Steve Blass

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Stephen Robert Blass (born April 18, 1942 in Canaan, Connecticut) is a former Major League Baseball right handed pitcher and a current broadcast announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

[edit] Playing career

In a 10-year career, Blass posted a 103-76 record with 896 strikeouts and a 3.63 ERA in 1597 innings pitched.

Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960, Blass made his major league debut in 1964, joining the team permanently in 1966. He won 18 games in 1968, including a 2.12 ERA with seven shutouts, both career-highs, and in 1969 won 16 with a career-high 147 strikeouts. From 1969-72, Blass won 60 games, with a career-high 19 victories in 1972. In that season, he made the National League All-Star team.

In the 1971 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, Blass pitched two complete game wins, allowing only seven hits and two runs in 18 innings. He finished second in the voting for World Series MVP behind teammate Roberto Clemente.

Besides his Series performance, Blass is best known for his sudden and inexplicable loss of control after the 1972 season. His ERA climbed to 9.81 in the 1973 season. He walked 84 batters in 88 innings, and struck out only 27. The most-common suggestion was that the effects were largely psychological. Blass suffered through the 1973 season, then spent most of 1974 in the minor leagues. He gave it one last try in spring training of 1975. Failing to regain his form, he retired from baseball in March 1975.

Thereafter, the syndrome of a star pitcher's talent inexplicably and permanently deserting him was so strongly identified with Blass that it became commonly known as "Steve Blass Disease." ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

[edit] Post-playing career

Following his retirement as a player, Blass held several jobs. He was a sales representative for Jostens, a ring manufacturer. He called on schools in western Pennsylvania in an effort to sell them class rings. Later, Blass became a salesman for Frank Fuhrer Wholesale, a Pittsburgh-based beer distributor. Blass joined the Pirates' TV and radio broadcast team in 1983 as a part-time color commentator, earning a full-time post in 1986. He is known for his affable nature and knowledge of the game. Before the 2005 season, he announced that he would only announce home games onward so as to spend more time with his family. The Pirates have him under contract through the 2007 season.

He was inducted in the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

[edit] See also

• Pittsburgh Pirates broadcasters and media

[edit] References

1. ^ Steve Blass, Cured | The BASEBALL Page
2. ^ ESPN.com - Ankiel can't seem to conquer 'The Creature'
3. ^ USATODAY.com - Ankiel's back, but are the demons?
4. ^ BIOPROJ.SABR.ORG :: The Baseball Biography Project
5. ^ CNNSI.com - 2001 MLB Spring Training - Ankiel, Knoblauch fight through woes - Friday March 23, 2001 04:24 PM

[edit] External links

• Baseball Reference - Career statistics and analysis
• SABR BioProject biography of Blass