Baseball fans shower tributes on Oakland A's legend Vida Blue after news of his passing - "That high leg kick and gas he threw was just amazing"

Oakland A's pitching great Vida Blue died at the age of 73. The left-hander was most famously a vital cog in the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974, playing integral roles in the 73 and 74 finals.

His decorated career spanned over three decades, playing for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and two stints with the San Francisco Giants.

Dave “Smoke” Stewart

@Dsmoke34

Vida Blue rest in peace, my mentor, hero, and friend. I remember watching a 19 year old phenom dominate baseball, and at the same time alter my life. There are no words for what you have meant to me and so many others. My heart goes out to the Blue family🏿🏿

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Vida Blue rest in peace, my mentor, hero, and friend. I remember watching a 19 year old phenom dominate baseball, and at the same time alter my life. There are no words for what you have meant to me and so many others. My heart goes out to the Blue family🙏🏿🙏🏿

"Vida Blue rest in peace, my mentor, hero, and friend. I remember watching a 19 year old phenom dominate baseball, and at the same time alter my life. There are no words for what you have meant to me and so many others. My heart goes out to the Blue family" - Dave "Smoke" Stewart, Twitter.

For a long time, Blue held the unique record of being the first of only five pitchers in major league history to start the All-Star Game for both the American League (1971) and the National League (1978). Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Roy Halladay, and Max Scherzer followed suit later.

He always stayed in touch with the game, and was most recently an analyst on the Giants broadcasts.

Baseball fans flocked to social media to pen emotional tributes to the fallen warrior. Fans reminisced about his high leg kick the most and highlighted the gas with which he threw his pitches.

Charlie Ricker

@CharlieRicker24

@Dsmoke34 Growing up watching baseball, I always thought Vida Blue had one of the coolest names in the sport. That high leg kick and gas he threw was just amazing.

Rest in Peace, Vida. 🏽

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@Dsmoke34 Growing up watching baseball, I always thought Vida Blue had one of the coolest names in the sport. That high leg kick and gas he threw was just amazing.

Rest in Peace, Vida. 🙏🏽

Vida was an idol to many, and it is absolutely no surprise that many young pitchers imitated him.

Big Joe

@big_righty

@Dsmoke34 Oh no! Yet another one of my all-time favorites. What young pitcher didn't try to imitate Vida Blue in the late 60s/early 70s - what an amazing pitcher!

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@Dsmoke34 Oh no! Yet another one of my all-time favorites. What young pitcher didn't try to imitate Vida Blue in the late 60s/early 70s - what an amazing pitcher!

Kody Duncan

@KodyDuncanPGH

@Dsmoke34 Sorry for your loss Dave, RIP to one of the greatest to ever pitch

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@Dsmoke34 Sorry for your loss Dave, RIP to one of the greatest to ever pitch

Kevin Hitt

@Kevin_Hitt

@Dsmoke34 Thank you for being amazing Mr. Stewart...Vida will be missed. This one stings...

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@Dsmoke34 Thank you for being amazing Mr. Stewart...Vida will be missed. This one stings...

Screaming Hands

@HandsScreaming

@Dsmoke34 Sure was a great guy, taking time to take a picture, tried to emulate his leg kick A’s a kid. RIP

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@Dsmoke34 Sure was a great guy, taking time to take a picture, tried to emulate his leg kick A’s a kid. RIP https://t.co/zVEGWqXr0S

CEllis

@SSAsstSupt

@Dsmoke34 The first baseball teams I can recall as a kid were the A’s from 72-74. Vida Blue, Ken Holtzman, and my favorite Catfish Hunter.

RIP to the great Vida Blue! SORRY for your loss Mr. Stewart. for all.

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@Dsmoke34 The first baseball teams I can recall as a kid were the A’s from 72-74. Vida Blue, Ken Holtzman, and my favorite Catfish Hunter.

RIP to the great Vida Blue! SORRY for your loss Mr. Stewart. 🙏for all.

Jim Bloom

@jamesabloom

@Dsmoke34 So sad to hear. Always liked being with Vida. In 1971, he made our summer. Lights out. My first memory -- that summer, at a market in Lafayette, Vida, Dick Green and Catfish Hunter signed autographs. May he rest in peace.

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@Dsmoke34 So sad to hear. Always liked being with Vida. In 1971, he made our summer. Lights out. My first memory -- that summer, at a market in Lafayette, Vida, Dick Green and Catfish Hunter signed autographs. May he rest in peace.

Last Dive Bar 🏟

@LastDiveBar

@Dsmoke34 Crushing news and our deepest condolences go out to the Blue family. Our prayers are with him.

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@Dsmoke34 Crushing news and our deepest condolences go out to the Blue family. Our prayers are with him. 💔

Wilson

@Wilson11393882

@Dsmoke34 Another part of my wonderful childhood. When the A's were winning with Reggie, Joe Rudy, Catfish my father, grandfathers, brother and I would all watch together when Vida pitched. Never stopped watching him over the years. Rest In Power.

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@Dsmoke34 Another part of my wonderful childhood. When the A's were winning with Reggie, Joe Rudy, Catfish my father, grandfathers, brother and I would all watch together when Vida pitched. Never stopped watching him over the years. Rest In Power.

FAX Sports: MLB

@MLBONFAX

@Dsmoke34 Big loss for baseball.

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@Dsmoke34 Big loss for baseball.

Vida Blue was a six-time All-Star

Vida Blue, a Louisiana native, was drafted by the Oakland A's and spent the first nine seasons of his MLB career with them. He made his major-league debut in July 1969 at age 19.

He was a renowned pitcher bag in the day, especially for his fastballs and cutters. In The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers, all-time hits leader Pete Rose stated that Blue "threw as hard as anyone" he ever faced.

Blue won the AL Most Valuable Player Award in 1971 and was also a six-time All-Star, three-time World Series Champ, and the AL Cy Young Award. His name will forever be etched in the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame.

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