YOUNG, CY

born March 29, 1867, Gilmore, Ohio, U.S. died Nov. 4, 1955, Newcomerstown, Ohio byname of Denton True Young professional U.S. baseball player, winner of more major league games than any other pitcher. His victory total is variously given as 509 or 511, the sum of his defeats 313, 315, or 316. In each of 16 seasons (14 consecutive, 18911904) he won more than 20 games; in five of those years he won more than 30. Among his other records are games started, 816 or 818; completed starts, 750 or 751; and innings pitched, 7,356 or 7,377. (Many important early records of baseball are in dispute.) Young, a big (6 feet 2 inches, 210 pounds) right-hander, pitched for five teams during his 22 years (18901911) in the major leagues, spending the first nine seasons with the Cleveland team in the National League, and the period 190108 with the Boston Red Sox in the American League. In 1897 and 1908 he pitched no-hit games, and on May 5, 1904, he registered a perfect game (no player reaching first base) for the Red Sox against the Philadelphia Athletics. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals (18991901) and the Boston Braves (1911) in the National League and the Cleveland Indians (190911) in the American League. 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).