- For the Major League Baseball award named the 'Cy Young Award', see Cy Young Award.
| Cy Young | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| Born: {{{birthdate}}} | |
| MLB Debut | |
| August 6, 1890 for the Cleveland Spiders | |
| Final game | |
| October 11, 1911 for the Boston Rustlers | |
| Career Statistics | |
| Wins | 511 |
| E.R.A. | 2.63 |
| Strike Outs | 2803 |
| Teams | |
|
Cleveland Spiders (1890 - 1898) | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
| |
Denton True Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American baseball pitcher during the 1890s and 1900s. The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Young in 1937. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in the 2nd BBWAA election, along with Nap Lajoie and Tris Speaker. He won one championship in 1903 as a member of the Boston Americans. An accomplished athlete, Young won the 1901 AL Triple Crown for Pitchers. The annual award given for the pitcher of the year in each league is named the Cy Young Award. Young played twenty-two years of professional baseball. He set the records for most wins all-time, most innings pitched all-time, most games started all-time, and most complete games all-time. His longevity also allowed him to set the record for the most career losses, despite winning 62% of his decisions. He shares the Red Sox career records for both wins and shutouts with Roger Clemens.
There are several different stories as to how Young earned the nickname "Cy", however they all acknowledge that it is short short for "Cyclone." One version is that when pitching he twisted his body around and whipped around with such speed, it resembled a cyclone. Another story says that barns and fences would show cyclone-like damage after Young hit them with a throw.[citation needed] He was born in Gilmore, Ohio, and raised in Newcomerstown, Ohio. Young later died in Newcomerstown, where the local park bears his name and a memorial to the pitcher stands.
Later life & baseball career
Cy Young, 1911 baseball card
Young began his major league career in 1890 with the Cleveland Spiders. He allowed three hits in his debut. In 1893, the pitching mound was placed 60 feet 6 inches from home plate.[1] He was one of the few pitchers whose statistical performance did not suffer as a consequence of the move.
In 1899, the Spiders and the St. Louis Perfectos essentially swapped teams by trading rosters.[citation needed] He played for St. Louis in 1899 and 1900, although by 1900, they had become the Cardinals.
In 1901, he left St. Louis and jumped to the newly formed American League.[citation needed] He joined the Boston Americans and spent the next seven seasons with the franchise. In his first season with the Americans, Young earned the AL Triple Crown for Pitchers when he lead the league with 33 wins, 158 strike outs, and a 1.62 ERA.
In 1903, the Americans played the Pittsburg Pirates in the World Series. Young pitched in the first game on October 1, 1903. He lost the game 7-3, but Boston won the series five games to three. Young finished the series with a 2-1 record and a 1.83 ERA.
Young pitched a perfect game on May 5, 1904 in Boston, against the Philadelphia Athletics. In later years, he considered this game his greatest day in baseball.[citation needed] It was the centerpiece of a sterling pitching streak. During that streak Young set records for the most consecutive scoreless innings pitched and for the most consecutive innings without allowing a hit; the latter record still stands at twenty-four innings. He also had two other no-hitters in his career. Between 1891 and 1896, Young averaged 415 innings per season and he still holds the record for complete games with 749.
Young was honored on August 13, 1908. No American League games were played on that day and a group of All-Stars from the league's other teams gathered in Boston to play against Young and the Red Sox.[2]
Young spent his penultimate year with the Cleveland Naps in 1910. He split 1911, his final year, between the Naps and the Boston Rustlers. In his final game, the last seven batters Young faced hit combined to hit one triple, three singles and three doubles. He retired after the season with 511 career wins. This was 147 more wins than then runner-up, Pud Galvin. Currently, Walter Johnson is second on the list with 417 wins.
In 1993, Northeastern University unveiled a statue of Young outside the Cabot Center, one of its athletic complexes. The statue stands near the spot of the pitcher's mound from Huntington Avenue Grounds, the home field of the Red Sox in Young's time.
In 1999, 88 years after his final major league appearance and 44 years after his death, he ranked Number 14 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, even though half of his career took place in the 19th century.
Career statistics
Pitching statistics
| W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO |
| 511 | 316 | 2.63 | 906 | 815 | 749 | 76 | 17 | 7354 2/3 | 7,092 | 2,147 | 138 | 1,217 | 2,803 |
Hitting statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | TB | SH | HBP |
| 918 | 2960 | 325 | 623 | 87 | 36 | 18 | 290 | 29 | --- | 81 | --- | .210 | --- | .281 | 834 | --- | 10 |
Young predates statistics such as on-base percentage, strike-outs, sac hits and caught stealing
See also
References
- ↑ This is the current distance from home plate to the pitching mound.
- ↑ Cy Young Day. brainyhistory.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Baseball-Reference.com - Major league career statistics
| Preceded by: Monte Ward |
Perfect game pitcher May 5, 1904 |
Succeeded by: Addie Joss |
| Preceded by: Chick Stahl |
Boston Red Sox manager 1907 |
Succeeded by: George Huff |