Cy Young facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cy Young |
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Young with the Cleveland Naps in 1911
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: March 29, 1867 Gilmore, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Died: November 4, 1955 (aged 88) Newcomerstown, Ohio, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 6, 1890, for the Cleveland Spiders | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 11, 1911, for the Boston Rustlers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 511–315 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.63 | ||
| Strikeouts | 2,803 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
MLB records
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1937 | ||
| Vote | 76.12% (second ballot) | ||
Denton True "Cy" Young (born March 29, 1867 – died November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. He grew up on a farm in Gilmore, Ohio, before starting his amazing professional baseball journey. Young joined the major leagues in 1890 with the Cleveland Spiders. He later played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox, helping the Red Sox win the first modern World Series in 1903. He finished his career with the Cleveland Naps and Boston Rustlers, retiring in 1911.
Early in his career, Young was known for throwing the ball incredibly fast. Even as he got older and his speed slowed down, he became very good at controlling where his pitches went. By the time he retired, he had set many pitching records. Some of these records, like his 511 career wins, still stand today, more than a century later! He also holds MLB records for the most career losses, innings pitched, games started, and complete games. He led his league in wins five times and pitched three no-hitters, including a perfect game in 1904.
Young was chosen for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. One year after he passed away, in 1956, the Cy Young Award was created in his honor. This award is given every year to the best pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Start
Cy Young was born Denton True Young, the oldest of five children. He grew up on a farm in Washington Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and was often called "Dent Young" or "Farmer Young." He stopped school after the sixth grade to help his family on the farm.
Even though he worked on the farm, Young loved playing baseball. He played for many amateur teams, including a semi-professional team in Carrollton, Ohio, in 1888. He played both pitcher and second base. After this season, he got an offer to play for a minor league team in Canton, Ohio, which was the start of his professional career.
Becoming "Cy" Young
Young began his professional baseball career in 1889 with the Canton team in the Tri-State League. During his tryout, he threw the ball so hard that he reportedly "almost tore the boards off the grandstand." This incredible fastball led to his famous nickname. Reporters said the fences looked like a cyclone had hit them after he pitched. They shortened "cyclone" to "Cy," and the name stuck with him for the rest of his life. In his first year with Canton, he won 15 games and lost 15.
Because he was so good, in 1890, Young signed with the Cleveland Spiders, a team in the National League, which was the main professional baseball league back then.
Playing for the Cleveland Spiders (1890–1898)
On August 6, 1890, Cy Young made his major league debut. He pitched a fantastic game, allowing only three hits and winning 8–1 against the Chicago Colts. During his time with the Spiders, Chief Zimmer was his catcher more than anyone else. It's said that Zimmer often put a piece of beefsteak inside his baseball glove to protect his hand from Young's incredibly fast pitches!
Young quickly became known as one of the hardest-throwing pitchers. A famous story tells how Cap Anson, a player-manager for the Chicago Colts, tried to buy Young for $1,000. But the Spiders' manager, Gus Schmelz, refused, saying, "Cap, you can keep your thousand and we'll keep the rube."
In 1893, a big change happened in baseball: the pitcher's position was moved back by five feet, making it 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate. This change was made because pitchers like Cy Young were throwing the ball so fast that it was becoming too easy for them to strike out batters.
The 1892 season was a great one for Young. He led the National League in wins (36), ERA (1.93), and shutouts (9). In 1895, the Spiders played the Baltimore Orioles in the Temple Cup, which was like an early version of the World Series. Young won three games, and Cleveland won the Cup. Around this time, Young started using a "slow ball," which we now call a changeup, to help his arm.
On September 18, 1897, Young pitched the first no-hitter of his career against the Cincinnati Reds. A no-hitter is when a pitcher doesn't allow any hits during a full game.
Moving to St. Louis (1899–1900)
Before the 1899 season, the owner of the Spiders also bought the St. Louis Browns and renamed them the "Perfectos." Many of the best Spiders players, including Young, were moved to St. Louis. Young played two years with St. Louis, where he found his favorite catcher, Lou Criger. They played together for ten years.
Boston Red Sox and World Series Win (1901–1908)
In 1901, a new league, the American League, started up and began signing players from the National League. Young left St. Louis and joined the American League's Boston Americans (who later became the Red Sox) for $3,500. He stayed with the Boston team until 1909. In his first year in the American League, Young was amazing! He led the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA, earning what's called the AL Triple Crown for pitchers.
In 1903, the Boston Americans played the Pittsburgh Pirates in the very first modern World Series. Young threw the first pitch in modern World Series history in Game One. Even though he lost that first game, he pitched much better in the next games, winning two of his starts. Boston defeated Pittsburgh, winning the series five games to three.
Pitching a Perfect Game
On May 2, 1904, a pitcher named Rube Waddell from the Philadelphia Athletics pitched a great game against Boston. He then dared Young to face him. Just three days later, Young pitched a perfect game against Waddell and the Athletics! A perfect game is even rarer than a no-hitter, meaning no batter reaches base at all during the entire game. This was the first perfect game in American League history. When Waddell was the last batter and flied out, Young famously shouted, "How do you like that, you hayseed?"
This perfect game was part of an incredible streak for Young. He set major league records for the most consecutive scoreless innings pitched and the most consecutive innings without allowing a hit. The record for most consecutive innings without allowing a hit still stands today at 25.1 innings!
In 1908, when he was 41 years old, Young pitched the third no-hitter of his career. He was the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter for 82 years until Nolan Ryan broke his record. Only one walk kept him from his second perfect game, but that runner was caught stealing, so no other batter reached base.
Later Career and Retirement (1909–1911)
Young was traded back to Cleveland, to the Cleveland Naps, before the 1909 season. In 1910, he won his 500th career game, a huge milestone. He split his final year, 1911, between the Naps and the Boston Rustlers. On September 22, 1911, Young pitched his last career victory, a 1–0 shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He retired shortly after.
Cy Young's Amazing Records
Cy Young set many pitching records that have lasted for over a century.
- He has the most career wins in major league history with 511. This is 94 more wins than the pitcher in second place!
- He also holds the records for most career innings pitched (7,356), most career games started (815), and most complete games (749).
- He also has the most career losses in MLB history with 316.
- Young's 76 career shutouts are the fourth most all-time.
- He led his league in wins five times and won at least 30 games in a season five times.
- He had 15 seasons with 20 or more wins.
- Young pitched three no-hitters, including the first perfect game in baseball's "modern era."
- He was also a good hitter for a pitcher, with a .210 batting average and 18 home runs.
How Cy Young Pitched
Especially after his fastball wasn't as fast, Young became known for his incredible control. He could place the ball exactly where he wanted it. He once said that good control was more important than knowing how to throw a curveball. Young was also a "workhorse" pitcher, meaning he pitched a lot and rarely got injured. He could throw from different arm positions, like overhand, sidearm, and even submarine. For 19 years in a row, he was among the top 10 pitchers in his league for innings pitched. He also didn't practice throwing much in spring training. He believed his arm had a limited number of throws, and he didn't want to waste them!
Later Life and Legacy
After retiring from baseball, Young lived and worked on his farm. In 1933, his wife, Roba, passed away. Young continued to be involved in baseball events. In 1937, 26 years after he retired, Cy Young was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was one of the first players to donate items to the Hall.
On November 4, 1955, Cy Young died at the age of 88. He was buried in Peoli, Ohio.
Cy Young's career connects the very early days of baseball to the modern game. He played against stars from the 1870s and also against players who played until the 1930s. When he started, pitchers threw underhand, and the pitcher's mound was much closer. He didn't even wear a glove until his sixth season!
In 1956, about a year after Young's death, the Cy Young Award was created to honor the best pitcher in Major League Baseball each season. At first, it was one award for all of baseball, but in 1967, it was split into two awards, one for each league.
In 1993, a statue dedicated to Cy Young was put up by Northeastern University in Boston. It's near where the Red Sox's first stadium was, where Young pitched the first game of the 1903 World Series and his famous perfect game.
In 1999, many years after he retired, The Sporting News ranked Young 14th on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players." That same year, baseball fans also voted him onto the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
See also
- 300 win club
- List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career ERA leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career shutout leaders
- Triple Crown (baseball)
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
- Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
