Blyleven's votes climb, but not enough to get in

Bert Blyleven took a significant step toward the Hall of Fame, but neither he nor fellow former Twins righthander Jack Morris were elected.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: January 8, 2008 - 11:52 PM

Bert Blyleven took a significant step toward the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, even though he wasn't elected in his 11th year on the ballot.

Blyleven was named on 336 (61.9 percent) of the 543 ballots after slipping from 53 percent to 47 percent in the previous two elections. Players need 75 percent to gain election and are eligible for up to 15 years.

"If it ever happens, I'll be very excited, but I just hope I'm on this side of the grass when it does happen," Blyleven said. "It sounds sad, but there's some guys who are going in who are no longer with us -- [former Commissioner] Bowie Kuhn and [former Dodgers owner] Walter O'Malley -- and those guys should have been in a long time ago."

Rich (Goose) Gossage, who received 86 percent of the vote, was the only player elected this year. Jim Rice received 72 percent in his second-to-last year of eligibility.

"I'm very happy for Goose Gossage," Blyleven said. "That's something that should have happened years ago.

"I know Goose vented last year, and Jim Rice will probably vent this year. You find yourself -- when you get too close, and you know your numbers are there -- you get upset.

"I was upset before, and now I just look at it and say it's out of my hands, what can I do?"

Blyleven, 56, went 287-250 with a 3.31 career ERA. He ranks fifth on the all-time strikeout list with 3,701 and ninth on the shutout list with 60.

"I can't control wins, and sometimes I wonder if writers really understand," he said. "I didn't win 300, but I was in a lot of ballgames. That was the main objective as a starter when I pitched -- to go nine innings. And if you lost 3-1 or 3-2, you kept your team in the game.

"But it does get frustrating when you feel like you have to defend those numbers this time of year."

Another former Twins pitcher, 1991 World Series star Jack Morris, also was not elected. He was sixth in the balloting in his ninth year of eligibility with 233 votes (42.9 percent), after slipping from 41 percent to 37 percent in the previous two elections.

Morris, a St. Paul native, had three 20-win seasons, was a five-time All-Star, and pitched one of the greatest games in postseason history, going all 10 innings in the Twins 1-0 victory over Atlanta in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

Morris pitched for three World Series winners and finished with a career record of 254-186 with a 3.90 ERA.