Full Name: Vida Rochelle Blue Jr.
Profession: Major League Baseball Pitcher
Biography: Vida Blue was an outstanding left-handed baseball pitcher in a 17-year MLB career between 1969 and 1986.
He is best known as an integral member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won 3 consecutive World Series titles between 1972 and 1974. He also pitched for San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals.
Blue won the American League Cy Young Award and MVP Award in 1971 and was a 6-time MLB All Star in 1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1981. He was the first of only 5 pitchers in major league history to start the All-Star Game for both the American League (1971) and the National League (1978).
After retiring from the playing field Blue has donated his time to many charitable causes in the SF area and is currently a baseball analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area,
Born: July 28, 1949
Birthplace: Mansfield, Louisiana, USA
Age: 73 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Ox
Star Sign: Leo
Historical Events
- 1970-09-21 Oakland A's Vida Blue no-hits Minnesota Twins, 6-0
- 1971-11-10 Joe Torre wins NL MVP, Vida Blue wins AL MVP
- 1975-09-28 Oakland A's Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Linblad & Rollie Fingers, no-hit California Angels, 5-0
- 1976-06-18 Bowie Kuhn voids A's sales, totaling $35 million, of Joe Rudi & Rollie Fingers to Red Sox, & Vida Blue to Yankees
- 1978-03-15 A's trade Vida Blue to Giants for 7 players & $390,000
- 1984-07-26 Bowie Kuhn announces pitcher Vida Blue is suspended for the rest of 1984 due to cocaine conviction
- 1987-02-19 Less than a month after re-signing, A's pitcher Vida Blue retires
Biographies and Sources
- Vida Blue - Baseball Reference
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