Bert Blyleven

Bert Blyleven

Birthdate	4/6/1951
Death Date
Debut Year	1970
Year of Induction	2011
Teams	Angels, Indians, Pirates, Rangers, Twins
Position	Pitcher

A prolific prankster, Bert Blyleven was a master at the “hot foot”. He could pitch a little too as evidenced by his 287 wins and 3,701 career K’s.

In high school Blyleven was already considered a pro prospect

By his junior year at Garden Grove California’s Santiago High School scouts considered Bert Blyleven as a prospect. With multiple no-hitter and a game in which he recorded all outs via the strikeout, it’s no wonder. When his senior year ended, the Twins made him the 55th overall pick by

Blyleven's signature appears just above Sy Berger's on the contract

The reverse of the contract provides interest. Here Bert Blyleven’s signature appears next to that of Topps executive Sy Berger. Known as the father of modern baseball cards, Berger is credited with designing the 1952 Topps set. He worked for Topps for more than a half century and was honored

Topps first paid Blyleven $5 to appear on their baseball cards

When Blyleven agreed to appear on his first baseball card he received this check for a whopping $5.00. Still nearly a year from his big league debut, Blyleven was only 18 years old. Shown here is a check from Topps Chewing Gum made out to future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven. It’s dated July 2,

Topps signed Blyleven to an extension before he was a big leaguer

An 18-year old Bert Blyleven must have been thrilled to sign a contract to appear on baseball cards. Before he turned 19 he also signed an extension. The first piece on this page is the Dutchman’s initial contract with Topps Chewing Gum. The contract above is his first contract extension with

As a 19-year old, Blyleven made his debut on June 5, 1970 and was in the bigs to stay

Bert Blyleven made his major league debut on June 5, 1970 as the youngest player in either league. The 19-year-old right-hander scattered five hits over 7 innings, allowing one run and striking out seven. It was enough to earn his first big league win. By the end of the season, Bert had 10 wins, 135

Despite his on-field success, Bert Blyleven rarely had off-field endorsements

The Major League Baseball Players Association sent out questionnaires like this one to its players to determine what endorsements each man had. Today’s players compliment their baseball salary with off field endorsements. That wasn’t always the case. This document filled out by Bert Blyleven o

In his first All Star Game appearance Bert Blyleven gave up Hank Aaron's final ASG RBI

Bert Blyleven earned his first all star game berth in 1973. At 22 years old, the right hander also put up his first and only 20-win season. In the Mid-Summer Classic, Blyleven struggled. He entered the game with his AL squad up 1-0. Pinch hitter Darrell Evans began the inning

Bert Blyleven's World Series debut came in 1979, his tenth season in the majors

Bert Blyleven’s first taste of World Series competition came after his tenth big league season in 1979. Manager Chuck Tanner gave the 28-year old Dutchman the ball in Game 2 against Baltimore ace Jim Palmer. Blyleven scattered five hits across six innings. Orioles first baseman Eddie Murray in

Three days later Bert Blyleven got his first World Series victory in Game 5

After a solid two-run six-inning performance in his Game 2 start, Bert Blyleven came out of the bullpen three days later in Game 5. The Pittsburgh pitcher entered the contest in the sixth inning with his team down 1-0. The Bucco offense soon awoke, scoring two in the sixth, two in the seventh, and t

Only four pitchers have surpassed Bert Blyleven's total of 3,701 strikeouts

The only member of the Baseball Hall of Fame born in Holland, Bret Blyleven played on five teams during his 22-year big league career. Armed with one of the best curveballs the game has ever known, he was a workhorse. Blyleven made 685 starts and had 242 complete games. Blyleven was a prolific strik

The Twins put Blyleven into their team Hall of Fame and retired his number

The Minnesota Twins inducted Bert Blyleven into their team Hall of Fame in 2002. After he was voted into Cooperstown in 2011, the Twins also retired his number. Bert’s #28 will never again be worn by a Twins player. Harmon Killebrew was the first man to receive both honors. The slugger played

The baseball writers elected Blyleven to the Hall of Fame in his 14th year on the ballot

According to Baseball Reference, only 11 pitchers in big league history have a higher WAR than Bert Blyleven. The Dutch-born right-hander has 287 wins and 3,701 strikeouts – the fifth-most in big league history. Despite Blyleven’s greatness, he waited 14 years on the writers’ ballo

A Story about Bert Blyleven

HoFer Bert Blyleven gave Don Mattingly an earful in ’84!

August 5th, 2015 Leave a comment

After fourteen years on the ballot, Bert Blyleven got elected in 2011, his final year on the Writers’ ballot. The first Dutch-born inductee, Blyleven was a practical joker off the field, and a competitor on it. Renowned for having one of the game’s best curveballs, Blyleven could also bring the heat. Just ask former Yankee Don Mattingly. The first time the two squared off was in August of 1984 at Cleveland’s Lakefront Stadium. Blyleven was in the midst of one of his finest seasons. The Dutchman went 19-7 with a 2.87 ERA that year and finished fourth in the American League in strikeouts. Mattingly was near the apex of his career, finishing the year as the A.L. batting champ, leading the league with 207 hits, and 44 doubles. “The first at bat, I hit a seed, a one-hopper right at the first basemen,” Mattingly said. Feeling confident Mattingly came up for his second at bat ready to do some damage. “I was like all right, I’m going to hit him hard again,” Mattingly recalled. Did the confidence pay off? “The first pitch was right at my chin and knocked me down on my ass,” said a smiling Mattingly. After dusting himself off, the slugger dug […]