By Dominique Davis
Best Season: 1989
It’s difficult to choose a best year for Blyleven, who only won twenty games once (as a young pitcher in 1973 with the Twins), never led the league in ERA, and had several similar seasons. But we’ll pick 1989, a season which epitomizes Blyleven’s long, steady career. At the age of 38, in his first campaign with the Angels, who traditionally love veterans, Bert went 17-5 with a 2.73 ERA. He threw a league-best five shutouts, including the last of his 60 career whitewashes. In 241 innings he walked just 41 batters, striking out 131. Included that year was his 270th career victory.
Factoids
As a member of the Indians, Bert Blyleven collected his 200th win on June 14, 1985, against the Oakland A’s… On August 1, 1986, Blyleven joined the 3,000 strikeout club, as he whiffed 15 batters, again against the A’s.
Full Bio
Bert Blyleven was born in Holland, the first pitcher to have any sort of career who had been born there. In his 1970 debut with Minnesota he gave up a home run to the first batter he faced (the Senators Lee Maye). He would eventually yield 430 gopher balls, including a major league record 50 in 1986.
The right-hander went 20-17 in 1973, hurling 325 innings. Seventeen times he topped the 200 inning mark, including five times after the age of 34. He was a durable workhorse that ate up innings for his teams. He toiled for the Twins until he was dealt to the Rangers in May of 1976. With Texas he hurled a no-hitter in 1977. Despite being popular in Texas, the Rangers needed offense and traded Blyleven to the Pirates in the winter of 1977. In his first season he won 14 games and in 1979 he picked up 12.
The Pirates won the World Series in 1979 in unlikely fashion – rallying from a 3-1 deficit. Blyleven posted a 1.80 ERA in one start and a relief appearance. He lasted in Pittsburgh just one more season before returning to the American League with Cleveland. He pitched well in th strike-marred 1981 season but injuries slowed him the next two years. In 1984 he won 19 games for the Indians and the ’85 he was an All-Star.
The Twins acquired him for the stretch drive in 1985 and by 1986 he was anchoring the young staff. He won 15 games for the Twins World Series winners of 1987 – winning two more games in the ALCS and one in the Fall Classic. He had his second ring.
Blyleven lost 17 games in 1988 but rebounded with the Angels in 1989 to win 17. For his effort he won the Comeback Player of the Year honor. He had two more mediocre seasons with California, inching closer to the 300-win mark. But his failure to make the Twins staff in 1993 at the age of 42 left him 13 victories shy.
He retired third on the all-time strikeout list, with 3,701. His masterful curveball was one of the best of his era.
The Fingers
Blyleven claimed the success of his legendary curveball was due to his abnormally long fingers. Born in Holland, Blyleven claimed that the length of his fingers was due to sticking them in dikes as a child.
Career Stats by Team
Blyleven had a winning record everywhere he pitched, even in Cleveland and Texas. The Twins record includes his stints at the start and end of his career.
Team W L Pct ERA K
Twins 149 138 .519 3.28 2035
Rangers 23 23 .500 2.74 326
Pirates 34 28 .548 3.47 522
Indians 48 37 .565 3.23 548
Angels 33 24 .579 3.92 270
Born
Rik Aalbert Blyleven was born on April 6, 1951, in Zeist