No player who had debuted on the ballot since 1970 had a vote total that low and later won election to the Hall. 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. Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, a municipality in Utrecht, Netherlands, the son of Johannes Cornelius and Jannigje Blijleven. Thats the question. 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. Stand behind a tree 60 feet away and Ill whomp you with an optical illusion, challenged Dizzy Dean. None spent as many years as low on BBWAA ballots as Blyleven. Cleveland president Gabe Paul said, "Bert Blyleven isn't going anywhere. Richie Scheinblum? Brett Butler was presented with an autographed picture of his favorite soap opera star. She says, "So now we'll have two.". In 1986, he. (Lou Sauritch/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) Shop Add in assorted aces Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Catfish Hunter, Mickey Lolich, Luis Tiant, and thats some list. i surely did my campaigning for blyleven too back in the day. "We have a beautiful cutlery set. Yeah, over his career. Stanky quit on his own. Popular categories from this store. "Somebody had a sign that read, 'We drove 660 miles from Detroit Lakes,' I . "Golf is my life," Anthony keeps saying. How hard, in miles per hour, a fielder throws the ball. Ron Necciai is one of the most dominating pitchers that never materialized in the Major Leagues. How high/low, in degrees, a ball was hit by a batter. "But I thought it was kind of nice. It's hard to say anything based on one game, but he looks like he's got a great future ahead of him.". He is very much at ease on the podium as he describes various raffle prizes, calls off winning numbers and awards golf trophies. Blyleven has a different grip on his yakker than most, but, then, he has been more successful than most. 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. Buyer pays for return shipping. Those stats hit me in the face. Blyleven, just 19, was called up to replace him. Blyleven mingled easily with the other parents. Updated: Saturday, March 4, 2023 3:30 AM ET, Park Factors background-color:#ba3434; 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. (Also, Dean Chance? "You know, from sticking our fingers in the dikes. Now he owes the Indians and the city of Cleveland something in return.". able to make a catch on an individual batted ball. Also, he felt that Tanner was pulling him from games too quickly. 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? Other; Seller feedback (2,522,561) s***c (1508 . It was 14 years of praying and waiting, but I want to thank the baseball writers for finally getting it right, he said when his election was announced on January 5. He also tied for third in shutouts, with four, and for fourth in complete games, with 12. [9], Following an incident in which Blyleven blatantly gave the finger to a television camera obviously focused on him during one of the Rangers' rare nationally broadcast games,[10] he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first four-team blockbuster deal in Major League Baseball history on December 8, 1977, that also involved the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and a total of 11 players changing teams. 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 fastest reactions and most direct routes in the All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. Do I hear $275? The no-hitter was his final start as a Ranger; not until Cole Hamels during the 2015 season would a pitcher be traded after pitching a no-hitter in his most recent start for the team that traded him. And now he has a little more command. Bert Blyleven grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., less than 10 miles from Anaheim Stadium. 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. Only two of them won 30 games after their age 30 seasonJim Palmer and Bob Fellerand none did it after age 32. "A Carl Yastrzemski bat. "I think the world of Chuck Tanner," says Blyleven now. Nice. Not many of these around. Sold for $200. It can ruin a career. 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. 5.0. ", Bert also inherited a love of the Dodgers from his father; he worshiped two in particular, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. Robin Roberts hung on a long time but was a shell of himself for many years. After his first year of Baseball Hall of Fame eligibility in 1998, Blyleven was widely considered to be the best eligible pitcher not yet enshrined. Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Joe Adcock, Eddie Mathews. Sold for $150. Maglie's numbers are not overly impressive due to his stint in the Mexican League that got him banned from Major League Baseball. The Twins responded by trading him to the Texas Rangers. Kennedy got the message. He knows how to pitch. "I just don't think he knew how to use me." When Blyleven and Sutcliffe were together in Cleveland, their teammates had to be on constant lookout for pranks. Carter only had one really low year, and it was never as low as Blyleven. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight On a recent afternoon Blyleven went to see Todd play basketball for his seventh-grade team. 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. And he couldn't help it if he was injured. "With his hands and wrist, he could throw that damn thing without any seams and it would curve," says Corrales. It was this way when hitters faced Blyleven, as former San Diego catcher Terry Kennedy can attest. Blyleven got so upset with his role in Pittsburgh that he walked out on the Pirates for 10 days early in 1980. of his glove and to the base on a stolen base or pickoff He left in the eighth to a standing ovation from the Municipal Stadium faithful, 8,239 strong. Blyleven became the first Dutch-born player to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 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. in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second Blyleven married Patricia Ann Whitehead, a friend from high school, during his second season in the majors, and they have raised a happy family. By this approach, Blyleven comes out nine wins behind. It was the last out of the inning. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. "[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. If it weren't for drug and injury issues late in his career, he easily could have reached the 3,000-strikeoutplateau. Fine pitchers, but a definite step down from what had come before. 5.0. become a hit. 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. }, Cronkite School at ASU Roberto Alomar, Pat Gillick and Bert Blyleven on stage during a press conference during the 2011 Hall of Fame Weekend. [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. Saved him a lot of pain." The curveball has been around for ages and has taken many forms throughout the history of baseball. Brian yeah, if you look at pre-1920 guys its really nuts. One fan posted, "Pete Rose in the Phillies booth "he threw a c**k high fastball". Hal Newhouser barely won 200 games. In the last part of his careerhis second go-around in Minnesota and his final seasons in Californiahe came out eight games ahead. To me, that was the characteristic that made him an unquestionable HOFer. 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. Note that since the Neyer Board discussion ten years ago, things have already shifted. His 2.74 career ERA with the Rangers remains the best in team history. After I ran off the mound, I looked over at the St. Louis' dugout. 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. Blyleven missed the entire 1991 season following rotator cuff surgery. Blyleven has often been labeled a troublemaker. He made his debut on June 5, 1970 playing for the Minnesota Twins as a pitcher. Thanks for the link at WGOM, by the way. Blyleven's first two teams, the Twins and Rangers, usually weren't very good, and even though the Pirates won the World Series in '79, Blyleven had some philosophical differences with manager Chuck Tanner. The Rangers received Al Oliver and Nelson Norman from the Pirates and Jon Matlack from the Mets. thrown with. My dad built a mound in the backyard and had a canvas hung behind a horseshoe pit. ", Last year Blyleven was 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA against the American League West champion Royals. See all categories. From 1984-89, he went 95-71 with a 115 ERA+. From 1970-77, Blyleven went 122-113 despite an ERA+ of 134. I know this sounds terrible, but who does Bert pitch for these days?". His fastball overpowered hitters and was clearly the pitch he relied on most heavily. Tom Waddell. 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. In 1973, he pitched nine shutouts, the most of any AL pitcher that season. ", During a lull at the banquet, Scheinblum talks about Blyleven. "Then we'd sneak down into the dugouts and grab whatever we couldresin bags and broken bats. Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born in Zeist, the Netherlands on April 6, 1951. 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. 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 are 16 names, but only one 300-game winner. Even though he put more miles on his arm in his 20s then nearly all of them, he kept on going. We do. [27], On September 2, 2020, Blyleven broadcast his final game for the Twins.[28]. Even Hall of Fame players marveled at Blylevens curve. But he's not a bad guy. During the winter there are many of these Monday events in the Los Angeles area. There, he got a job straightening bumpers and brought his family down the next year. 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. "It was nice of him to come anyway," says Blyleven. Tanner is almost universally beloved, so Blyleven came out as the bad guy in Pittsburgh, especially after Tanner called him "Cryleven." Gary Carter, Rich Gossage, Jim Rice, and Bruce Sutter have all gotten in, after initially finishing under 50 percent. [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. 1. I'll have to admit that was a hell of a curveball.". 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?" His answer told you all you need to know about the major-league curveball: Dont bother. "I know Ed thinks the world of him.". If you went back further, you could find guys whod risen up: Billy Williams, Luis Aparicio, Bob Lemon. In those years he was 59-66 (.472) at the break and 53-38 (.582) afterwards. Dutch-American baseball player (born 1951), Cleveland Guardians Opening Day starting pitchers, Los Angeles Angels Opening Day starting pitchers, List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual shutout leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders, List of Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers, List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leaders, List of Major League Baseball career shutout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders, "Twins' Bert Blyleven, a Fort Myers resident, moves from broadcast booth", "HOFers have long history with World Baseball Classic", "Wednesday's game marked Bert Blyleven's last Twins broadcast", "Bert Blyleven Society for American Baseball Research", "Sports of The Times; Blyleven And His Beard", -NY Times article Alomar and Blyleven elected to hall of fame, 1/5/11, "Blyleven traded to Texas in six-player transaction", Former Indians Blyleven, Alomar Elected to Hall of Fame, Durso, Joseph. How fast, in miles per hour, a ball was hit by a batter. His miniature car is a favorite. 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. "One curve I'll always remember was when I was pitching for Pittsburgh, Blyleven once recalled. 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. Bert Blyleven is one of the great command pitchers in baseball history! I threw him an 0-2 curve and it snapped. Esteban Loaiza made two. 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) Blyleven, an intense competitor, wants it. 30 day returns. At 6 feet 3 inches, with long arms and large hands, he throws. Lets back up for a second. This led to a fundraising campaign with the Parkinson's Foundation and a sponsorship with the Minnesota Lottery. Then he filled out, picked up some speed on his fastball and wowed batters in rookie and A ball. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft. A Bolt is any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as ", Says Mike Ferraro, a K.C. Jerry Koosman was a two-time, all-star for the New York Mets and, like most lefties, relied heavily on his curveball for success. Terry Kennedy was a young player with St. Louis. Normally that would be a random fact, but here it goes to the heart of things. Thereupon he drives the addressee 250 yards straight down the middle of the No. The Mets got from the Braves Willie Montaez and from the Rangers Tom Grieve and Ken Henderson who was sent to New York to complete the transaction three months later on March 15, 1978. Adrian Devine, Tommy Boggs and Eddie Miller were traded from the Rangers to the Braves. Played in the Big Leagues from 1971-1990 and 1992. How to separate run support from that murky third factor? Mike Cuellar was one of the filthiest breaking ball pitchers the game has ever seen. 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 Blyleven became disgruntled with the Pirates and threatened to retire during the 1980 season if he was not traded. And quite well, thank you. 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. Blyleven's third batter was Frank Howard. As a player, Blyleven did not have the best reputation. 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. A dozen of his 1-0 complete game shutouts came from 1970-77. Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. How much did this cost him? 1971 TOPPS # 26 BERT BLYLEVEN NICE CARD. In the early days it was fashionable to deny that a curveball actually curved, many scientists even claiming it was nothing but an optical illusion. But someone with a far greater mind than any scientist put the optical illusion theory to rest. 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). outfield. The Pirates won by the same score in Game 5 of the World Series, as Blyleven earned the decision with four shutout innings of relief. shouts someone from a passing golf cart. Steve Farr. Fansboth at home and at road gamescarried signs to the games saying "Circle me Bert". All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. Until last year, fate had not been overly kind to Blyleven. He keeps a collection of baseball memorabilia in his study. His 20 no decisions in 1979 are the most by an MLB starting pitcher in a season, dating back to at least 1908.[13]. After Blyleven, the only 200-game winners to appear in the next five years were Rick Reuschel and Frank Tanana. "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. 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". 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. He argued vehemently with the official scorer and later phoned the league office when outfielder George Vukovich wasn't given an error on a play on which two earned runs scored. 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! This semicelebrity affair at Riviera was the second off-season charity event Bert has sponsored. Paige has a unique ability to blow hitters away and come right back and make them look foolish. Who the hell wanted this old-timer in the HOF anyways? "It finally ended when I was out in the back of the house, pulling weeds. You have a half-dozen 300 game winnersGaylord Perry, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver. During his time with the Angels, the fire extinguisher in the team's clubhouse at Angel Stadium read: "In case of Blyleven: Pull". Almost everybody says this of Blyleven: "He wants the ball." How quickly, in seconds, a catcher can get the ball out The third pitch was a hard check swing. Baseball-Reference.com provided the stats. Blyleven also won so many games because he was a great workhorse. 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. However, Blyleven's early career with the Twins was not always pleasant as he was hounded by critics and fans. Only 16 other pitchers have at least 3,000 career strikeouts. "Here's a ball autographed by the 1957 Milwaukee Braves. 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). 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. Looking it up, in his 37 starts, the Twins scored 151 runs, 4.1/game. 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. 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. Many (especially in THT-land) will call it luck. (Thanks, Ron, wherever you are.) In 15 years with four teams he has 195 wins and a 3.00 ERA. Blyleven has a ball for every one of his regular-season major league victories, as well as for his win in the 1979 National League Championship Series for the Pirates and his '79 World Series victory over the Orioles. 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). That was the. Thats surprising. Do we have $225? Blyleven was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2002[25] and was chosen to the fan-elected "Wendy's- Minnesota Twins All-Metrodome Team" on July 28, 2009. Bert was a terrific pitchera dominating pitcher. Possessing both a screwball and a curveball to go with a deceptive palmball, Cuellar was nearly untouchable in the prime of his career. 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.. Aside from that, he never led the league. He won fewer games than he should have, right? In the '60s, Koufax had it. 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. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. Hes going in. Koosman's catcher in his Mets days, J.C. Martin, once said that Koosman could throw his 11-5 curveball "any time.". 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. Francisco, come up here. No takers? Given his temperamental behaviour and (more happily) reputation as a practical jokester as a player, which have carried over somewhat into an occasionally prickly demeanor as a broadcaster, I wonder if Blylevens early debut in the majors is partially to blame for his personalitys lack of leavening. Bert Blyleven. Half of them blew their arms out right after turning 30. The Pirates also acquired John Milner from the Mets. Hey, these names might not seem too important now, but someday. Do I hear $2? For $675.". Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, "Thirty-one of them must have left by the third inning." That year, he pitched 293.2 innings and completed 24 games, a feat that has not been repeated since. Heck, Matt Lawton made two All-Star games. The Twins ran short of pitching early, the crusher coming on June 1, when Luis Tiant was put on the disabled list. "I told our third baseman, Steve Braun, to watch for a bunt," says Blyleven, "but Spanky laid a perfect one down. 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. Thats a lot better than I wouldve expected. Blyleven, 38, has won 271 major league games with one of baseball's best curves and a variety of offspeed pitches. Calico Jack (Suwinski) is Back for the Attack. "Bob Boone is building a house over there, Enos Cabell lives in those hills." 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. Heck, Manny Trillo made four. "I visualized the dropping motion.". Friendship may be the tie that binds Blyleven and Scheinblum, but occasionally Bert can get snippy. When you divide his career into sections, it veers wildly. Bert Blyleven addresses the ball. The team finishes at 3-under and out of hunt. He ran cross-country and played basketball and baseball at Santiago High School, and the baseball scouts began to come around. and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed. The lone hit in that game was a bunt single by slow-footed Ed Kirkpatrick in the fifth inning. Francisco the busboy? 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. What have we got here? Says Roy Smith, a rookie pitcher who dressed next to Blyleven last season, "Because his stuff is so good, it really doesn't do me any good to ask him what he throws to certain hitters. Blyleven went out and bought gifts for everyone. The likelihood, in percent, that an outfielder will be Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 13 business days. 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. Hmmm, no cork in it. "An autographed picture of Fernando Valenzuela. Statcast refers to the spin that contributes to movement "There were 32 scouts in the stands at the start," he recalls. 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. 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. And I said, 'Yes.' His breaking ball was literally untouchable. "Bert's always doing things for people," he says. He began teaching the pitch to himself, learning to throw a drop in junior high. Blyleven set the record that still stands with 50 gopher balls in 1986, and then topped the league again with 46 in 1987. [citation needed], MLB Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson said of Blyleven: "[his curveball] was nasty, I'll tell you that. The only thing Blyleven hates more than pitch counts is the use of . The only problem was that his name was published as "Blylevan," which is the way the Twins spelled it in those days. He pitched for the MLB All-Stars in the 1993 World Port Tournament in Rotterdam. In all likelihood, Bert Blyleven is the best pitcher not in the Hall of Fame. So you know: later this week as induction day nears, Ill have a Bert Blyleven career highlights piece up at THT Live. Naturally, he sinks all the birdie putts.