Bert Blyleven
From SoSH
Bert Blyleven
| Born: | April 6, 1951 |
| Birthplace: | Zeist, Netherlands |
| Height: | 6' 3" |
| Weight: | 207lbs |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Drafted: | 1969: Minnesota Twins |
| College: | |
| High School: | |
| Teams: | Minnesota Twins 1970-1976, 1985-1988 Texas Rangers 1976-1977 Pittsburgh Pirates 1978-1980 Cleveland Indians 1981-1985 California Angels 1989-1992 |
Contents |
[edit]
Overall Career
Rik Aalbert "Bert" Blyleven is (as of 2007) the only eligible member of the 3,000 strikeout club who is not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Blyleven pitched for 22 major league seasons in five cities, collecting 287 wins and posting a career ERA of 3.31 over that span. Today, Blyleven is the color commentator for the Minnesota Twins, famous for circling Twins fans with his telestrator and dropping F-bombs on the air. Blyleven was a member of the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates World Championship team and the 1987 Minnesota Twins World Championship Team.
[edit]
Awards
- Pitched in two All-Star games (1973 and 1985) and twice placed third in Cy Young voting (1984-1985).
[edit]
Achievements
- Won 20 games in 1973
- Third to Jim Kaat and Walter Johnson for career wins and innings pitched for the Washington/Minnesota franchise
- Second to Walter Johnson for career strikeouts for the Washington/Minnesota franchise
[edit]
Trivia
- All of his most similar pitchers are in the Hall of Fame, except for fellow borderline pitchers Tommy John and Jim Kaat.
- The recipient of one of Chris Berman's less terrible nicknames: Bert "Be Home" Blyleven.
- Was an avid nose-picker, as evidenced by two separate videos of him getting in to his knuckle
- Holds the major league record for homeruns allowed in a season, with 50 in 1986
[edit]
Transactions
- June 5, 1969: Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft.
- June 1, 1976: Traded by the Minnesota Twins with Danny Thompson to the Texas Rangers for Bill Singer, Roy Smalley, Mike Cubbage, Jim Gideon, and $250,000.
- December 8, 1977: Traded as part of a 4-team trade by the Texas Rangers to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Atlanta Braves sent Willie Montanez to the New York Mets. The Texas Rangers sent Adrian Devine, Tommy Boggs, and Eddie Miller to the Atlanta Braves. The Texas Rangers sent a player to be named later and Tom Grieve to the New York Mets. The Pittsburgh Pirates sent Al Oliver and Nelson Norman to the Texas Rangers. The New York Mets sent Jon Matlack to the Texas Rangers. The New York Mets sent John Milner to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Texas Rangers sent Ken Henderson (March 15, 1978) to the New York Mets to complete the trade.
- December 9, 1980: Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with Manny Sanguillen to the Cleveland Indians for Gary Alexander, Victor Cruz, Rafael Vasquez, and Bob Owchinko.
- August 1, 1985: Traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later, Curt Wardle, Jay Bell, and Jim Weaver. The Minnesota Twins sent Rich Yett (September 17, 1985) to the Cleveland Indians to complete the trade.
- November 3, 1988: Traded by the Minnesota Twins with Kevin Trudeau (minors) to the California Angels for Mike Cook, Paul Sorrento, and Rob Wassenaar (minors).
- November 1, 1991: Granted free agency.
- January 22, 1992: Signed as a free agent with the California Angels.
- November 4, 1992: Granted free agency.
- January 7, 1993: Signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Twins.
[edit]
External Links
- Bert Blyleven's career stats
- Bert Blyleven - Courtesy of Wikipedia
- BertBelongs.com, advocating for Blyleven's election to the Hall of Fame
- Bert Blyleven's Official Website
