| Steve Blass | |
|---|---|
 Blass in 2009 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1942-04-18)April 18, 1942 (age 82) Canaan, Connecticut, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 10, 1964, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 17, 1974, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 103–76 |
| Earned run average | 3.63 |
| Strikeouts | 896 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stephen Robert Blass (born April 18, 1942) is an American retired professionalbaseball pitcher and television sportscolor commentator. He played his entire career inMajor League Baseball as a right-handedpitcher for thePittsburgh Pirates in1964 and then from1966 through1974.[1][2] Blass was one of the National League's top pitchers between 1968 and 1972, helping the Pirates win fourNational League Eastern Division titles in five years between1970 and1974.[2] He played a key role in the Pirates victory over theBaltimore Orioles in the1971 World Series when he recorded two complete game victories.[2] He remains the last National League pitcher to throw a complete game in Game Seven of a World Series.[2] After his playing career ended, Blass had a 34-year career as a televisionsports commentator for Pittsburgh Pirates games.[2]
Blass was born inCanaan, Connecticut.[3] Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960, he made his major league debut at the age of 22 in1964 and joined the team permanently in1966.[1] He won 18 games in1968, including a 2.12 ERA with sevenshutouts, both career highs, and he finished particularly strong, winning theNL Player of the Month award for September with a 5–1 record, 1.65 ERA, and 46 SO.[1] In1969 he won 16 games with a career-high 147strikeouts.[1] From 1969 to 1972 he won 60 games, with a career-high 19 victories in1972.[1] In that season, he was a member of the National League team in the1972 All-Star Game and was the runner up toSteve Carlton for the National LeagueCy Young Award.[4][5]
In the1971 World Series against theBaltimore Orioles, Blass pitched twocomplete gamewins, allowing only sevenhits and tworuns in 18 innings, and was the winning pitcher in the 7th and deciding game.[6] He finished second in the voting forWorld Series MVP behind teammateRoberto Clemente.
In a ten-season major league career, Blass posted a 103–76 record with 896strikeouts and a 3.63ERA in 1,597.1innings pitched, including 16shutouts and 57complete games.[1]
Besides his Series performance, Blass is best known for his sudden and inexplicable loss of control after the 1972 season.[3] His ERA climbed to 9.85 in the 1973 season, during which hewalked 84 batters in88+2⁄3 innings, and struck out only 27; hisWAR of -3.9 that year remains the worst of any pitcher in the modern era. After spending most of 1974 in the minor leagues, he retired from baseball in March 1975. Two months later writerRoger Angell chronicled Blass's travails in an essay inThe New Yorker.[7]
A condition referred to as "Steve Blass disease" has become a part of baseball lexicon. The "diagnosis" is applied to talented players who inexplicably and permanently seem to lose their ability to throw a baseball accurately.[3][8][9][10] The fielder's variant of "Steve Blass disease" is sometimes referred to in baseball terminology as "Steve Sax syndrome".[11][12]
Notable victims of "Steve Blass disease" includeRick Ankiel,[9][13][14]Mark Wohlers,[15]Dontrelle Willis,[16]Ricky Romero,[17][18] andDaniel Bard.[19]
In an interview years later, Blass stated that he was content with how his career panned out, mentioning that he had ten good years with the Pirates, won 100 games, and appeared in a World Series.[20] He did mention that the sudden death of teammate and close friendRoberto Clemente in the offseason before he lost control – and the associated grief related to suddenly losing someone so close – was not a factor in him losing his control.[21]
Blass worked in the late 1970s as a Pittsburgh-area salesman forJostens, a company that manufactures school class rings.[22] He joined the Pirates' TV and radio broadcast team in 1983 as a part-timecolor commentator, earning a full-time post in 1986. Before the 2005 season, he announced that he would announce only home games from then on to spend more time with his family.[citation needed] Blass retired from broadcasting in 2019 after 60 years with the organization as a player and broadcaster.
He was inducted into the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
He was inducted into the Charleston, West Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.
Blass' autobiography,A Pirate For Life (Triumph Books), was released on May 1, 2012. His memoirs, co-written with Erik Sherman, encompass his struggles with Steve Blass disease and his days as a color commentator for the Pirates.
Blass was announced as an inaugural member of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall Of Fame on August 7, 2022.
| Preceded by | Major League Player of the Month September, 1968 | Succeeded by |
