Armed with a flashy name, an electric personality and an iconic delivery he used to unleash a blazing fastball, Vida Blue was as distinctive as a baseball player could be.
Blue, who died at age 73 late Saturday evening, was a beloved member of both the A’s and Giants during a 17-year career that included winning three consecutive World Series titles during Oakland’s dynasty in the early 1970s.
Blue’s death was confirmed by the A’s on Sunday morning. No cause of death was announced, although friends said he had been battling an undisclosed type of cancer.
“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.”
Jon Becker contributed to this report.
Oakland Athletics’ Vida Blue winds up for the pitch at a game against the Minnesota Twins on July 16, 1977. (Kenneth Green/Oakland Tribune) A’s three 20 game winners, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Vida Blue and Ken Holtzman. (Photo by Ron Riesterer/Oakland Tribune) Vida Blue, left, and Dave Duncan, right, at an Oakland Athletics’ spring training session sometime in March 1973. The two showed up for practice despite ongoing contract disputes. (Russ Reed/Oakland Tribune) Vida Blue, the left-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, patiently signs autographs with his right for fans who greeted him at the Oakland Airport to cheer on his 12-game winning streak. (Robert Stinnett/Oakland Tribune) San Francisco Giants pitcher Vida Blue is photographed on April 5, 1978 at Candlestick Park. (Russ Reed/Oakland Tribune) Vida Blue shows off some the sports articles to be auctioned off from four local professional teams at Oscar’s in Oakland, California on April 17, 1974. Funds were raised to pay help the family of newsboy Robert Hanson, who was the victim of a violent beating and suffered severe brain damage, pay medical expenses. (Bill Crouch/Oakland Tribune) Vida Blue receives a cupcake from a fan for his 22nd birthday – a month too soon – on June 28, 1971 at an Oakland Athletics’ game. (Russ Reed/Oakland Tribune) Oakland A’s Vida Blue is seen, 1976. (AP Photo) Twenty game winners Dave Stewart, Mike Norris, Vida Blue and Jim “Mudcat” Grant wave to fans during a pregame ceremony at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. (Jay Solmonson/Tri- Valley Herald) Former Oakland Athletics and Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, right, chats with former Cy Young Award winner and American League MVP Vida Blue at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, April 20, 2012. The Oakland Athletics celebrated the 40th anniversary of the club’s 1972 World Series title by having a two night celebration. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff) Former major-league baseball pitcher Vida Blue sits with the Tamalpais High School baseball team before a group photo in Mill Valley, Calif. on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. (IJ photo/Alan Dep) Gene Tenace and Vida Blue prepare to pose with fans behind a wall of World Series trophies during the Oakland Athletics FanFest Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Staff) Three-time World Series champion Vida Blue addresses the Skyline athletes at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015. Local celebrities gather at Skyline High School to help create a positive school culture around music, sports, and the arts. (Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group) Former Oakland Athletics Ricky Henderson, far right, along with, from left, John “Blue Moon” Odom, Vida Blue and Dave Stewart, are honored on Jackie Robinson Day at the start of the Athletics game against the Kansas City Royals at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, April 15, 2016. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) Former Oakland Athletic and San Francisco Giant pitcher Vida Blue, left, arrives at Ozumo on Broadway in Oakland, Calif. on Wednesday, July 13, 2010. Patrons paid $50 to hang out with Blue and several other sports figures during a Vida Blue tribute night. To the right are Jo Cotarelo, and Marty Friedman, left to right, of Antioch. (Jane Tyska/Staff) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 31: Former Oakland Athletics pitcher and member of the 1972 World Series Championship team, Vida Blue, walks through the stadium before a MLB game between the A’s and the Boston Red Sox at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 4, 2022. Blue and teammates from the 1972 World Series Championship were honored during a special ceremony marking their 50th anniversary. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Former Oakland Athletics player Vida Blue, center, waits for his ride after a pregame ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of the 1973 World Series team at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) Oakland Athletics’ Tony Kemp (5) shares a moment with former Oakland Athletics player Vida Blue, after a pregame ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of the 1973 World Series team at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) Former Oakland Athletics player Vida Blue, center, is assisted off the field by his former teammate Joe Rudi, right, as John “Blue Moon” Odom, left, walks behind them during a pregame ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of the 1973 World Series team at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) A moment of silence is held for Vida Blue before the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, May 7, 2023. Vida Blue was a three time world champion and an AL Cy Young Award winner. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
