MLB LEGEND

A brilliant left-handed pitcher, Vida burst onto the scene in Major League Baseball as a fire-balling left-hander for the Oakland A’s and served as one of the primary characters in the A’s streak of five division championships and three World Series championships. His career would see multiple World Series championships and outstanding pitching performances. 

Vida finished his career with 2,175 strikeouts, 209 wins, three 20-win seasons, a Cy Young Award, and a Most Valuable Player Award.  Vida’s rookie season in California with the Oakland Athletics is historic not only for his record of twenty-four wins but also for how he dominated his opponents. 

At the age of twenty-two, Vida Blue became the third player in baseball history to win the Cy Young Award as the best Professional Pitcher in the American League and the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award. During his seventeen-year career, Vida compiled a record of 209 wins, won twenty or more games three times, three World Series Championship titles, and six-time All-Star. 

After retirement, Vida retained a close association with baseball, played in the Senior Professional Baseball Association, and was active in philanthropic work supporting underserved youth in STEM academic programs. 

The two-time Sporting News Pitcher of the Year was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Vida appeared periodically as an analyst for the Comcast SportsNet Bay Area network covering the San Francisco Giants. 

• CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER 
• MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL MVP 
• 3× WORLD SERIES CHAMPION
• AMERICAN LEAGUE-ERA LEADER
• 6× ALL-STAR 
• 2X SPORTING NEWS NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER