On Sunday, the Oakland Athletics and Major League Baseball received some sad news.
Legendary left-hander Vida Blue, who pitched 17 seasons, most of which were with the Athletics, passed away at the age of 73.
The cause of death is not yet known.
Blue was drafted in 1967 by the then-Kansas City Athletics.
Two years later, he made his MLB debut at the tender age of 19.
In 1971, the left-hander had his best season, winning 24 games and posting a career-best 1.82 ERA en route to a Cy Young Award.
On Twitter, the Athletics released a touching statement to honor their legendary pitcher, listing some of his career accomplishments and sending condolences to his family and friends.
A statement from the Oakland A’s on the passing of Vida Blue. pic.twitter.com/fAMIU7MHCO
— Oakland A’s (@Athletics) May 7, 2023
In addition to his Cy Young season, Blue won an MVP, an ERA title, and three World Series titles.
The left-hander was also a six-time All-Star.
After his time with the Athletics, Blue joined the San Francisco Giants and pitched with the team from 1978-81.
Blue had a brief two-year stint with the Kansas City Royals before rejoining the Giants in 1985.
The left-hander retired after the 1986 season.
For his career, Blue had a WAR of 45.1 and won a total of 209 games in 473 starts and 502 appearances.
The left-hander had a lifetime ERA of 3.27 over 3,343 innings of work, as well as 2,175 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.233.
Blue has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but his career was nothing short of legendary.
He pitched 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, nine of which were with the Athletics and six of which were with the Giants.
