Vida Blue Dies: Youngest MVP In MLB History, Six-Time All-Star With Oakland A’s Was 73 (2024)
Vida Blue, a dominating left-hander who helped the Oakland Athletics win three straight World Series championships from 1972-74, died on Saturday. He was 73.
“There are few players with a more decorated career than Vida Blue,” the A’s said in a statement. “He was a three-time champion, an MVP, a six-time All-Star, a Cy Young Award winner, and an 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.”
One of the dominant starting pitchers of the 1970s, Blue debuted at age 19 in 1969, the franchise’s second year after moving to Oakland. His career started slowly, but soon built into one of the key cogs for the team known as the Swingin’ A’s for its talent and swagger.
In September 1970, Blue showed what was to come. Two starts after throwing a one-hit shutout against the Royals in Kansas City, Blue tossed a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins, striking out nine and allowing only one batter to reach base on a fourth-inning walk. At 21 years and 55 days old, Blue remains the youngest player since the start of the Live Ball Era in 1920 to throw a no-hitter.
Blue won the 1971 AL Cy Young and MVP Awards after going 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts over 312 innings. He went on to make six All-Star teams during a 17-year career that saw him spend time with the Giants and Royals in addition to the A’s.
No information on survivors or memorial plans was immediately available.
Blue had a 24–8 record in 1971, an AL leading 1.82 ERA and eight shutouts, and struck out 301 batters, winning both the Cy Young Award and American League Most Valuable Player Award.
Conversation. One of my all-time favorite trivia questions: Who was the last switch-hitter to win the AL MVP award? Answer: Vida Blue!! For @YahooSports, I did a series exploring MLB's Black Aces.
Dwight Gooden became the youngest All-Star in league history when he was selected as a rookie in 1984 at 19 years old. 24. The oldest pitcher to play in an All-Star Game is Satchel Paige, who threw one inning in 1953 at 47 years old.
Hakeem Olajuwon is one of three players to win the NBA MVP and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in the same season. Derrick Rose became the youngest player to ever win the award at age 22. LeBron James is a four-time NBA MVP. Stephen Curry won back-to-back MVP awards in 2014–15 and 2015–16.
Blue died at a hospital in San Francisco's East Bay area of medical complications stemming from cancer, the A's said. "There are few players with a more decorated career than Vida Blue," the team said in a statement Sunday. "Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend."
A six-time All-Star and three-time 20-game winner, Blue helped pitch the Swingin' A's, as Charley Finley's colorful, mustachioed team was known, to consecutive World Series titles from 1972-74.
Miguel Cabrera was the winner of back-to-back AL Awards from 2012 to 2013. Mike Trout is the most recent player to win the award three times. Shohei Ohtani is currently the only player to unanimously win the award twice.
Coming to the Cowboys in a trade with the Chicago Bears in 1961 after once having given up on his NFL career, Chuck Howley became one of the greatest outside linebackers in Cowboys history and the only player to win Super Bowl MVP honors while on the losing team.
Since 1949, the accolade has been given separately to one player in each league. Notable winners include Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki, who achieved Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same year, and Fernando Valenzuela, who won Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award simultaneously.
Following Bonds, a distinguished group of players claim three MVP awards each: Mike Trout (2014, '16, '19), Albert Pujols (2005, '08, '09), Alex Rodriguez (2003, '05, '07), Mike Schmidt (1980, '81, '86), Mickey Mantle (1956, '57, '62), Yogi Berra (1951, '54, '55), Roy Campanella (1951, '53, '55), Stan Musial (1943, '46 ...
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
