Blyleven reaches 3,000 K's, Puckett hits for cycle (August 2, 1986)

By HOWARD SINKER, Star Tribune

Last update: May 9, 2008 - 3:36 PM

The crowd caught on early, clapping in expectation when Bert Blyleven
had two strikes on an Oakland batter, which was often. After striking
out Mike Davis on a curve in the fifth, the 3,000th strikeout of
Blyleven's career, the fans took to chanting, "Bert! Bert! Bert!" as
the strikeouts piled up.

In the eighth and ninth innings, most of the 14,855 were standing
and clapping, chanting and cheering when another A's victim was about
to swing at or watch a third strike. "One more Bert! One more Bert!"
more than a few of them called out.

When Tony Phillips struck out on a fastball to end the eighth,
Blyleven tied the personal best he'd set with the Twins in 1974 and
equaled with Texas in 1977. When Jose Canseco struck out for the second
out in the ninth, Blyleven tied a team record set by three others in
the franchise's 25 1/2-year history.

Fifteen strikeouts and a two-hitter belonged to Blyleven on Friday
night as he became only the 10th pitcher in major league history to
reach 3,000 strikeouts.

Aiding him in Minnesota's 10-1 victory over Oakland was Kirby
Puckett, who became the seventh Twin to hit for the cycle - getting a
single, double, triple and home run.

Blyleven has thrown nine two-hitters since joining the Twins as a
teen-aged rookie in 1970. After the first 12 A's were retired without
much trouble, Bruce Bochte led off the fifth by grounding a single to
right field. With the Twins holding an eight-run lead in the eighth,
Alfredo Griffin lined a homer to right for the other hit.

Griffin and Carney Lansford were the only Oakland starters whom
Blyleven didn't strike out. Blyleven needed eight to reach 3,000 and
started the evening aware of that fact, knowing it would be a nifty
thing to achieve with some of his teammates from a decade earlier - now
"Old-Timers" - in the Metrodome watching.

"The way everyone played, scoring a lot of runs, it made it much
easier for me to do what I had to do," Blyleven said. "I knew I had 14
strikeouts going into the last inning and I wanted to do better than
that. I don't get many chances to do it and I'm very thankful that I
got it.

"I knew I needed eight going into the game and I wanted to get it
over with. I didn't want it to take three or four starts of getting one
and two each time. I was happy that that Lord gave me the stuff that I
had out there to get it done."

Ironically, in the inning of his historic strikeout, a 1-and-2
curve on which Davis swung, Blyleven also was faced with his only jam.
Bochte's single was followed by third baseman Gary Gaetti's throwing
error, putting runners at first and second. But Blyleven struck out
Dwayne Murphy on a full-count pitch and then got Davis, setting off a
minute-long standing ovation. Blyleven, 35, twice stepped off the mound
to tip his cap.

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