The Athletics announced former All-Star pitcher Vida Blue died at the age of 73. They did not reveal the cause of death:

“There are few players with a more decorated career than Vida Blue,” the Athletics said in a statement on Twitter. “He was a three-time champion, an MVP, a six-time All-Star, a Cy Young Award winner, and an Oakland A’s Hall of Famer. Vida will always be a franchise legend and a friend. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this arduous time.”

NYPost.com

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

He came up in 1969 at seasonal age 19, then pitched enough in 1970 to qualify for rookie status. I’ve always thought of 1971 as his rookie year, the season he made his mark. He posted a 1.82 ERA in 39 starts and led the majors in shutouts with eight. That earned him both the Cy Young and MVP awards. At nine rWAR, that would prove to be his best season. He would post WARs about 4.0 in four other seasons, including a 7.6 in 1976.

Blue kept the ball in the yard, 0.7 HR per 9 IP for his career. He also posted good K numbers for the era, as he average 5.9 K per 9 IP for his career. During that time, the MLB average came in at 5.2 per 9 IP. In his Cy Young year he averaged 8.7 K per nine IP. exemplary for the time.

I believe he introduced the dyed leather glove to the game, wearing a blue glove. Those became very popular in the 1970s.