BERT BLYLEVEN

Position: Pitcher
Number: 28
Height: 6-3
Weight: 207
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Born: April 6, 1951 in Zeist, Netherlands
Resides: Fort Myers, FL
How Obtained: Twins' 3rd-round draft choice in 1969.
Elected to the Hall of Fame: January 5, 2011
Inducted to the Hall of Fame: July 24, 2011
Career Stats »

Bert Blyleven was armed with outstanding control and a wicked curveball that proved to be one of the toughest to hit in the history of the game. The tall right-hander with a fluid pitching motion came to the majors at 19 and remained durable over 22 big league seasons with five different teams, garnering 287 wins and 60 shutouts. The "Dutch Master" also compiled 3,701 strikeouts, baseball's third highest career total at the time he retired.

Blyleven was one of baseball's most notorious dugout pranksters during his playing days. He earned the moniker "Frying Dutchman" by frequently setting fire to his teammates' shoelaces, a practical joke known as a "hot-foot." During his time with the Angels, the fire extinguisher in the team's clubhouse at Angel Stadium read: "In case of Blyleven: Pull."

Blyleven did not know his correct name until he was about to get married. He had thought all his life his given name was "Rikaalbert"; when he was about to get married and got a copy of the birth certificate issued to his parents in Zeist, needing the certificate to fill out the marriage-license application, he saw his name for the first time as Rik Aalbert Blijleven.

In 1996, Blyleven became a color commentator for the Twins. Blyleven's commentary is occasionally risqué for a baseball broadcast, but provides interesting and friendly conversation between him and play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer. One of his trademarks is circling fans with the telestrator on screen. Fans, both at home and at road games, carry signs to the games saying, "Circle me Bert." This has led to a fundraising campaign with the Parkinson's Foundation and a sponsorship with the Minnesota Lottery.

PERSONAL: Rik Aalbert Blijleven (Blyleven) nickname: 'Bert' -or- 'Frying Dutchman' . . . wife (Nancy) Gayle (Sylvester), and has four children and two step-children . . . 1969 graduate of Garden Grove (CA) Santiago High School.

2011: Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, January 5. Blyleven finished with 463 votes, for 79.7 percent. Candidates needed 436 votes, or 75 percent, to be enshrined . . . Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, July 24 . . . Had Twins' jersey number 28 officially retired, July 16.

2010: Named on 74.2 percent of Hall of Fame votes – coming five votes short of being elected.

2009: Serves as pitching coach for the Dutch national team during the World Baseball Classic. The Dutch finish second in a major surprise . . . Was chosen to the fan-elected "Wendy's- Minnesota Twins All-Metrodome Team" on July 28.

2008: He received 336 votes, or 61.9% of the Hall of Fame votes.

2007: Blyleven's total dipped to 47.7% (75% is the minimum required for admission to the Hall).

2006: In September Blyleven was suspended briefly by the Twins for cursing on the air before a Twins-Yankees game. He thought the segment that he botched was being recorded, but it was live.

2005: Reaches the 40 percent mark, of Hall of Fame votes for the first time.

2004: A California blogger, Rich Lederer, starts making a statistical case for Blyleven’s inclusion in the Hall of Fame. Blyleven was named that year on slightly more than one-third of ballots; 75 percent is needed to get into Cooperstown.

2002: Inducted into the Twins’ Hall of Fame, June 1.

1998: In first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, gets named on only 17.6 percent of ballots. His total dropped to 14.1 percent the following year.

1996: Joins the Twins as a TV commentator.

1993: Went to training camp with the Twins, but didn’t make the team and said that he was officially retired.

1992: Goes 8-12 with 4.74 ERA for the Angels.

1991: Missed the entire season with rotator cuff surgery.

1990: Goes 8-7 with 5.24 ERA for the Angels.

1989: Goes 17-5 with 2.73 ERA in his first season, for the Angels, leading the AL for his third and final time in shutouts (5) . . . 241.0 Innings Pitched . . . July 13, Strikes out Larry Sheets in the bottom of the 5th inning at Memorial Stadium, in Baltimore, against the Orioles for his 3,500th career strikeout . . . Finished fourth in Cy Young Award balloting . . . Received AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

1988: In final season with Twins, Blyleven goes 10-17 with a career-high 5.43 ERA . . . It was the third time in his career that he’d lost 17 games in a season . . . 207.1 Innings Pitched . . . Traded to California as part of a five-player deal, November 3.

1987: Goes 15-12 with 4.01 ERA for the World Series-winning Twins . . . 267.0 Innings Pitched . . . Wins both of his ALCS starts and goes 1-1 during the World Series, winning Game 2 and losing Game 5.

1986: Goes 17-14 with 4.01 ERA for the Twins . . . AL Innings Pitched Leader (271.2 innings) . . . Sets a major league record by giving up 50 home runs, including 27 solo home runs and 18 with one runner on base . . . Gets his 3,000th strikeout against the Oakland Athletics, striking out Mike Davis in the top of the fifth inning, while pitching a two-hitter in a 15-strikeout performance, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, August 1 . . . Had 215 Strikeouts . . . Received Twins Joseph W. Haynes Pitcher of the Year Award.

1985: Goes 9-11 with 3.26 ERA for the Indians . . . He again led the American League in shutouts with 5 . . . AL Innings Pitched Leader (293.2 innings) . . . AL Complete Games Leader, completed 24 games, a feat never repeated (Only two pitchers have completed even ten games in a season since 2000.) . . .Voted to his second career All-Star Game . . . Blyleven was unhappy playing for the lackluster Indians and forced a trade back to the Twins, August 1 . . . Finishes the season by going 8-5 with 3.00 ERA for the Twins in 14 starts . . . AL Strikeouts Leader (206) . . . Achieves a career milestone as he collects his 200th career win, defeating the A’s, 6-1, June 14 . . . Finished third in Cy Young Award balloting.

1984: Has spectacular season, going 19-7 with a 2.87 ERA for a Cleveland team that finished 75-87 . . . 245.0 Innings Pitched . . . Finished third in Cy Young voting behind two relief pitchers . . . Collected 2500th career strike out against the Kansas City Royals, when he struck out Onix Concepcion in the bottom of the 1st inning at Royals Stadium, April 6 . . . 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 . . . One of his best seasons . . . Received Cleveland BBWA Man of the Year Award.

1983: He struggled but went 7-10 with 3.91 ERA for the Indians.

1982: Goes 2-2 with 4.87 ERA in 4 games for the Indians . . . Sat out most of the 1982 season with an elbow injury.

1981: Goes 11-7 with 2.88 ERA for the Indians.

1980: Goes 8-13 with 3.82 ERA for the Pirates . . . 216.2 Innings Pitched . . . Leaves the team after 15 games and asks to be traded, citing “non-support and lack of confidence” from manager Chuck Tanner. He returns 10 days later and finishes the season 8-13 . . . Traded from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, December 9.

1979: Goes 12-5 with 3.60 ERA on 37 starts and the Pirates win the World Series . . . Blyleven is the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the NLCS and Game 5 (pitching in relief) of the World Series . . . Pitched 237.1 innings . . . Collected 2000th career strike out against the Houston Astros, when he struck out Terry Puhl in the bottom of the 1st inning at the Astrodome, July 12.

1978: Goes 14-10 with 3.03 ERA for the Pirates . . . He led the team in ERA (3.03), strikeouts (182) and complete games (11) in 1978 . . . Pitched 243.2 innings.

1977: Goes 14-12 with 2.72 ERA for the Rangers . . . Pitched a no-hitter against the California Angels on September 22, 1977, just two weeks after being sidelined with a groin injury, in his final start of the season . . . His 2.74 career ERA with the Rangers remains the best in team history . . . Pitched 234.2 innings . . . 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, Blyleven was again traded on December 8, 1977 to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the first four-team trade in Major League Baseball history.

1976: Goes 4-5 with 3.12 ERA in 12 games for the Twins . . . Pitched 297.2 innings . . . Had 219 Strikeouts . . . Becoming more vocal, Blyleven made obscene gesture at fans at Metropolitan Stadium when he walked off the mound after a loss to the Angels, the final start of his stint with the Twins, May 31 . . . Was traded to the Texas Rangers on June 1, in a deal that brought Roy Smalley, three other players and $250,000 to Minnesota . . . He pitched well with the Rangers, having a 2.76 ERA and going 9-11 in his first season . . . Records his 100th career win—boy does he ever. It’s a complete-game, 1-0 victory in 10 innings. The opposing A’s manage only one hit in all that time, a Ken McMullen single in the fifth inning, June 21 . . . Collected 1500th career strike out against the California Angels, when he struck out Mike Easler in the bottom of the 5th inning at Anaheim Stadium, September 20.

1975: Goes 15-10 with 3.00 ERA for the Twins . . . Pitched 275.2 innings . . . Had 233 Strikeouts.

1974: Goes 17-17 with 2.66 ERA for the Twins . . . Pitched 281.0 innings . . . Had 249 Strikeouts . . . Collected 1000th career strike out against the Oakland Athletics, when he struck out Gene Tenace in the top of the 2nd inning at Metropolitan Stadium, August 5.

1973: Led the American League with nine shutouts and posted a 20-17 record . . . Pitched 325.0 innings . . . 2.52 ERA . . . Had 258 Strikeouts . . . This was his only 20-win season . . . This was also his only season pitching 300 or more innings . . . Finished seventh in Cy Young Award balloting . . . Voted to his first career All-Star Game . . . He pitched the most shutouts of any AL pitcher, with 9 . . . Received Twins Joseph W. Haynes Pitcher of the Year Award.

1972: Goes 17-17 with 2.73 ERA in 39 games for the Twins . . . Pitched 287.1 innings . . . Had 228 Strikeouts.

1971: Goes 11-7 with 2.88 ERA for the Indians . . . Pitched 278.1 innings . . . Had 224 Strikeouts . . . Received Twins Joseph W. Haynes Pitcher of the Year Award.

1970: Assigned to Class AA Evansville, where he makes seven starts before getting called up to the majors . . . Called up to the Majors at age 19 on June 2 . . . Makes major league debut against Washington Senators, June 5. Gives up home run to first batter he faces, Lee Maye, and wins the game 2-1 . . . Had a 10-9 record and 3.18 ERA . . . Named American League rookie pitcher of the year by The Sporting News.

1969: July-September – Compiles a 7-2 record and 2.09 ERA with two Twins minor-league teams.