Vida Blue, a six-time All-Star, had 209 wins to 161 losses in 17 seasons with the Athletics (1969-77), San Francisco Giants (1978-81, 1985-86), and Kansas City Royals, with 2,175 strikeouts, 3.27 ERA, 37 shutouts, and 143 complete games (1982-83).
He shared the field with legends such as Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, and Steve Garvey.
His career was cut short by a three-month prison sentence for purchasing drugs in 1983, followed by a suspension from the MLB in 1984.
Vida Blue was a dynamic lefthander in the major leagues. From 1972 to 1974, he was a member of the three World Series championships that established the A’s dynasty. In 1971, he won the MVP Award as well as the American Cy Young Award.
Blue was 22 when he won MVP, making him the youngest winner of the award. He is one of only 11 pitchers to have won the MVP and Cy Young awards in the same season.
Blue was a fast-pitch power pitcher who pounded the strike zone.
He threw an occasional curveball and an above-average change-up to keep hitters off balance, but his signature pitch was a fastball that he threw consistently at 94 miles per hour (151 km/h).
After baseball, Blue worked as a baseball analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, the San Francisco Giants’ television home.
Blue passed away on May 6, 2023. He was 73. Blue died in a hospital in San Francisco’s East Bay of medical complications related to cancer caused by his drug problems.
