Cy Young
Young, Cy (1867-1955), American baseball pitcher who won and lost the most games (511 and 316, respectively) in major league history. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, on May 29, 1867, Denton True Young worked on the family farm until he was 23, when the Canton, Ohio, team in the Tri-State League signed him to a minor league contract. Nicknamed "Cy," short for "cyclone," which described the velocity of his fastball, he pitched for the Cleveland Spiders (1890–1898), the St. Louis Perfectos (1899–1900), and Boston Braves (1911) in the National League (NL), and the Boston Americans (1901–1908) and the Cleveland Naps (1909–1911) in the American League (AL).
Young won 20 or more games in a season 15 times and topped 30 wins 5 times. He pitched no-hitters against the Cincinnati Reds (NL) on Sept. 18, 1897, and the New York Highlanders (AL) on June 30, 1908, and a perfect game (the first in the AL) against the Philadelphia Athletics on May 5, 1904. In the first World Series (1903), Young, after losing the first game, defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth and seventh games as Boston won the championship. His 906 games pitched were a record until 1968, and his 7,356 innings pitched and 750 complete games remain major league records. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. Young died in Newcomerstown, Ohio, on Nov. 4, 1955. The annual awards for best pitcher, established in 1956, are named in his honor.
Martin Appel Coauthor of Baseball's Best: The Hall of Fame Gallery MyWikiBiz
