The MLB world was dealt some tragic news on Sunday morning when it was announced that Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants legend Vida Blue had passed away at the age of 73. Blue was a dominant left-handed pitcher throughout his career, which he spent with the Athletics, Giants, and Kansas City Royals as well.
Blue burst onto the scene with a breakout campaign at the age of 21 in 1971 (24-8, 1.82 ERA, 301 K, 0.95 WHIP) winning the American League Cy Young and MVP awards for his strong campaign. Blue would also end up being a six-time All-Star and a three-time World Series champion, and after news of his passing broke, baseball fans everywhere took to Twitter to pen heartfelt messages in honor of Blue.
Blue was a winner through-and-through during his career, and while he had some inconsistent seasons along the way, there wasn't a better pitcher in the majors than him when he was at his peak. Blue had a massive impact on the MLB as a whole, and the outpouring of love in the tweets above show just how big an impact the dominant left-hander had.
Following his playing career, Blue spent time as a broadcaster for the Giants, which was the team he ended up finishing his career with. However, it was Blue's accomplishments with the Athletics, particularly his legendary 1971 campaign previously mentioned, that he will be most remembered for. The MLB lost one of their legends today, though, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends that Blue has tragically left behind.