VIDA BLUE PRIMED A's FOR SUCCESS IN OAKLAND
On a team filled with stars, Vida Blue was truly a force of nature.
It was Blue's 1971 season that set the Athletics on their path to dominate baseball for the next five seasons. First, a 21-year-old Blue announced himself to the baseball world by going 24-8, 1.82 with 301 strikeouts 312 innings in 1971.
It was the kind of season that is nearly impossible to match today. Blue led the American League in ERA, shutouts (eight) and strikeout rate (8.7 per nine innings), making him the overwhelming choice not only for the AL Cy Young Award but also for MVP.
That makes Blue the answer to an obscure trivia question: Who was the last switch-hitter to win the AL MVP award?
Oakland won 101 games and the American League West in 1971 to make the franchise's first postseason appearance in 40 years. Connie Mack's 1931 Philadelphia club had been the last A's playoff team.
In 1972, the A's won their first of three consecutive World Series titles with Blue a part of a rotation that also featured Catfish Hunter, Blue Moon Odom and Ken Holtzman.
Blue remained one of the better pitchers in baseball for most of the 1970s. A's owner Charlie Finley tried twice to sell his contract to other teams, only to have MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn halt the trades. He was one of the last stars remaining in 1977 as Oakland's star-studded roster was dismantled by the arrival of free agency.
Eventually, Blue was traded to the Giants, where he spent four seasons from 1977 to 1981. After two years with the Royals, he was one of a number of players suspended for cocaine use. He returned for two more seasons after his year-long suspension in 1984.
Blue remained on the Hall of Fame ballot for four years, receiving 8.7% of votes in his peak year of 1993.
A six-time all-star, Blue finished his career with 209 wins, 161 losses and a 3.27 career ERA. He is the all-time Oakland leader with 1,315 strikeouts.
Growing up, Blue was so talented as a multi-sport athlete in Mansfield, La., that DeSoto High added a baseball team just to make sure he had a team to play on. He was just as talented as a quarterback, but he signed with the A's in 1967 as a second-round pick.
He was in the big leagues just two years later. He was sent back to Triple-A lowa for more seasoning in 1970, setting up his dominant 1971 season.
Blue died on May 6. He was 73.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1687790698/articles/pRW6fLomQ1690803599986/7061060110.jpg]
ROGER CRAIG MADE HIS MARK
Roger Craig played in the World Series. He coached in the World Series, and he managed in the World Series. That made him one of the lucky few who can say they made a large impact in baseball on the game's biggest stage in a wide variety of roles.
As a player, Roger Craig was a good enough pitcher to make starts in the World Series for three different Dodgers clubs, including two that won it all in 1955 and 1959. He also worked out of the bullpen for the Cardinals on his third championship-winning club in 1964.
As a pitching coach, Craig was the master of teaching the split-fingered fastball, helping Jack Morris, Mike Scott and Juan Berenguer become aces and closers with the pitch. As the Tigers' pitching coach, he added another World Series ring as he led the Detroit staff to the 1984 championship.
And then he was hired by the Giants as their manager. It was his second stint as an MLB manager, following two years running the Padres in 1978 and '79. His time with the Giants was more successful. His 1987 team won 90 games and the National League West crown but lost to the Cardinals in the Championship Series. His 1989 team won 92 games and another NL West title. This time they knocked out the Cubs in the NLCS but were swept by the A's in a Wo...
On a team filled with stars, Vida Blue was truly a force of nature.
It was Blue's 1971 season that set the Athletics on their path to dominate baseball for the next five seasons. First, a 21-year-old Blue announced himself to the baseball world by going 24-8, 1.82 with 301 strikeouts 312 innings in 1971.
It was the kind of season that is nearly impossible to match today. Blue led the American League in ERA, shutouts (eight) and strikeout rate (8.7 per nine innings), making him the overwhelming choice not only for the AL Cy Young Award but also for MVP.
That makes Blue the answer to an obscure trivia question: Who was the last switch-hitter to win the AL MVP award?
Oakland won 101 games and the American League West in 1971 to make the franchise's first postseason appearance in 40 years. Connie Mack's 1931 Philadelphia club had been the last A's playoff team.
In 1972, the A's won their first of three consecutive World Series titles with Blue a part of a rotation that also featured Catfish Hunter, Blue Moon Odom and Ken Holtzman.
Blue remained one of the better pitchers in baseball for most of the 1970s. A's owner Charlie Finley tried twice to sell his contract to other teams, only to have MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn halt the trades. He was one of the last stars remaining in 1977 as Oakland's star-studded roster was dismantled by the arrival of free agency.
Eventually, Blue was traded to the Giants, where he spent four seasons from 1977 to 1981. After two years with the Royals, he was one of a number of players suspended for cocaine use. He returned for two more seasons after his year-long suspension in 1984.
Blue remained on the Hall of Fame ballot for four years, receiving 8.7% of votes in his peak year of 1993.
A six-time all-star, Blue finished his career with 209 wins, 161 losses and a 3.27 career ERA. He is the all-time Oakland leader with 1,315 strikeouts.
Growing up, Blue was so talented as a multi-sport athlete in Mansfield, La., that DeSoto High added a baseball team just to make sure he had a team to play on. He was just as talented as a quarterback, but he signed with the A's in 1967 as a second-round pick.
He was in the big leagues just two years later. He was sent back to Triple-A lowa for more seasoning in 1970, setting up his dominant 1971 season.
Blue died on May 6. He was 73.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1687790698/articles/pRW6fLomQ1690803599986/7061060110.jpg]
ROGER CRAIG MADE HIS MARK
Roger Craig played in the World Series. He coached in the World Series, and he managed in the World Series. That made him one of the lucky few who can say they made a large impact in baseball on the game's biggest stage in a wide variety of roles.
As a player, Roger Craig was a good enough pitcher to make starts in the World Series for three different Dodgers clubs, including two that won it all in 1955 and 1959. He also worked out of the bullpen for the Cardinals on his third championship-winning club in 1964.
As a pitching coach, Craig was the master of teaching the split-fingered fastball, helping Jack Morris, Mike Scott and Juan Berenguer become aces and closers with the pitch. As the Tigers' pitching coach, he added another World Series ring as he led the Detroit staff to the 1984 championship.
And then he was hired by the Giants as their manager. It was his second stint as an MLB manager, following two years running the Padres in 1978 and '79. His time with the Giants was more successful. His 1987 team won 90 games and the National League West crown but lost to the Cardinals in the Championship Series. His 1989 team won 92 games and another NL West title. This time they knocked out the Cubs in the NLCS but were swept by the A's in a Wo...
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Baseball America (Digital) - 1 Issue, June - July 2023