Unfortunately, Blyleven's stellar years early in his career coincided with the collapse of an aging Minnesota club. Despite six straight years of better than 200 strikeouts and five of 15 or more wins with poor teams (in 1971, the Twins scored just 18 runs in his 15 losses) more was expected of him.
Blyleven maintained a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 3 to 1 while passing the 3,000-strikeout mark in 1986, the same year his eighth AL season with 200 or more strikeouts established a league record.
Indeed, Blyleven had 196 strikeouts in 1987 -- his ninth season of 15 or more wins (15-12) -- and turned in outstanding performances in postseason play, winning twice in the LCS and once in the World Series.
After a mediocre 1988 season for the Twins, Blyleven moved on to the Angels and went 17-5 with a 2.73 ERA in 1989, winning the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Leading the AL with five shutouts in '89, he finished the 1980s as the active career leader in that category and trailed only all-time leader Nolan Ryan among active players in strikeouts.