Bert Blyleven
Overview
Bert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
who played from to , and was best known for his curveball
. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. He is currently the color commentator for the Minnesota Twins
on Fox Sports North.
Blyleven was born in the Netherlands, but raised in Garden Grove, California
. His father moved the family to Canada when he was 2, and then to Southern California when he was 5. He became interested in baseball as a young boy watching Sandy Koufax
pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers
and listening to Vin Scully
and Jerry Doggett
announce the Dodgers' radio broadcasts.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who played from to , and was best known for his curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. He is currently the color commentator for the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
on Fox Sports North.
Blyleven was born in the Netherlands, but raised in Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...
. His father moved the family to Canada when he was 2, and then to Southern California when he was 5. He became interested in baseball as a young boy watching Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and listening to Vin Scully
Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
and Jerry Doggett
Jerry Doggett
Jerry Doggett was an American sportscaster who called games for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1987.-Early days:...
announce the Dodgers' radio broadcasts.