Bert Blyleven and the Hall of Fame

January 5, 2010

Most think it is an unlucky number, but thirteen just might be the charm for former Minnesota Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven.

This is the thirteenth ballot that Blyleven has been on and with a week freshman class, Blyleven should be able to top the scales with over 75% of the votes. That is if the sports writers were logical and fair.

David Schoenfield has written a very thought provoking article about how there is no logic in the voting for hall of fame by the sports writers.

Bert Blyleven

Bert Blyleven

If you look at his stats, you would think it would be a “no brainer”. Blyleven had 287 wins with 242 complete games. He is fifth all time for strike outs with 3,701 and recorded 60 shut out wins. His 12 year career began with the Twins in 1970 where he played for six years. He would go on to play for the Rangers, Pirates, and Indians before returning to the Twins again for three years starting in 1985. He finished his last few seasons with the Angels.

Blyleven’s career stats are similar to those of Don Sutton and Gaylord Perry, both of whom were elected to the Hall of Fame.

So why hasn’t Bert Blyleven been elected to the Hall of Fame yet? Other then the “no logic” explanation, it could be that Blyleven has been an outspoken critic of the sports writers and the Hall of Fame election process. It also has been mentioned that as a player, Blyleven had a tenuous relationship with the media.

So as the results are announced tomorrow, there is no doubt that many Bert Blyleven fans will be hoping to see his name included in the list.

Written by Alba Andrew · Filed Under News 

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