Vida Blue, who as a rookie with the Oakland Athletics in 1971 threw an unhittable fastball and became baseball’s hottest player, died on Saturday.
The Athletics announced his death but did not say where Blue died or provide the cause.
Vida (pronounced VYE-da) Blue was one of the stars of an Athletics team that won the World Series three straight years, from 1972 to 1974.
After losing on opening day to the Washington Senators in 1971, Blue, a lefty, reeled off eight wins in a row.
By the summer, he was leading baseball in not just shutouts but also wins, strikeouts, complete games and earned-run average.