Former superstar pitcher Vida Blue has passed away at the age of 73. He spent most of his career with the Oakland Athletics but also played for the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals as he put together a fantastic career.

MLB announced the sad news on Twitter, highlighting the accomplishments of one of the best baseball players of the 1970s. The lefty pitcher won the MVP and Cy Young Award for the American League in 1971 with a 1.82 ERA and helped lead the Athletics to World Series wins in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Those teams, which also featured stars like Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson and Rollie Fingers, are remembered as some of the best in baseball history.

Blue — who spent nine years with the athletics, six with the Giants and two with the Royals — was named to six All-Star teams and owns a career 3.27 ERA in 3,343.1 innings. He recorded 2,175 strikeouts and threw a solo no-hitter at the age of 21 before being part of a combined one five years layer. In the Live Ball Era, no one has thrown a no-hitter at a younger age.

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The Athletics released a statement on Blue's passing. “There are few players with a more decorated career than Vida Blue,” the statement reads before listing his many accomplishments, which include a spot in the franchise's Hall of Fame. “Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this arduous time.”

In the midst of already sad times for fans of the Athletics, they now mourn the death of a franchise legend that was, by many accounts, a kind and caring person.