Posted: January 5, 2011, 1:11 p.m. CT
Courtesy of the Minnesota Twins
Twins great Bert Blyleven has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He received 463 votes (79.7 percent) of 581 ballots and will join Roberto Alomar and Pat Gillick in the Class of 2011. Electees needed 75 percent of the votes, or 436 votes to be elected. Induction ceremonies will be held Sunday, July 24 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Blyleven, 59, joins Harmon Killebrew (1984), Rod Carew (1991) and Kirby Puckett (2001) as the fourth Twin to be elected to the Hall of Fame. He becomes the 10th person in franchise history to have a plaque at the Hall (Washington Senators' Clark Griffith, Goose Goslin, Bucky Harris, Walter Johnson, Heinie Manush and Sam Rice).
He ranks first on the Twins' all-time list in complete games (141), shutouts (29) and strikeouts (2035), is second in wins (149) and innings pitched (2566.2), third in starts (345), fifth in ERA (3.28) and 12th in games (348).
"The Pohlad family and Minnesota Twins organization would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Bert Blyleven on his long-awaited election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame," Twins President Dave St. Peter said. "Bert's on-field contributions and statistical resume speak for themselves and make him quite deserving of a place in Cooperstown. In addition, Bert's election serves as a wonderful opportunity for all of baseball to salute one of the game's great characters and true ambassadors. I speak for millions of fans across the Upper Midwest in stating we intend to make Cooperstown Twins Territory during HOF Induction Weekend."
Blyleven broke into the Major Leagues as a Twin at the age of 19. He would go on to pitch for 22 seasons, spending time in Minnesota, Cleveland, California, Pittsburgh and Texas. He had a career record of 287-250, with a 3.31 ERA, including 242 complete games and 60 shutouts (ninth all-time). He was a 20-game winner in 1973, tossing 25 complete games in his 40 starts, including nine shutouts. His 325.0 innings pitched that year are still a single-season Twins record. Blyleven won more than 10 games in 17 of his 22 seasons.
He was named the 1970 American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year and the American League Comeback Player of the Year in 1989. Blyleven was selected to the American League All-Star Team twice (1973 and 1985), and won two World Series Championships (1979 with Pittsburgh and 1987 with the Twins). His 3,701 career strikeouts are the fifth most in baseball history.
In his personal life, he has taken the curve balls that life has thrown at him and turned them into positive community work. His father passed away from Parkinson's Disease in 2004. In the wake of his father's illness, Bert has strived to raise funds and awareness for the disease in both Minnesota and his home state of Florida. He raises funds through the sale of his autograph, through public appearance fees, and by selling the popular "Circle Me Bert" bobblehead doll. Bert also serves as a spokesman for the Parkinson's Association of Minnesota and acts as their honorary walk chair. In addition to his work with Parkinson's Disease, he also supports Juvenile Diabetes, Leukemia Association, Children's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House.
He is also the host of the Minnesota Twins Spring Training Golf Tournament, benefitting Lee Cancer Care. The tournament is the largest Twins-associated fundraiser in Southwest Florida. In addition to his community work, Bert spends countless hours signing autographs at TwinsFest and the Autograph Party, helping raise more than $280,000 for the Twins Community Fund. He has also taken part in the Minnesota Twins Winter Caravan, spending four days traveling the Upper Midwest to visit with community groups and Twins fans.
Blyleven, who served as the pitching coach for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, has been an analyst on Twins television broadcasts since 1995. He will work approximately 150 Twins telecasts on FOX Sports North during the 2011 season.
