cooperstown point of view, the debate is semantics. 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. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. Blyleven became the first Dutch-born player to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to Bert was a terrific pitchera dominating pitcher. Twins analyst Bert Blyleven on Houston Astros scandal: 'Everyone 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 - Wikipedia Blyleven has a different grip on his yakker than most, but, then, he has been more successful than most. For instance, he referred to Paul and Phil Seghi, the Indians' general manager, as "two old men sitting up in the booth playing checkers." 1. The curveball of the '50s belonged to Camilio Pascual. 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. 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. Blyleven married Patricia Ann Whitehead, a friend from high school, during his second season in the majors, and they have raised a happy family. Looking it up, in his 37 starts, the Twins scored 151 runs, 4.1/game. Maye hit it out of the park. Solving Major League Baseball's Young Person Problem He still he ranks fifth all-time in that department. background-color:#ba3434; One of the nicknames for a curveball is a "yakker." Free shipping for many products! 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. Then theres Blyleven. 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. You cant do a simplistic, reductionistic system. and 32 degrees. "We have a beautiful cutlery set. That year, he pitched 293.2 innings and completed 24 games, a feat that has not been repeated since. His breaking ball was literally untouchable. But Blyleven is still a big kid at heart. Also, he felt that Tanner was pulling him from games too quickly. There are any number of reasons, starting with the fact that early in his career Blyleven relied too much on his ability to overpower hitters, especially late in the game. [citation needed], MLB Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson said of Blyleven: "[his curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you that. He just hasn't played on too many clubs that scored a lot of runs for him.". "Two pitchers that I know about who held it the way I do," says Blyleven, "were Koufax and Bob Feller.". Essentially a two-pitch hurler (curveball and fastball) thus far in his career, Blyleven developed an offspeed pitch during spring training in 1971, and the results were immediate. If anyones curious, heres a list of the most 1-0 CG SHO for post-Walter Johnson pitchers: Nice lead for Blyleven. He made his debut on June 5, 1970 playing for the Minnesota Twins as a pitcher. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011 . The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be Just take a look at who emerged in baseball from 1959 to 1970. The umpire called it a strike and Jamie backed out and it looked to me like he kind of laughed a little bit. window") of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec. Things went so sour in Minnesota that in Blyleven's last game as a Twin, some fans serenaded him with "Goodby, Bert, we're glad to see you go." In all likelihood, Bert Blyleven is the best pitcher not in the Hall of Fame. Koufax combined his rising fast ball with an overhand 12-6 curveball that embarrassed hitters. See details. 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. Enjoy this run through the 10 best curveballs in the history of baseball. The 'Widowmaker' comes to Twins fantasy camp and MDs become MVPs 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. Catfish Hunter lasted only a few months more. See details. Finally we'd make like we were playing the outfield and jump over the fence in left.". by Retrosheet. Bert Blyleven Twins 2022 Topps Gilded Collection 1X Case 18X Box Break 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. Only two of them won 30 games after their age 30 seasonJim Palmer and Bob Fellerand none did it after age 32. 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. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. All rights reserved. Heres the chart showing how he shakes out year-by-year by this system: Looking at it above, how come he didnt win more games when pitching so great in the early part of his career? After just 21 minor league starts, he found himself called up to the Majors at age 19 on June 2, 1970. 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. If it weren't for drug and injury issues late in his career, he easily could have reached the 3,000-strikeoutplateau. But Gossage and Sutter are relievers, and the Hall is still trying to figure them out. 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 . By this approach, Blyleven comes out nine wins behind. 122), his five one-hitters, his eight two-hitters and his five three-hitters. one base to another, like Home To First. Blue 90672, raise your hand. I assumed Blyleven had no chance with the current BBWAA. Bert Blyleven - BR Bullpen Brown ticket 58456? It was this way when hitters faced Blyleven, as former San Diego catcher Terry Kennedy can attest. In the middle of the 1976 season, he was traded to the Texas Rangers, where he threw a no-hitter in his final start for the team. The story went that the reason Eddie Stanky quit after one game as manager of the Rangers was that he went out to the mound to remove Blyleven from the game, and Byleven told him to go back to the dugout. "It was nice of him to come anyway," says Blyleven. Why did Blyleven only make it twice? And so he ended his career, waiting and wondering if he would get into the Hall of Fame. He chatted up all the passing foursomes and made sure the volunteer marshals switched holes so they wouldn't get bored. The lone hit in that game was a bunt single by slow-footed Ed Kirkpatrick in the fifth inning. "Doug DeCinces lives over here," says Blyleven. In 1985 he again led the American League in shutouts with five. After the game Howard said, "He's got a fine arm. Jerry Willard. 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. I also wish we were in the other division.". Nolan Ryan is widely considered one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball. Only 16 other pitchers have at least 3,000 career strikeouts. "A Carl Yastrzemski bat. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted "Golf is my life," Anthony keeps saying. The difference between the two projections should be what his run support cost 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. Bert Blyleven - Baseball-Reference.com Shipping speed. He came back in 1992 but was mostly unproductive, going 812 with a 4.74 ERA. Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. It has also appeared as Ricalbert and Ribalbert. "Bert Blyleven F-bomb on the live pregame" "Pete Rose in the Phillies 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. He has always hovered around .500: 10-9, 16-15, 17-17 twice. The Pitching Prime of Bert Blyleven of Indians Ted Williams called Pascual's curveball the "most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years. During the winter there are many of these Monday events in the Los Angeles area. 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. It gives the opposition fits when thrown properly. Adrian Devine, Tommy Boggs and Eddie Miller were traded from the Rangers to the Braves. Francisco, come up here. Do we have $225? That was where I learned to throw and control the pitch.. But someone with a far greater mind than any scientist put the optical illusion theory to rest. Bert Blyleven career highlights | The Hardball Times "With his hands and wrist, he could throw that damn thing without any seams and it would curve," says Corrales. How to separate run support from that murky third factor? Bert Blyleven, in August of 1986, pitching with the Minnesota Twins against the Angels. ", Blyleven raises every bid, and, finally, he says, "Sold to me. How is a batter supposed to hit a curveball when he constantly has to be ready for the 100 mile per hour heater? 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. Robin Roberts hung on a long time but was a shell of himself for many years. 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. Julio Franco, who had been arrested the previous winter for possession of a gun without a permit, received a toy pistol. Tom Waddell. 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". play. He always goes out and buys me a new one. Weve already figured out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his RA/9IP and league-average run support. Nearly a decade later while an Indian, he flipped the bird to fans in Baltimore. He really helped the 1976 Rangers make a run for the pennant. 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). "Somebody had a sign that read, 'We drove 660 miles from Detroit Lakes,' I . After all, 17 wins in eight years is a lot. With the power of the internet, Lederers persistenceand, oh yeah, Blylevens own solid casehell have a nice weekend in upstate New York this year. 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. Digging a little deeper into the numbers, it looks like it really was just luck, because Blyleven was at his best when it counted the most. 48 is from a one-hitter Blyleven threw against the Kansas City Royals on May 24, 1973. BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: Blyleven thinks little of drugs, pitch count Blyleven, like so many Hall of Fame players, was driven to succeed. by Handedness, 10 things I didnt know about Bert Blyleven, http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/. Steve Farr. "Aw bleep, that was for him [Griffith] and his family." No player who had debuted on the ballot since 1970 had a vote total that low and later won election to the Hall. 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. You don't need this. (Thanks, Ron, wherever you are.) How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from 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. 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. The Pirates also acquired John Milner from the Mets. 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. One fan posted, "Pete Rose in the Phillies booth "he threw a c**k high fastball". And once he came up, he stuck around. Lets back up for a second. Carter only had one really low year, and it was never as low as Blyleven. There are 16 names, but only one 300-game winner. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. His run support wasnt that good every year, but by and large it was better than I wouldve guessed. "Bob Boone is building a house over there, Enos Cabell lives in those hills." How far, in feet, a runner is ranging off the bag at the Of course, it's never as nice as the one he cut.". See details. A doting daddy, Blyleven likes to spend time with his sons Timothy (above) and Thomas. And he was still a workhorse, completing 24 games in 1985, the last AL pitcher to top 20. It wasn't until he got married in 1971 that he noticed on his birth certificate that he's really Rik Aalbert. I'll have to admit that was a hell of a curveball.". Hes going in. He knows how to pitch. Kirkpatrick, 40, is sitting in the back of the dining room with his wife, Judy. When he beat the Twins for Texas on July 26, 1976, Blyleven didn't mince words. 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. Hal Newhouser barely won 200 games. Collectibles; Books & Magazines; Entertainment Memorabilia; Cell Phones . Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . He got him to fly out. Actually, given that the park factor was 104, Blylevens run support was nearly league average; 96% of league average to be precise. "I open the bidding at $200. 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.

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