Bert Blyleven-MN Twins Team Hall of Fame interview 2002

[RAPisntMUSIC111]

i like the let it be shirt the interviewer is wearing lol

[NkrumahTure]

See, Blyleven does have formidable overall numbers but he had the unfortunate situation of playing in the era of pitchers like Jim Palmer, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, & Jim "Catfish" Hunter, who over shadowed him. These guys set the standard for starting pitchers in their day. Blyleven never was THE dominant pitcher in any particular year he pitched. Also, he played for those mediocre Twin teams in the 70's, which is probably why his HOF candidacy is so questionable.

[NkrumahTure]

But, does he deserve to be inducted in the Hall of Fame? Absolutely. He had incredible "stuff", and when he was "on" he could pitch as great as anyone. He argubly has the greatest curve ever in MLB history in my opinion.

[ddenuci]

Nkrumah: You named some of the all-time greats there, but look at it from the other perspective. Fergie Jenkins, Phil Niekro, Don Sutton, and Gaylord Perry are all HOF'ers. It's true that all of these pitchers had more wins, and all except Jenkins actually recorded the magic 300+ wins. But none match Blyleven in K's or shutouts. Take a look at Niekro's numbers : 318 wins, 45 shutouts, 3342 K's, and 3.35 ERA. Even his winning pct of .537 is comparable to Bert's .534.

[NkrumahTure]

Absolutely, good point. Let's hope he gets in the Hall.

[ddenuci]

Actually, there's one more pitcher I left out: Jim Kaat. 25 year career. 283 wins, 31 shutouts, 2461 K's and 3.45 ERA. 3 time All-star but no Cy-Young's. However, he won the gold glove every year from 1962-77. 16 gold gloves!

[NkrumahTure]

Yes, 16 gold gloves is quite an accomplishment. It's hard to argue against that. I remember Jim "Kitty" Kaat, he was a great competitor on the mound, just fearless.

[ddenuci]

There are 4 pitchers from the 1970s-1990s whom I often think of as right on the borderline of being in the HoF. First is Blyleven, he deserves to be in. 287wins, 60 shutouts, 3701 K's and a 3.31 ERA. Next is Tommy John : 288, 46, 2245 and 3.34. Third is Jack Morris : 254, 28, 2478 and 3.90. Last is Bret Saberhagen : 167, 16, 1715, and 3.34. Saberhagen had the best winning pct with .588, and he won the Cy Young twice. The other three never won a CY.

[ddenuci]

Of the 4 pitchers mentioned in my earlier post, here is the number of times they made the All-star team : Blyleven (2), Tommy John (4), Jack Morris (5), and Saberhagen (3).

[gazerman65]

When's this video from?

[theaverageguys]

2002...It was a gas.