Bert Blyleven Bolts from the Bucs

The complete game is an anachronism in baseball today. But in 1980 it was an important part of the game and a source of pride for the pitchers who threw them.

As the Pittsburgh Pirates began defense of their 1979 World Series championship, manager Chuck Tanner indicated he wanted to see more complete games out of his starting pitchers. If the Pirates were to repeat, Tanner had an eye on resting Kent Tekulve and the rest of the bullpen as much as possible.

His opening day starter, Bert Blyleven, supported his plan 100%. From 1971 through ’78, Blyleven had completed nearly half of the games he started.  In ’79, that number slipped to just four in 37 starts and he was not happy about it, feeling it robbed him of the chance for more wins which equated to a larger contract.

Opening Day Difficulties

Pittsburgh opened their season against St. Louis and the Cardinals held a 1-0 lead in the top of the 6th when Phil Garner’s single broke up Pete Vuckovich‘s no-hit bid and brought up Blyleven’s spot in the order. Seeing a chance to possibly tie the game, Tanner lifted Blyleven and sent Mike Easler up to hit. The move backfired as Easler hit into an inning-ending double play.

Through his first four starts of the season, Blyleven was excellent but had nothing to show for it. His record was 0-2, but he had an E.R.A. of 2.42 and was allowing fewer than one base runner per inning while posting 26 strikeouts in 26 innings. The problem was offense. The Pirate bats had produced just eight runs in his four starts.

But for Blyleven, the lack of offensse was secondary to not being permitted to finish what he started. Despite Tanner’s pre-season proclamation, Pirate pitchers completed three of fourteen starts and Blyleven had yet to go the distance.

Game number 15 of the season was on April 29th in Pittsburgh against the Montreal Expos with Blyleven on the mound. Through five innings, the Pirates led 4-2. But a sixth inning Montreal rally tied the game at four and brought Tanner out of the Pittsburgh dugout to once again remove Blyleven. The Pirates eventually won the game 5-4 in 10 innings, but Blyleven was livid. So much so that he requested a trade and left the team the following day.

A Line in the Sand

“I felt I had to speak up,” he told the media. “If I didn’t, maybe 20 years from now, I’d be wishing that I had spoken up. Maybe 20 years from now I’ll wish I hadn’t spoken up.

The move did not sit well Blyleven’s teamates and some weren’t shy in expressing their concern.

“Pitching is more of a strength on our club than most people realize,” fellow pitcher Jim Rooker told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  “The reason we won everything last year is that our pitching came through when other staffs were not as flexible as ours. We need Bert.”

“I can understand a lot of things about ballplayers,” said Bill Madlock. “But going home… I don’t know why he did that.”

Pirates General Manager Pete Peterson told the press he considered Blyleven semi-retired and sent a message to the other 25 teams announcing his availability via trade and requesting a pitcher in return.

Rumors flew that he was headed to the Yankees in exchange for Ed Figueroa or the Red Sox with Pittsburgh receiving Mike Torrez. One of the more interesting rumors was that the California Angels supposedly knew of Blyleven’s impending departure before the Pirates did. Blyleven lived in California and allegedly told friends he was considering leaving the team.

Blyleven returned to the Pirates a few weeks later and was inserted back into the rotation against the San Francisco Giants. He went the distance in a 5-0 loss and finished the season with a 8-13 record with five complete games. He was traded to the Indians in December.