Young, Cy, 1867-1955
Primary team: Cleveland Spiders
Primary position: Pitcher
Cy Young left a legacy as a pitcher that is unlikely to ever be matched.
The right-hander won 511 games during his tenure in baseball, almost 100 more than any other pitcher in history. He recorded 30 victories on five occasions and won 20-or-more games 16 times.
Young’s best season came in 1901 when he led in strikeouts (158), wins (33) and ERA (1.62). It was the first year of the American League and he set the bar high, winning its pitchingTriple Crown.
In 1903, he won two games in the first modern World Series, helping Boston defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates.
On May 5, 1904, Young pitched the first perfect game of the 20th century, a day he considered to be his greatest in baseball. Young totaled three no-hitters throughout his career. He still holds the records for most career innings pitched with 7,356, games started with 815 and complete games with 749. He is the fourth all-time with 76 career shutouts.
Young threw his first no-hitter on Sept. 18, 1897. He did not walk a batter, but his team committed four errors. One was originally ruled a hit, but Cleveland’s third baseman sent a note to the press box after the eighth inning indicating that he had actually made an error, so the ruling on the field was changed. Young considered the game to be a one-hitter, despite a valiant effort from his teammate.
In 1908, he pitched his third no-hitter at 41 years and three months old, setting a record for oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter that stood for 82 years.
Young led his league in victories on five occasions: In 1892, 1895, and from 1901 to 1903. In 1892, he reached a career-high in wins with 36. He led the league in ERA twice with a 1.93 in 1892 and a 1.62 in 1901, and was second three times in the same category.
For 19 straight years, the right-handed pitcher was in the Top 10 in his league for number of innings pitched.
Young was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937. He passed away on Nov. 4, 1955.
