Cy Young
Position: Pitcher
Teams: Cleveland Spiders, 1890-1898; St. Louis Perfectos (Cardinals), 1899-1900; Boston Somersets (Pilgrims, Red Sox), 1901-1908; Cleveland Naps, 1909-1911; Boston Braves, 1911
Manager: Boston Red Sox, 1907
Managerial Record: 3-3
Shortly after being signed by Canton of the Tri-State
League in 1890, the 23-year-old Denton True Young was spotted warming
up against a wooden fence on a farm in Ohio. The ensuing damage to the
barrier, as legend has it, was likened to that of a cyclone hitting a
wall. An enterprising sportswriter shortened “cyclone” to “Cy,” and
Young would never again be known by any other name during his
professional career.
Denton True Young's powerful pitching arm gave him the nickname "Cy Young,"
as the pitches he hurled were similar to the movement of a cyclone.
Anson had scouted Young while he was at Canton and
rejected him as being “just another big farmer.” When Cy beat the White
Stockings 8-1 and allowed only three hits, Anson strove to purchase him
from Cleveland.
Throughout the 1890s, Young, Kid Nichols, and Amos Rusie vied for
recognition as the top pitcher in the game. Although Nichols pitched
for the best team and collected the most wins, and Rusie regularly
logged the most strikeouts and lowest ERAs, it was Young who reached
the top of the league in all three departments.
He blended stamina,
guile, and excellent control in almost equal measures to make him a
pitcher who rarely had a bad game. A pennant for the Spiders never
materialized, however, and when attendance sagged in Cleveland, Young
and most of the team’s other stars were shipped to St. Louis in 1899.
Turning 33 years old in 1900, Young slipped to just 19 wins, his lowest
output since his rookie season. Speculation that he was nearly through
gave St. Louis some consolation when Young deserted the club to sign
with Boston in the newly reorganized American League. The rumors of
Young’s imminent departure from the game soon were dispelled after he
led the yearling major league in wins in 1901, then repeated his feat
the next two years.
Cy went on to win 20 or more games six times for Boston, pitch on two
pennant winners, and participate in the first modern World Series in
1903. Perhaps the finest effort of his career came on May 5, 1904, when
he pitched a perfect game to beat Rube Waddell of the Philadelphia
Athletics 3-0.
Sold to Cleveland at age 42 in 1909, Young again defied time by leading
the Naps mound staff with 19 wins. It was his last good season. Two
years later, after winning seven games in a campaign split between
Cleveland and the Boston Braves, Young retired with 511 career
victories. To the day he last took off his uniform, he boasted that he
had never had a sore arm or spent a single minute on the trainer’s
table.
Continuing to follow the game closely after retiring to his farm near
Peoli, Ohio, Young felt wounded when he was passed over in the initial
Hall of Fame election in 1936. The oversight was rectified the
following year, however, allowing him to be among the original group of
inductees in 1939.
Shortly after Young’s death on November 4, 1955, commissioner Ford
Frick originated the Cy Young Award, an annual honor bestowed upon the
pitcher deemed most valuable.
Here are Cy Young's major league totals:
WL
ERA
G
CG
IP
H
ER
BB
SO
511315
2.63
906
750
7,356.0
7,092
2,147
1,217
2,79
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