Blyleven was sent packing along with Danny Thompson to the Rangers for a package of Mike Cubbage, Jim Gideon, Bill Singer and Roy Smalley along with $250,000 on June 1st of 1976.
Before the trade he was 4-5 with a 3.12 earned run average over 12 starts, and would go on to post a record of 9-11 with Texas, starting 24 games and completing 14 of them with six shutouts.
He’d finish the combined season with over 200 strikeouts, the sixth straight season doing so, along with a very nice 2.87 ERA over 297.2 innings of work.
Of course, little did anyone realize that the man would go on to pitch another 16 years in the Majors, finishing up with 287 wins, 60 shutouts and 3701 strikeouts, which at the time of his retirement was third all-time.
I’m still amazed that it took BBWA so many years for them to select him for Hall of Fame enshrinement considering his career numbers, produced for generally bad teams.
His post season numbers were even better, going 5-1 over eight games with an ERA of 2.47, with 36 strike outs in 47.1 innings pitched with only eight walks allowed.
“The Frying Dutchman”!