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EspañolVIDA BLUE
:''This article is about Vida Blue, the baseball pitcher. For information on the jam band of the same name, see Vida Blue (band).
'Vida Rochelle Blue Jr.' (born July 28, 1949, in Mansfield, Louisiana) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. In his 17-year career, he played for the Oakland Athletics (1969-77), San Francisco Giants (1978-81, 1985-86), and Kansas City Royals (1982-83).
In 1970, after spending the season in the minor leagues, Blue was called up in September and made two starts that provided a glimpse of what was to come for the 21-year old. On September 11, he shut out the Kansas City Royals 3-0, giving up only one hit, to Pat Kelly in the eighth inning. Ten days later, he no-hit the Minnesota Twins 6-0 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the lone baserunner coming on Harmon Killebrew's fourth-inning walk.
With a sharp, breaking curveball, above average change-up and signature fastball that approached 100 miles per hour, Blue had a 24-8 record in 1971; he also struck out 301 batters, winning both the Cy Young and MVP awards. He was the starting pitcher for the AL in the 1971 All-Star Game, and for the NL in the 1978 All-Star Game. Charlie Finley, owner of the Oakland Athletics, offered Blue $10,000 to change his name to Vida "True" Blue, but Blue declined.
Blue won 20 games in 1973 as he led the A's to the World Championship that year. He won 22 games in 1975.
In 1976, baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn vetoed an attempt to sell Blue to the New York Yankees and in 1977, Kuhn cancelled an attempted trade of Blue to the Cincinnati Reds. In both instances, Kuhn said the trades would be bad for baseball because they would have benefitted already powerful teams without making them give up any significant talent in return.
In 1978, he won 18 games as he led the Giants to 83 wins as they battled all year for the National League West Division which was won that year by the Los Angeles Dodgers. His great year was rewarded as he won the Sporting News National League Pitcher Of The Year.
Blue also made a name and career after baseball for himself in the San Francisco Bay Area by donating his time to many charitable causes, mostly promoting baseball in the inner city.
Blue battled drug addiction over the course of baseball career. After the 1983 season, he and former teammates, Willie Wilson, Jerry Martin and Willie Aikens, pleaded guilty to attempting to purchase cocaine. In 1985, he testified in the scandalous Pittsburgh drug trials.
★ Vida Blue is the answer to a classic trick question in trivia circles. He is technically the last switch hitter to win the American League MVP award. Obviously, however, he won not for his .118 batting average but for his 24-8 record, 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts.
★ He was the last player before Ichiro Suzuki to wear his given name on the back of his uniform instead of his surname, having done so with the Giants.
★ Vida Blue is the name of a song by punk band ALL on their 1998 album Mass Nerder.
★ Even though he was listed as a switchhitter, he admitted he only batted right-handed about 6-7 times during his career.
★ Throws left-handed, but writes right-handed.
Games: 502
Games Started: 479
Wins: 209
Losses: 161
Winning %: .565 (56.5 %)
Earned Run Average (ERA): 3.27
Strikeouts: 2,175
Complete games: 143
Shutouts: 37
All-Star appearances: 5
In his 1971 MVP and Cy Young-winning season, his best, he collected these stats:
24 wins
8 losses
1.89 ERA
301 strikeouts
24 Complete games
8 Shutouts
"On July 9, 1971 the Oakland Athletics' Vida Blue tossed the longest shutout in American League history during a twenty inning, 1-0 triumph over the California Angels. The A's ace fanned seventeen batters in eleven innings" -baseball almanac
Blue also led the league with the lowest ERA in the American league and the most shutouts in the American League
In an article in Esquire magazine in 1976, sportswriter Harry Stein published an article called the "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," a list of five ethnic baseball teams. Blue was the left-handed pitcher on Stein's black team.
★ Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
★ List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
★ List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
★ Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
★ List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
★ "A Bolt of Blue Lightning"
★ August 23, 1971) ''TIME'' Magazine.
★
'Vida Rochelle Blue Jr.' (born July 28, 1949, in Mansfield, Louisiana) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. In his 17-year career, he played for the Oakland Athletics (1969-77), San Francisco Giants (1978-81, 1985-86), and Kansas City Royals (1982-83).
In 1970, after spending the season in the minor leagues, Blue was called up in September and made two starts that provided a glimpse of what was to come for the 21-year old. On September 11, he shut out the Kansas City Royals 3-0, giving up only one hit, to Pat Kelly in the eighth inning. Ten days later, he no-hit the Minnesota Twins 6-0 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the lone baserunner coming on Harmon Killebrew's fourth-inning walk.
With a sharp, breaking curveball, above average change-up and signature fastball that approached 100 miles per hour, Blue had a 24-8 record in 1971; he also struck out 301 batters, winning both the Cy Young and MVP awards. He was the starting pitcher for the AL in the 1971 All-Star Game, and for the NL in the 1978 All-Star Game. Charlie Finley, owner of the Oakland Athletics, offered Blue $10,000 to change his name to Vida "True" Blue, but Blue declined.
Blue won 20 games in 1973 as he led the A's to the World Championship that year. He won 22 games in 1975.
In 1976, baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn vetoed an attempt to sell Blue to the New York Yankees and in 1977, Kuhn cancelled an attempted trade of Blue to the Cincinnati Reds. In both instances, Kuhn said the trades would be bad for baseball because they would have benefitted already powerful teams without making them give up any significant talent in return.
In 1978, he won 18 games as he led the Giants to 83 wins as they battled all year for the National League West Division which was won that year by the Los Angeles Dodgers. His great year was rewarded as he won the Sporting News National League Pitcher Of The Year.
Blue also made a name and career after baseball for himself in the San Francisco Bay Area by donating his time to many charitable causes, mostly promoting baseball in the inner city.
Blue battled drug addiction over the course of baseball career. After the 1983 season, he and former teammates, Willie Wilson, Jerry Martin and Willie Aikens, pleaded guilty to attempting to purchase cocaine. In 1985, he testified in the scandalous Pittsburgh drug trials.
| Contents |
| Trivia |
| Career statistics |
| See also |
| References |
| External links |
Trivia
Vida Blue autograph on a 1981 ''Fleer'' baseball card - 1981 Series, #432
★ Vida Blue is the answer to a classic trick question in trivia circles. He is technically the last switch hitter to win the American League MVP award. Obviously, however, he won not for his .118 batting average but for his 24-8 record, 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts.
★ He was the last player before Ichiro Suzuki to wear his given name on the back of his uniform instead of his surname, having done so with the Giants.
★ Vida Blue is the name of a song by punk band ALL on their 1998 album Mass Nerder.
★ Even though he was listed as a switchhitter, he admitted he only batted right-handed about 6-7 times during his career.
★ Throws left-handed, but writes right-handed.
Career statistics
Games: 502
Games Started: 479
Wins: 209
Losses: 161
Winning %: .565 (56.5 %)
Earned Run Average (ERA): 3.27
Strikeouts: 2,175
Complete games: 143
Shutouts: 37
All-Star appearances: 5
In his 1971 MVP and Cy Young-winning season, his best, he collected these stats:
24 wins
8 losses
1.89 ERA
301 strikeouts
24 Complete games
8 Shutouts
"On July 9, 1971 the Oakland Athletics' Vida Blue tossed the longest shutout in American League history during a twenty inning, 1-0 triumph over the California Angels. The A's ace fanned seventeen batters in eleven innings" -baseball almanac
Blue also led the league with the lowest ERA in the American league and the most shutouts in the American League
In an article in Esquire magazine in 1976, sportswriter Harry Stein published an article called the "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," a list of five ethnic baseball teams. Blue was the left-handed pitcher on Stein's black team.
See also
★ Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
★ List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
★ List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
★ Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
★ List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
References
★ "A Bolt of Blue Lightning"
★ August 23, 1971) ''TIME'' Magazine.
External links
★
| Accomplishments |
|---|
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