Vida Blue
From BR Bullpen
Vida Rochelle Blue Jr.
- Bats Both, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 189 lb.
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[edit] Biographical Information
Vida Blue, a big star in his era, pitched 17 years in the major leagues, winning 209 games. He won the Cy Young Award and the MVP award in the same year, 1971, appeared in three World Series and six All-Star games, and won 20+ games in the regular season three times. There are three Hall of Famers on his similarity scores list, with the most similar one being another A's pitcher, Catfish Hunter, who was his teammate.
In 1971, Vida won the American League Cy Young Award. He is the youngest pitcher (age 22) to win the AL award - Dwight Gooden won a Cy Young at age 20 in the National League. Blue had already pitched a no-hitter by then, achieving the feat on September 21, 1970 against the Minnesota Twins. On September 28, 1975, he would combine with three other pitchers to hurl a second no-hitter against the California Angels.
Vida Blue is the answer to the great trivia question: "Who was the last switch-hitter to win the AL MVP Award?"
Charles Finley, the owner of the Oakland A's, once offered Blue a bonus if he'd change his first name to "True".
In 1978, Blue was traded to the San Francisco Giants for seven players, the only seven for one trade in baseball history. He was traded to the Kansas City Royals at the end of spring training in 1982 in a 4 for 2 deal. He pitched well his first season but struggled early in 1983, going 0-5 with a 6.01 ERA, and was released.
On December 15, 1983, Blue was suspended for one year by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, alongside former Royals teammates Willie Aikens, Willie Wilson and Jerry Martin and Dodgers reliever Steve Howe because of cocaine use. He was also sentenced to 90 days in jail for the offense. His career appeared to be over, given his poor performance and the stigma of his drug use, but he made a comeback in 1985, pitching effectively for two more seasons with the Giants. He then signed a free agent contract with the A's for 1987, then announced his retirement as spring training was about to open.
In 1989, Blue played for the St. Lucie Legends and Orlando Juice of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He was 2-7 with a 4.87 ERA in 11 games with St. Lucie and 1-2 with a 7.20 ERA in 4 games with Orlando. Combined, Blue was 3-9 with a 5.55 ERA in 15 games. In 1990, he played for the San Bernardino Pride of the SPBA. Blue had pitched in 3 games with no record and a 4.15 ERA when the league folded.
He is the only player in history to be credited with the win at the All-Star Game for both the AL and the NL. He was also the first pitcher to start the game for both leagues; he has since been joined by Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Roy Halladay.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 6-time All-Star (1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980 & 1981)
- AL MVP (1971)
- AL Cy Young Award Winner (1971)
- AL ERA Leader (1971)
- AL Shutouts Leader (1971)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 6 (1971, 1973-1976 & 1978)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 3 (1971, 1973 & 1975)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 9 (1971 & 1973-1980)
- 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1971)
- 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1971)
- 300 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1971)
- Won three World Series with the Oakland Athletics (1972, 1973 & 1974)
| AL MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1971 | 1972 |
| Boog Powell | Vida Blue | Dick Allen |
| AL Cy Young Award | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1971 | 1972 |
| Jim Perry | Vida Blue | Gaylord Perry |
[edit] Further Reading
- Vida Blue (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget," Baseball Digest (October 1980), pp. 83-84, 86
