Vida Blue, 3-time World Series...

The Oakland Athletics confirmed on Sunday that pitcher Vida Blue, a distinguished MLB player who was a key cog in the team's three-peat in the World Series between 1972 and 1974, had passed away. He was 73. Vida Blue had a more distinguished career than most players, according to a statement from the A's. He was a Cy Young Award winner, MVP, six-time All-Star, three-time champion, and member of the Oakland A's Hall of Fame. Vida will always be a buddy and an icon in the series. We offer his family and friends our sincere sympathies during this difficult time. Nine of Blue's 17 seasons were spent in Oakland. He has made starts with the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants. The left-handed pitcher went 24-8, with a 1.82 ERA, struck out 301 batters over 312 innings, and had a spectacular season in 1971. In his third MLB season, he was awarded the MVP and Cy Young awards for the AL. In addition, that year saw Blue participate in his first All-Star Game, making history as the first African American pitcher to start the game with Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates. "I don't know what [that game] did for baseball, but it gave the Black community a chance to be proud of having two Black pitchers start an All-Star Game," Blue said to Andscape in 2019. He went on to garner five more All-Star nods. He was traded to the Giants in a seven-player swap in 1978 and played for San Francisco until 1981, then spent the 1982 and '83 seasons in Kansas City. He missed time in 1983 and '84 as he dealt with a drug addiction, eventually returning to the Giants for the following two years. After the 1983 season, Blue and several former teammates pled guilty to attempting to purchase cocaine. Blue later told the San Francisco Chronicle that he believed his drug problems barred him from the Hall of Fame. "I had some issues in my life that might have had a tendency to sway voting," Blue said. "There are some guys in the Hall of Fame who don't have halos." Blue stayed close to the game in retirement. Most recently, he was an analyst for Giants broadcasts. Fellow great A's pitcher Dave Stewart tweeted his condolences. "Rest in peace, my mentor, hero, and friend," he wrote. Two of his former teams, the Athletics and Royals, finish a three-game series on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.