Cy Young

Denton True Young
Born: March 29,1867 in Gilmore, Ohio
Died: Nov. 4, 1955 in Newcomerstown, Ohio
Debut: 1890 | Pos: P
H: 6'2" | W: 210 | B: R | T: R

Yr	W	L	G	SV	IP	SO	ERA
22	511	316	906	17	7356	2803	2.63

>> Visit the Cy Young biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

By Dean Lollis

Ask anyone who the greatest pitcher of all time is and, undoubtedly, Cy Young's name has to come up in the conversation.

After all, Young's name is attached to the honor that recognizes the top pitcher in the American and National Leagues. For baseball, the award offers a chance to honor a star while it lets those who play today remember the accomplishments of one of the game's past stars.

"You've done it once. Cy Young topped 30 victories five times."

-- Individual talking to Denny McLain after he won 30 games in 1968

Cy Young pitched in a time when pitchers were dominant or they were out of a job. He established milestones that will probably never be eclipsed. For example, in Young's first full season in the majors, he pitched 423.2 innings. In 2000, for example, National League Cy Young Award Winner Randy Johnson pitched 248.2 innings. The AL winner, Pedro Martinez. rang up 217 innings.

As the pioneer of Major League pitching, Cy Young set records in wins with 511, innings pitched with 7.354.2, complete games with 749, and losses with 316. Young's career spanned 22 years and included the time when the rules called for pitchers to only stand 50 feet from home plate.

Young's accomplishments in the old National League would have been enough to get him into baseball's Hall of Fame. Things really took off when he joined the American League in 1901. In the league's first three seasons, Cy Young was the leader in wins. He also is credited with winning two games for the Red Sox in the first World Series.

Cy Young's nickname was given to him by a young catcher helping to warm him up when he tried out with a minor league team in Canton, Ohio. The catcher told others that Young pitched as fast as a "cyclone." Reporters shortened the nickname to Cy.

Young was still in great pitching shape until he was 44 years old. He credited his daily chores and farm work as what gave him the strength and kept him in shape for the baseball season.

When Denny McLain of Detroit won 30 games in 1968, someone reminded McLain of his accomplishment in terms of what Cy Young accomplished.

"You've done it once," the individual told McLain. "Cy Young topped 30 victories five times."

Updated on 12/28/2006