bert blyleven fastball speed

Camilo Pascual threw only two pitches, his fastball and his nasty overhand curveball, so as one can imagine those pitches were dominant. Blyleven made his major league debut at age 19 for the Twins. 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?" Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft. During his time with the Angels, the fire extinguisher in the team's clubhouse at Angel Stadium read: "In case of Blyleven: Pull". 300. "I know that stuff sounds silly," says Smith. Brett Butler was presented with an autographed picture of his favorite soap opera star. It gives the opposition fits when thrown properly. "But if you had to have one pitcher to beat us, Blyleven would be the choice. (Also, Dean Chance? You have a half-dozen 300 game winnersGaylord Perry, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver. 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, just 19, was called up to replace him. So how many wins did Blyleven lose solely due to his run support? become a hit. Even the guys who didnt completely implode aged poorly. OK, now lets figure out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his actual RA/9IP and his actual run support. Blyleven appeared as himself in the 1990 James Belushi film Taking Care of Business. The Orioles legend has four 20-win seasons, a World Series title and a Cy Young Award to his name. He will do anything to get it. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Free shipping for many products! "O.K., I've got a ball here signed by Henry Aaron. 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. Escape Velocity takes the average of a player's batted ball velocities subtracted from 88. [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. I do. 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. How much time, in seconds, it takes a runner to get from On June 5, 1970, Rigney gave Blyleven his first start, against the Washington Senators. Prospectus Q&A: Bert Blyleven - Baseball Prospectus Blyleven did not know his correct name until he was about to get married. Koufax combined his rising fast ball with an overhand 12-6 curveball that embarrassed hitters. "There were 32 scouts in the stands at the start," he recalls. coach who was Blyleven's manager in Cleveland for half a season, "He should win 30 games with the stuff he's got. Do I hear $275? Actually, the best spelling of his name appears on one of his license plates: BLY11. Blyleven dominated batters for more than two decades with one of the best curveballs the game has ever seen and an underappreciated fastball. Blyleven's display includes his one no-hitter (win No. He went out and used it to dominate high school hitters, and by age 19 found himself winning 10 games in the major leagues as a rookie for the Minnesota Twins, the start to a career that would last until he was 41. Now he throws an excellent change, an occasional slider, an assortment of fastballs and, of course, his curve. The difference between the two projections should be what his run support cost him. The youngest player to ever be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at age 34, Sandy Koufax is the best left-handed pitcher to ever take the mound. Most people familiar with Blyleven's case for the HOF know that he stands fifth all-time in strikeouts. 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. See details. Id say 95 percent of that mysterious third element is luck, but does that mean its never anything else? [8] He pitched well with the Rangers, posting a 2.76 ERA. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) "I always played for my island," Alomar said in his induction speech. On a recent afternoon Blyleven went to see Todd play basketball for his seventh-grade team. Julio Franco, who had been arrested the previous winter for possession of a gun without a permit, received a toy pistol. 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 later wished he could have erased the 3-2 fastball he threw to the first batter he faced, Lee Maye. He got him to fly out. Bert Blyleven - Baseball-Reference.com No. 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. Stanky quit on his own. "Bert got six of mine last year," says DiBiasio. 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? The left-hander won over 200 games and struck out over 2,500 batters in his 18-year MLB career. Statcast defines a 'hard-hit ball' as one hit with an 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? The Blyleven tribe includes Kimberly, 10; wife Patty; Timothy, 3; Bert; Todd, 12; and Thomas, 17 months. "But I'll be grateful to him for one thing in particular. Blyleven, who has a seven handicap, is teamed with a couple of Cadillac dealers and an attorney, a zany Mormon named Tom Anthony. Another Look: Bert Blyleven - Baseball Prospectus Calico Jack (Suwinski) is Back for the Attack. He had thought all his life his given name was "Rikaalbert". "It was an off year for ties," says Blyleven. 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. From a Cooperstown point of view, the debate is semantics. Enough to make your knees buckle. 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) In fact, the Blylevens feel so strongly about family living that they, and Anthony, have helped several baseball players and their wives to adopt children. Bert Blyleven Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com Bert Blyleven Position: Pitcher Bats: Right Throws: Right 6-3 , 200lb (190cm, 90kg) Born: April 6, 1951 in Zeist, Netherlands nl More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame 2x All-Star 2x World Series 28 28 28 22 22 22 28 28 Even alone Blyleven is a terror, whether he's giving a hotfoot, tying clothes in knots, cutting neckties or pulling down McMahon's pants. When youre constantly winning 15 or more games a year, you dont need too many 20-win seasons to make this list. Does it really seem that if you give him a slight increase in run support his wins will shoot up? So it seems only fitting that Blyleven is something of a yakker. Blyleven reaches rare mark with 250th win | Baseball Hall of Fame When the Angels came to nearby Anaheim in 1966, Bert didn't switch his allegiance, although he did become one of the stadium rats. 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. Despite retiring at age 30, Sandy Koufax recorded 2,396 strikouts, won four World Series Championships and three Cy Young Awards. Free shipping for many products! Blyleven became disgruntled with the Pirates and threatened to retire during the 1980 season if he was not traded. Joe worked on the railroads in Saskatoon and Regina and moved to California in 1955. 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. We do. 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. The ones worse than him who are in are generally mistakes. This is Anthony's first time on a golf course in 10 years, and second time ever. If you think you just heard some big names, listen to these. Take his 1974 season, when he went 17-17 despite a tremendous ERA+ of 142. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted "It was nice of him to come anyway," says Blyleven. Those who throw it refer to it as The Hammer, The Yakker, even Public Enemy No. Brian yeah, if you look at pre-1920 guys its really nuts. The answer is 11. Bert Blyleven Winter & Minor Leagues Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com Look again at that list of young big winners. 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 . But thats the problem, you had to go way back. 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.. Stop asking old baseball players about the game - Sports Illustrated This isn't a tournament along the ropes of, say, the Hope or the Crosby. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. The Twins ran short of pitching early, the crusher coming on June 1, when Luis Tiant was put on the disabled list. 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. He was drafted straight out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the third round in 1969. 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 pitched very well for the Indians in the strike year of 1981 (11-7, 2.89 ERA), but in the first game after play resumed, he hurt his right elbow. Lets back up for a second. That was where I learned to throw and control the pitch.. Hmmm, maybe I should bid on it. Uh, okay, Dean Chance). Richie, you don't even exercise. If I see anymore, I'll fall in love." The Indians are happy to have him. Around (over?) Chris Bando, who loves pizza, was given an almost-empty pizza box. Free local pickup from Brooklyn, New York, United States. He came back in 1992 but was mostly unproductive, going 8-12 with a 4.74 ERA. Weve already figured out what Blylevens record should be based on pythaging his RA/9IP and league-average run support. The Twins responded by trading him to the Texas Rangers. When The Chicken brought his act to Cleveland, pitchers (from left) Ernie Camacho, Blyleven, Luis Aponte and Mike Jeffcoat were his plucky backups. Everything keyed off the fastball, but I could throw it at any time in the count, 3-2, bases loaded, I could throw it and throw it where I wanted, he said. [15] Blyleven was unhappy playing for the lackluster Indians and forced a trade back to the Twins,[16] where he passed the 3,000-strikeout mark and helped the Twins to a 1987 World Series victory. "This is for a free membership to Racquetball World. and 32 degrees. Fansboth at home and at road gamescarried signs to the games saying "Circle me Bert". US $3.00Standard Shipping. If anyones curious, heres a list of the most 1-0 CG SHO for post-Walter Johnson pitchers: Nice lead for Blyleven. The curveball has been around for ages and has taken many forms throughout the history of baseball. Call the curveball what you will. Richie Scheinblum? He just hasn't played on too many clubs that scored a lot of runs for him.". Robin Roberts hung on a long time but was a shell of himself for many years. The First Annual Blyleven Celebrity Golf Classic, to benefit Students Against Drunk Driving and the Orange County Trauma Society, is under way. Nice. 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. See all categories. 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. 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. Because of his competitive streak, Blyleven says things he probably shouldn't, and he usually says them with a biting wit. [5] One of seven children, his parents anglicized their names to Joe and Jenny, with Rik Aalbert becoming simply "Bert". Go figure. Bert was a terrific pitchera dominating pitcher. Tom Waddell. 1. There are 16 names, but only one 300-game winner. "[24] Blyleven was the first Dutch-born player inducted, and his Hall of Fame plaque depicts him with a Minnesota Twins cap. ", Not only does Blyleven pitch for the Indians, he actually likes being an Indian. Popular categories from this store. 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. How is a batter supposed to hit a curveball when he constantly has to be ready for the 100 mile per hour heater? One fan posted, "Pete Rose in the Phillies booth "he threw a c**k high fastball". exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. The 'Widowmaker' comes to Twins fantasy camp and MDs become MVPs 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. He chatted up all the passing foursomes and made sure the volunteer marshals switched holes so they wouldn't get bored. And I could throw it over at any time, any count."[6]. Then he filled out, picked up some speed on his fastball and wowed batters in rookie and A ball. Well, its that murky third factorthe luck/pitch-to-the-score/sunspots one. When you divide his career into sections, it veers wildly. I know this sounds terrible, but who does Bert pitch for these days?". ", Royals manager Dick Howser is also a Blyleven fan. Baseball '90 PREVIEW : ONE PITCH FROM STARDOM : Speed is not enough. In What makes his statistics even more impressive is that he missed five starts after he broke a bone in his right foot; while shagging flies in the Milwaukee outfield in May, he stepped on a ball hiding in the grass. 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 his last game with the Twins in 1976 before being traded, he made an obscene gesture to the crowd while walking off the mound. Also, while I think Blyleven is a better pitcher than Kaat, I wrote a column on Kaat years ago arguing in 1967 he had the greatest stretch run by a pitcher ever in a pennant race: 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. The in/out line for the Hall has never been 300 wins. Catfish Hunter lasted only a few months more. The list of 1-0 CG SHO, required the Play Index. To me, that was the characteristic that made him an unquestionable HOFer. He throws it a little differently than most pitchers, holding the ball so that every finger except his pinky is touching a seam. Blyleven was born in the Netherlands, one of only nine major leaguers to have been born in Holland as of 2020 (several major leaguers were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands outside Holland). No two curveballs have the same rotation speed, velocity toward the hitter, arm delivery angle, or break. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Thats doesnt sould too bad. At which point Richie Scheinblum yells across the room to his wife, "We already have a Koufax ball!" "I saw him when he was 19 and I've seen him now," Howser says. He missed a second 20-win season that year when he was forced to miss a couple of starts after breaking his foot when joking around in the bullpen. Do we have $225? But someone with a far greater mind than any scientist put the optical illusion theory to rest. He also won a World Series in 1979 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Aside from that, he never led the league. So did Steve Busby, Jeff Conine, Bill Singer, John Smiley, and Ron Fairly. He eventually came back after nearly two weeks. About 10 years ago, there was a debate at the late, great Rob Neyer Message Board about Blylevens Hall of Fame chances. Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, the Netherlands on April 6, 1951. This semicelebrity affair at Riviera was the second off-season charity event Bert has sponsored. Blyleven no-hits Angels in homecoming | Baseball Hall of Fame Angels pitcher Bert Blyleven throws a pitch during a game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 3, 1990 . For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Bert Blyleven Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com Bert Blyleven's curveball is his claim to fame - Twin Cities Now, does that really seem like an answer to the question of run support? 1973 Topps Set-Break #199 Bert Blyleven EX-EXMINT *GMCARDS* Bert Blyleven addresses the ball. Don Drysdale was done two weeks after his 33rd birthday. velocity and launch angle. The bullpen page for Hal Newhouser lists the 16 liveballers who won 150 games before turning 30 years old, but I feel a bit odd citing that, since Im the guy that put that info there in the first place. 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. Although under-appreciated during his playing career, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011his second-to-last year of eligibility. Other; Seller feedback (2,522,561) s***c (1508 . He began teaching the pitch to himself, learning to throw a drop in junior high. In 1985 he again led the American League in shutouts with five. They just started throwing me the curveball.. "There's not a lot of dropoff in his stuff. Heres a list, with how much theyd won before the big 3-0: Its easy to forget how young Blyleven debuted, just two months past his 19th birthday. A renowned curveball pitcher, Blyleven was also a two-time All-Star and World Series champion. 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 came back in 1992 but was mostly unproductive, going 812 with a 4.74 ERA. Communication. Hal Newhouser barely won 200 games. Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven had the tightest rotation and velocity combination," Schmidt was quoted as saying in a recent Associated Press story. 1997 Fleer Star Stickers Baseball #10 - Bert Blyleven - Minnesota Twins 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. 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. 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. 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. Normally that would be a random fact, but here it goes to the heart of things. The curveball of the '50s belonged to Camilio Pascual. O.K., I bid $300. He's also not afraid to throw inside to a hitter. He would continue to play for six different teams for the next 22 years . Kennedy got the message. Alomar, Blyleven and Gillick are inducted into the Hall of Fame "I know Ed thinks the world of him.". And now he has a little more command. One of the most remarkable things about Blyleven's career marks is that, of the active pitchers who rank ahead of him (Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Tommy John, Jerry Koosman and Phil Niekro), the youngest is nearly five years older than he is. There were players rolling around on the floor, laughing. Well, if its not luck, youre saying in so many words that the guy choked or lacked mental toughness. For years he thought his first name was Rikaalbert. 48 is from a one-hitter Blyleven threw against the Kansas City Royals on May 24, 1973. Normally a guy entering the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot with 287 wins is pretty impressive. Blyleven no-hits Angels in homecoming | Baseball Hall of Fame "[20] Specifically, according to Welch, "the president and chief investment officer of Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel in Long Beach, California, a guy by the name of Rich Lederer, began spending some of his off-hours writing analysis on the Interwebs about Blyleven's overlooked case. 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. Mike Jeffcoat. Arguments for inducting Bert Blyleven into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Terrys reaction was to swing straight down, like he was chopping the plate with an axe. Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt became something of an expert on the curveball during his career. He wound up completing 242 games and throwing 60 shutouts, the two numbers of which he is most proud. For some reason it has taken Blyleven 3,422 innings, 468 games, 195 wins, 15 years and four teams to be appreciated. As a player, Blyleven did not have the best reputation. 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). July 16, 1985: For the second time Blyleven pitches in an All-Star Game. ", In a list full of "Uncle Charlies" (a common nickname for a curveball), Doc Gooden's deuce is "Lord Charles.". In the '60s, Koufax had it. But he's not a bad guy. And those TWENTY no-decisions on the WORLD CHAMPION Pittsburgh Pirates are probably a record of sorts. For instance, he referred to Paul and Phil Seghi, the Indians' general manager, as "two old men sitting up in the booth playing checkers." Thats surprising. The Rangers received Al Oliver and Nelson Norman from the Pirates and Jon Matlack from the Mets. "Aw bleep, that was for him [Griffith] and his family." 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. And he couldn't help it if he was injured. 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). Bert Blyleven. "You know, from sticking our fingers in the dikes. by Handedness, 10 things I didnt know about Bert Blyleven, http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/forgotten-pennant-push-jim-kaat-1967/. Koosman's catcher in his Mets days, J.C. Martin, once said that Koosman could throw his 11-5 curveball "any time.". "[His curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you thatenough to make your knees buckle. background-image:unset; But the injuries may have been a blessing in disguise, because they made him a better pitcher. On September 22, 1977, just two weeks after being sidelined with a groin injury, Blyleven no-hit the California Angels 60 at Anaheim Stadium. Blyleven's curve breaks so quickly and so far that some batters swear they can hear it change direction. He played three seasons for the California Angels before retiring. Bert Blyleven Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | MLB.com "I would like to say to my family, to my fans, to all the Puerto Rican people and . I assumed Blyleven had no chance with the current BBWAA. Blyleven left 28 tickets for family and friends for that night's game, which turned out to be . ", Bert also inherited a love of the Dodgers from his father; he worshiped two in particular, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. In Blyleven's first spring training with the Twins, manager Bill Rigney watched him throw batting practice and yelled to his pitching coach, Marv Grissom, "Get him out of there. Phoenix, AZ 85004 Only two of them won 30 games after their age 30 seasonJim Palmer and Bob Fellerand none did it after age 32. Only nine? He didnt allowed more than 24 in any other season. It showed that of the last 20 guys elected to Cooperstown by the BBWAA (as of then), none had ever received 20 percent or lower of the vote in any election they were up for. In fact, he never came close. (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).