1969–1986 · P

Vida Blue

6' 0", 189 lbs·Lived to 74·Bats B / Throws L

Cy Young AwardMVPAll-Star

The Almanac's Take

Blue's 1971 season remains one of the most dominant pitching performances in modern history. That 1.82 ERA with 301 strikeouts earned him both the Cy Young and MVP awards — a rare double that speaks to his sheer dominance. His ERA+ of 190 that year means he was nearly twice as effective as the average pitcher.

The southpaw's career numbers tell the story of sustained excellence: 209 wins with a 118 ERA+ over 18 seasons. He struck out 2,175 batters while maintaining exceptional control, anchoring Oakland's championship teams of the early 1970s. Six All-Star selections underscore his consistency at the highest level.

Blue's blazing fastball and devastating curveball made him the ace of those legendary A's squads. His 1971 campaign stands as a masterpiece of pitching craft — the kind of season that defined an era and established him among the game's elite left-handers.

Career Highs

1.82

Best ERA · 1971

Most W · 1971

301

Most K · 1971

0.952

Best WHIP · 1971

Career Arc · OPS

10 seasons

Career Arc · ERA

17 seasons

Statistical Comps

Aaron Nola

99%

2018 season

K/9 9.5 · BB/9 2.5 · HR/9 0.72 · SP · FB 92.4 mph · Whiff% 26

Walker Buehler

98%

2021 season

K/9 9.2 · BB/9 2.3 · HR/9 0.82 · SP · FB 95.4 mph · Whiff% 24

Zack Wheeler

98%

2018 season

K/9 8.8 · BB/9 2.7 · HR/9 0.69 · SP · FB 95.8 mph · Whiff% 22

Career · Hitting

17 seasons

Year	Team	G	AB	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	OPS+
1969	ATH	12	10	0	0	.000	.167	—
1970	ATH	6	15	1	3	.200	.717	101
1971	ATH	39	102	0	2	.118	.294	43
1972	ATH	27	45	0	0	.044	.184	28
1973	ATH	38	1	0	0	.000	.000	0
1974	ATH	40	0	0	0	—	—	—
1975	ATH	39	0	0	0	—	—	—
1976	ATH	37	0	0	0	—	—	—
1977	ATH	38	1	0	0	.000	.000	0
1978	SF	35	79	1	2	.076	.366	52
1979	SF	37	83	1	3	.120	.348	48
1980	SF	31	68	0	1	.074	.199	28
1981	SF	18	35	0	1	.200	.520	76
1982	KC	31	0	0	0	—	—	—
1983	KC	19	0	0	0	—	—	—
1985	SF	33	30	0	0	.133	.379	53
1986	SF	28	43	1	3	.093	.390	54
Career		508	512	4	15	.104	—	—

Career · Pitching

17 seasons

Year	Team	G	IP	W	L	ERA	ERA+	SO	WHIP
1969	ATH	12	42.0	1	1	6.64	54	24	1.595
1970	ATH	6	38.7	2	0	2.09	186	35	0.828
1971	ATH	39	312.0	24	8	1.82	190	301	0.952
1972	ATH	25	151.0	6	10	2.80	116	111	1.093
1973	ATH	37	263.7	20	9	3.28	114	158	1.210
1974	ATH	40	282.3	17	15	3.25	111	174	1.218
1975	ATH	39	278.0	22	11	3.01	123	189	1.230
1976	ATH	37	298.3	18	13	2.35	149	166	1.109
1977	ATH	38	279.7	14	19	3.83	104	157	1.323
1978	SF	35	258.0	18	10	2.79	132	171	1.174
1979	SF	34	237.0	14	14	5.01	80	138	1.506
1980	SF	31	224.0	14	10	2.97	129	129	1.174
1981	SF	18	124.7	8	6	2.45	146	63	1.211
1982	KC	31	181.0	13	12	3.78	102	103	1.343
1983	KC	19	85.3	0	5	6.01	64	53	1.535
1985	SF	33	131.0	8	8	4.47	87	103	1.489
1986	SF	28	156.7	10	10	3.27	121	100	1.366
Career		502	3343.4	209	161	—	—	2175	—

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