Before I move on from the 1970 rookie class, it was mentioned that the 1970 Topps set was one of the few sets that contained no rookie cards of Hall of Famers. There is a good reason for this. Only one future Hall of Famer made his debut in 1970, Bert Blyleven.
At 19, Blyleven went 10-9 after being called up in June. He was named 1970 A.L. Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News. Blyleven did not post gaudy numbers throughout his career. Instead his Hall of Fame credentials are based on his consistency and longevity. In a career that spanned 23 years he appeared in only 2 All Star games, had just one 20 win season and led the league in strike outs once. He never led the league in the other 2 "Triple Crown" stats, wins or ERA. But at the end of his career he had amassed 287 victories and is 5th among all-time strike out leaders with 3701.
Great job on the custom '70 Bert, John. Posted it on Twitter today: @classicmntwins, gave attribution in response to tweet. Love Your blog! Let me know if I can help promote, add Twins photos.
ReplyDeleteBert was the king of the curve. That 12 to 6 hook was devastating. Also he would have had many more than 300 wins if he had played on teams with more run support. I think the 60 complete game shutouts says a lot. 1 fewer than The Ryan Express and Tom Terrific but more than Gibson, Palmer, Carlton, Clemens, Ford, Feller, Fergie, Marichal and Three Fingers. And the sense of humor is Hall of Fame too. Always the first to light guys' shoes on fire.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why Blyleven was not included in either the 1985 Topps Traded or Fleer Update sets when he was traded from Cleveland to Minnesota mid-season. Hmmm…
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