Who was Vida Blue? Three-Time World Series Champion Dead at 73

Vida Blue was an American baseball player who was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1969 and 1986.

He was very known as an important member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty who won three consecutive World Series Championships between 1972 and 1974.

Born on July 28, 1949, Vida Blue began his career as a drafted player with the then-Kansas City Athletics in 1967.  However, he made his Major League Baseball debut in 1969 when he was just 19 years old.

He threw a nine-strikeout no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins on September 21, 1970. He had thrown a one-hitter against the Kansas City Royals ten days earlier.

Blue had one of the greatest pitching seasons in baseball history as of 1971, with stats including a 1.83 ERA, 0.95 WHIP in 312 innings, 39 starts, and 24 complete throws. He was awarded the AL Cy Young and MVP honors that year, becoming the youngest MVP in the 20th Century at just 22 years old.

“There are a few players with a more decorated career than Vida Blue. He was a three-time champion, an MVP, a six-time All-Star, a Cy Young Award winner, and Oakland A’s Hall of Famer. Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this arduous time,” Oakland’s A said in an official statement.