Vida Blue was a left-handed pitcher between 1969 and 1986, most notably as a member of the starting rotation with the Oakland A’s dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974.
He won the American League Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971, the youngest American League player to win the MVP Award in the 20th century. He had a 24–8 record, an AL-leading 1.82 ERA, eight shutouts and 301 strikeouts.
Those were the days when starting pitchers throwing a shutout weren’t taken out of the game because of a pitch count. Today, pitchers throwing no-hitters are pulled based on pitch counts. So eight shutouts is more than a current pitcher will likely throw in a lifetime.
Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader and a good guy to go to for an opinion like this, said that Vida Blue threw as hard as anyone he ever faced. I have to take exception to that. Blue may have been the second-hardest thrower, and the hardest-throwing lefty, but no one in that era threw harder than Nolan Ryan.
Vida Blue was 73 years old.
Footnote: My son met him several years ago at a celebrity golf tournament and said he seemed like a good guy.
RIP Vida Blue