Former MVP is left-handed Green Vida passed away at the age of 73, Athletics announced.
“There are very few players whose careers have been more illustrious than Vida Blue.” A said in a statement, “Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
A six-time All Star and three-time World Series champion, Blue has played seventeen major league seasons, with fifteen of those played in the Bay Area. Blue debuted on the Athletics team at the age of 19 in 1969, their second season in Oakland after moving there from Kansas City after the 1967 season. Blue threw only 80 2/3 innings in the first two seasons. his career in the professional leagues, but when he switched to full-time at the age of 21 in the 1971 season, Blue would put in an incredible performance.
Blue threw 312 plays for Team A over 39 games starting in 1971, posting a micro ERA of 1.82 which is 83% better than the league average as measured by ERA+ and 2.20 FIP for the most part support for the numbers blocking Blue’s incredible run. Blue’s phenomenal season has seen him lead the league with eight losses while also scoring top of the league in terms of ERA, FIP, hit rate, WHIP. Naturally, Blue’s performance earned him not only his first All Star appearance in his career, but also a Cy Young award and an AL MVP award.
Blue would go on to play another six seasons in Oakland, posting 3.10 ERAs and 3.25 FIPs while averaging more than 250 runs per season. He would appear two more times at All Star, finish in the top 7 in the AL Cy Young awards vote three times, and receive the MVP vote twice during that time before moving to San Francisco in 1978. age 28. Most notably, Blue was an integral part of Team A’s three consecutive World Series championships from 1972-1974.
Blue’s first season in San Francisco was another notable one, as he posted a 2.79 ERA and 2.68 FIP en route to his fourth All Star appearance, finishing in third place. in the Cy Young award vote and finished 12th in the NL MVP vote. He will play in San Francisco for three more seasons, picking up two more All Star appearances along the way, before making appearances for the Kansas City Royals for two seasons. Blue returned to San Francisco in 1985, scoring a 3.82 ERA in 287 innings between the 1985 and 1986 seasons before retiring at the end of the 1986 campaign.
Overall, Blue ended his playing career with 209 wins, 3.27 ERAs and 2,175 shots in 3,343 innings. After his playing career, Blue remains a regular on the Bay Area baseball team thanks to his philanthropic efforts and dedication to promoting the sport, both in the United States and abroad. . We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Blue’s family, friends and all who mourn him today.
