Being close to his 100th win is. He repaid some of his debt to Flores this off-season when he hosted a tournament to benefit the Hemophilia Foundation; Flores's grandson has that disease. 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. "Doug DeCinces lives over here," says Blyleven. From 1970-77, Blyleven went 122-113 despite an ERA+ of 134. But since no one close to 280 wins showed up after Blyleven, it helped him rise up over the years. Blyleven received only 17.55% of the vote for Hall of Fame admission in 1998 (his first year of eligibility), and his vote total dropped to 14.1% in 1999. He currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida. After getting his 18th win, Blyleven talked Cleveland Manager Pat Corrales into letting him pitch again with only three days' rest, and he won No. Half of them blew their arms out right after turning 30. Before the All-Star break, he was 150-140 with a 3.47 ERA, but after it he was 137-110 with a 3.12 ERA. So why did this happen to Blyleven? Bert Blyleven Twins 2022 Topps Gilded Collection 1X Case 18X Box Break #7 | Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop, Sports Trading Cards, Trading Card Box & Case Breaks | eBay! 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. After just 21 minor league starts, he found himself called up to the Majors at age 19 on June 2, 1970. 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.". [11][12] With the Pirates, he led the team in ERA, strikeouts, and complete games in 1978, and he helped them to a World Series victory in 1979. 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. In the end, he fell virtually inches short of what would have been an unquestioned Hall of Fame career, just missing 300 wins (13 shy), 5,000 innings (30 shy), and 4,000 strikes (299 shy). He has lines around his eyes and a scar on the inside of his right elbow, testimony to the strain and pain of 15 years in the major leagues. See all categories. Upon his return, he was plagued by chronic stomach ulcers and a torn rotator cuff. He was drafted straight out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the third round in 1969. 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. Add in assorted aces Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Catfish Hunter, Mickey Lolich, Luis Tiant, and thats some list. Even the guys who didnt completely implode aged poorly. 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 the last part of his careerhis second go-around in Minnesota and his final seasons in Californiahe came out eight games ahead. This likely hurt him in the early Cooperstown voting. And quite well, thank you. ", Last year Blyleven was 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA against the American League West champion Royals. 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. No. [29] During a 2006 broadcast, Blyleven forgot the name of the movie and had to be reminded of it by a technician in the broadcast booth. Heck, Matt Lawton made two All-Star games. 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". It's like the fellow at the golf tournament said. A couple of years ago when he was on the disabled list and back home, he came to watch my son Monte pitch. Until last year, fate had not been overly kind to Blyleven. You cant do a simplistic, reductionistic system. When the Angels came to nearby Anaheim in 1966, Bert didn't switch his allegiance, although he did become one of the stadium rats. Jack Brickhouse, a Chicago Cubs broadcaster, described the pitches Paige threw as "not quite legal but not quite illegal.". He chatted up all the passing foursomes and made sure the volunteer marshals switched holes so they wouldn't get bored. Blyleven and his Villa Park neighbors could probably win the American League West. He also became a baseball fan. The lone hit in that game was a bunt single by slow-footed Ed Kirkpatrick in the fifth inning. i surely did my campaigning for blyleven too back in the day. He currently ranks 5th all-time in strikeouts, 9th all-time in shutouts, and 27th all-time in wins. But he did. The Pirates also acquired John Milner from the Mets. Fortunately for him, life wasnt going to throw him that curve, and he now has his place in history. On the second-to-last weekend of the season, the Indian players had a little party to adjourn their kangaroo court. "Somebody had a sign that read, 'We drove 660 miles from Detroit Lakes,' I . In 1996, Blyleven became a television color analyst for the Twins, calling games for WCCO-TV and Midwest Sports Channel (later Fox Sports North). Normally that would be a random fact, but here it goes to the heart of things. When he was younger, his stuff was so good that he didn't need a changeup or pinpoint control. Joe's brother, Cor, had gone to the U.S. before the war, and because it was easier to enter from Canada than from Holland, the Blylevens emigrated to Saskatchewan when Bert was two. Hal Newhouser barely won 200 games. 48 is from a one-hitter Blyleven threw against the Kansas City Royals on May 24, 1973. None had ever fallen below 30 percent. Yet last year was the first time he ever got a vote for the Cy Young Award. For some reason it has taken Blyleven 3,422 innings, 468 games, 195 wins, 15 years and four teams to be appreciated. People in and out the game lauded Blyleven for having the games best curveball, but he was also temperamental. Blyleven's display includes his one no-hitter (win No. Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/, interesting article. 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. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. (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). And he was still a workhorse, completing 24 games in 1985, the last AL pitcher to top 20. "Bert got six of mine last year," says DiBiasio. Two words Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson used to describe Bert Blyleven's curveball: "nasty" and "knee-buckling.". ++ (FREE SHIPPING) at the best online prices at eBay! Shipping speed. "I would like to say to my family, to my fans, to all the Puerto Rican people and . Carter only had one really low year, and it was never as low as Blyleven. Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? Expected Weighted On-base Average (xwOBA). If you think you just heard some big names, listen to these. No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. player has saved over his peers. Anything below 88mph is considered 0. It's one of the hardest things in sports to execute. 122), his five one-hitters, his eight two-hitters and his five three-hitters. Ill be looking for it, Chris, and will pass the link on; youve got more than a few fans over at the WGOM. Blyleven was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011 after receiving 79.7% of the vote on his 14th attempt. I checked all pitchers with at least 25 SHO from 1920-2011. In 2008, he received 336 votes, or 61.9% of the vote. 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. He came back in 1992 but was mostly unproductive, going 8-12 with a 4.74 ERA. The only thing Blyleven hates more than pitch counts is the use of . Calico Jack (Suwinski) is Back for the Attack. Call it sunspots for all I care, it aint run support. Jerry Willard. 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. Those who throw it refer to it as The Hammer, The Yakker, even Public Enemy No. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1971 Topps Bert Blyleven #26 Rookie Minnesota Twins at the best online prices at eBay! "And here's a ball signed by the 1984 Cleveland Indians. But someone with a far greater mind than any scientist put the optical illusion theory to rest. He played three seasons for the California Angels before retiring. Communication. 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. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as That just leaves the years in his apparent prime, from 1970-77, when he won 17 fewer games than youd expect. His fastball overpowered hitters and was clearly the pitch he relied on most heavily. He is very much at ease on the podium as he describes various raffle prizes, calls off winning numbers and awards golf trophies. This list is composed based not just on the nastiness of the curveball but also on how effectively it was used along with the pitcher's other weapons. Well, if its not luck, youre saying in so many words that the guy choked or lacked mental toughness. This year he is 4-6, with a 2.97 ERA. . He's referring to neckties. And so he ended his career, waiting and wondering if he would get into the Hall of Fame. The Indians are happy to have him. It's also nice of Blyleven to host this tournament. Bert Blyleven. shouts someone from a passing golf cart. Bert Blyleven addresses the ball. Blyleven has a memento from each of his teams, a ball for every win and a replica of the 1979 Series trophy. See details. Blyleven started the season in Triple A. He would continue to play for six different teams for the next 22 years . 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. ", Says Mike Ferraro, a K.C. Thanks for the link at WGOM, by the way. [21] In 2009, he gained only two votes, for a total of 338, 62.7%. You've got to be kidding. he asks. 1 fairway at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. 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.