Cy Young | Baseball Hall of Famer, 511 Wins (2024)

Cy Young (born March 29, 1867, Gilmore, Ohio, U.S.—died Nov. 4, 1955, Newcomerstown, Ohio) was an American professional baseball player, winner of more major league games (511) than any other pitcher.

Young grew up on a farm, and his formal education ended in sixth grade so he could help his family with their daily farming duties. He began playing baseball at this time and became so proficient at the sport that he joined two local semi-professional teams in the summer of 1884. In 1890 Young signed his first professional contract: with a Canton, Ohio, minor league team, with whom he acquired the nickname “Cyclone,” which was soon shortened to “Cy.” A big right-hander, standing 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 metres) tall and weighing 210 pounds (95 kg), he drew the attention of major league clubs, and his contract was purchased by the Cleveland Spiders of the National League (NL) after Young had played just half of a season in Canton.

Young made his debut with the Spiders late in the 1890 season. Quickly acclimating to pitching to big-league hitters, he led the NL in wins (36), earned run average (1.93), and shutouts (nine) in his third season. In 1899 he was shifted to the St. Louis Perfectos by the Spiders’ ownership, who controlled both teams and wanted to create a powerhouse team in St. Louis.

In 1901 he was lured to the nascent American League (AL) by a large contract with the Boston Americans (later known as the Red Sox). He won the pitching Triple Crown in his first year in Boston by leading the AL in wins (33), earned run average (1.62), and strikeouts (158). In 1903 he helped the team win the inaugural World Series over the Pittsburgh Pirates. On May 5, 1904, he registered the first perfect game (no player reaching first base) of the modern era, for the Red Sox against the Philadelphia Athletics.

He also played for the Cleveland Indians (1909–11) in the AL and the Boston Braves (1911) in the NL before retiring. In each of 15 seasons during his 22-year career he won more than 20 games; in five of those years he won more than 30. Among his lifetime records are games started, 815; complete games, 749; and innings pitched, 7,356. His remarkably long career also produced a number of inglorious major league records: in addition to his career victory total, the sum of his defeats, 316, is also a record, as are his career totals of hits (7,092) and earned runs allowed (2,147).

Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937, Young is commemorated in the Cy Young Award, instituted in 1956 to honour the best major league pitcher each year (separate awards for each league from 1967).