Cy Young: The Player

Cy Young: The Player

Cy Young: The Player

Denton True Young was one of many people who became familiar with the game of baseball when it was beginning to grow in popularity in the late 1800’s, and though no one knew it at the time, the man nicknamed “Cyclone” and mainly known as “Cy” would go on to become arguably the best pitcher in baseball history. Before there was an award named after him, the player himself enjoyed a long 22-year career that isn’t statistically matched by any other pitcher.

From 1890 until 1898 Cy Young called Cleveland, Ohio home as he played for the Cleveland Spiders. 1890 was an okay year by any pitcher’s standards as he went 9-7 with a 3.47 ERA and 16 complete games. However, Young’s career would go into overdrive in the very next year in 1891 where he went 27-22 with 147 strikeouts and a 2.85 ERA, recording 43 complete games and 2 saves. In just his 3rd full year of playing, Young had arguably the best year of his career as he went 36-12 with 168 strikeouts and a 1.93 ERA, recording 48 complete games and 9 shutouts. In 1893 Young went 34-16 with 102 strikeouts and a 3.36 ERA, recording 42 complete games, 1 shutout and 1 save. Young stepped back a bit in 1894 but still had a good year as he went 26-21 with 106 strikeouts and a 3.94 ERA, recording 44 complete games, 2 shutouts and 1 save.

Young stepped his game up again in 1895 as he went 35-10 with 121 strikeouts and a 3.26 ERA, recording 36 complete games and 4 shutouts. 1896 was a solid year for Young as he went 28-15 with 140 strikeouts and a 3.24 ERA, recording 42 complete games, 5 shutouts and 3 saves. 1897 would be a near average year for Young as he went 21-19 with 88 strikeouts and a 3.78 ERA, recording 35 complete games and 2 shutouts. In his final year as a Spider in 1898, Young went out on a good note, posting a 25-13 record with 101 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA along with 40 complete games and 1 shutout.

Young would spend the next 2 years of his career in St. Louis, Missouri as a “cup of coffee” kind of stint, but in those 2 years alone Young made the St. Louis Perfectos relevant. In 1899 Young went 26-16 with 111 strikeouts and a 2.58 ERA, recording 40 complete games, 4 shutouts and 1 save. Though 1900 was an average year by his standards, Young still pitched better than most pitchers in baseball, going 19-19 with 115 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA, recording 32 complete games and 4 shutouts. The change of scenery turned out to be a good move on Young’s part, so it came as no surprise that he would have another change of scenery.

From 1901 until 1908 Young would call Boston, Massachusetts home as he played for a team known as the Pilgrims and the Americans. Young was back to his dominant form in 1901 as he went 33-10 with 158 strikeouts and a very small 1.62 ERA, recording 38 complete games and 5 shutouts. In 1902 Young went 32-11 with 160 strikeouts and a 2.15 ERA, recording 41 complete games and 3 shutouts. Young kept his poise in 1903 as he went 28-9 with 176 strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA, recording 34 complete games, 7 shutouts and 2 saves. In 1904 Young went 26-16 and reached the milestone of 200 strikeouts along with a 1.97 ERA, recording 40 complete games, 10 shutouts and 1 save.

Amazingly enough Young did in fact have a losing season, and that was in 1905. However, despite going 18-19 he still recorded 210 strikeouts, a 1.82 ERA, 31 complete games and 4 shutouts. What was more amazing was that Young had another losing season the next year in 1906 as he went 13-21. Once again he was solid in other categories as he had 140 strikeouts, a 3.19 ERA, 28 complete games and 2 saves. Young was back in the winning column again as he went 21-15 in 1907 with 147 strikeouts and a 1.99 ERA, recording 33 complete games, 6 shutouts and 2 saves. In his final year as a Boston American in 1908, Young went 21-11 with 150 strikeouts and a microscopic 1.26 ERA, recording 30 complete games, 3 shutouts and 2 saves.

By the time he returned to Cleveland in 1909, Young was starting to show his age on the mound, though he was a main attraction for a team named after fellow player Napoleon Lajoie, the Cleveland Naps. In truth the Naps weren’t that good of a team, but in 1909 Young still dealt good pitches. Young went 19-15 with 109 strikeouts and a 2.26 ERA, recording 30 complete games and 3 shutouts. At the age of 43 Young finally regressed in ability as he started losing the control that he was known for having on the mound. In 1910 Young went 7-10 with a 2.53 ERA, recording 14 complete games and 1 shutout. 1911 would be Young’s swan song in the game of baseball as a player as he went a combined 7-9 for both the Cleveland Naps and the Boston Rustlers, posting a 3.78 ERA, 12 complete games and 2 shutouts.

Most baseball analysts believe that Young’s fastball was the key component to him winning as many games as he did, but Young himself is quoted as saying that having control on the mound was the key component. In particular Young mentioned that his curveball was “merely an accessory to control”. It also helped that his pitching motion never put too much stress on his body.

1912 would be the final year of Cy Young’s involvement in the game of baseball as he served as the manager of the Cleveland Green Sox. The Green Sox played in the Federal League, an outlaw minor league. In 1937 Young was one of the first players inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He would be one of the first players to donate his career mementos to the Hall of Fame.

On November 4, 1955 Denton True “Cy” Young passed away, leaving behind a legacy in baseball that still stands the test of time today. The year after Young’s death in 1956 saw the debut of the award named after him. The Cy Young Award has been given to the best pitcher in baseball, and it has since been split into both the American League and National League Cy Young Awards, starting in 1967. Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers was the very first Cy Young Award winner in 1956.

Cy Young was instrumental in developing the popularity of the World Series as he pitched in Game 1 of the very first World Series in 1903, pitching for the Pilgrims (Americans) against the National League’s Pittsburgh Pirates. General admission tickets in 1903 cost only $0.50, a reminder of simpler times in American history. Along with his longevity and his knack for maintaining control on the mound, Cy Young’s legacy remains that of being the pinnacle of pitching success.