On Sunday, the baseball world learned some sad news when it was announced that legendary pitcher Vida Blue had passed away at the age of 73.
Blue pitched most of his career with the Oakland Athletics, reaching the big leagues at the age of 19 in 1969.
The legendary left-hander joined the San Francisco Giants in 1978 and pitched with the team until joining the Kansas City Royals in 1982.
Blue returned to San Francisco in 1985 and finished his career the following season.
On Twitter, MLB Network paid their respects to the legendary left-hander by posting a nice tribute video highlighting his legacy and his best career moments.
1971 AL Cy Young Award winner, 1971 AL MVP, six-time All-Star and a three-time World Series champion.
MLB Network mourns the passing of Vida Blue. pic.twitter.com/TOVrIk12jy
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 7, 2023
Blue had a lifetime WAR of 45.1.
He won a total of 209 games, had a 3.27 ERA, and struck out 2,175 batters over 3,343.1 innings of work.
His best season came in 1971.
That year, he won 24 games and posted a career-best 1.82 ERA in 39 starts en route to a Cy Young Award.
Blue won three World Series titles with the Athletics, was a six-time All-Star, and even earned an MVP Award.
The Athletics drafted Blue at the age of 17 in 1967, while they were still playing in Kansas City.
He was a second-round pick out of De Soto High School in Mansfield, Louisiana.
In the tribute video, a snippet of an interview with his former teammate, legendary closer Rollie Fingers was played.
Fingers recalled watching him warm up before games and how he would go back to the dugout to tell his teammates the game was already over because Blue had everything working.
Blue is not in the Hall of Fame unfortunately, but his impact on the game of baseball can still be felt today.
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