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Denton True Young - known as Cy Young, Cy short for "Cyclone" didn't lead the majors in ERA five times, just twice. Had an interesting life nonetheless:
- Farm boy with a sixth-grade education. Later in his career, he doubled as Harvard's pitching coach and the local media loved the contrast.
He played second base and pitched for a minor league team. His first year as a starting pitcher for a minor league team, he was 15-15.
He threw so hard, they moved back the mound because of him and two Giants, Amos Rusie and Jouette Meekin.
He invented the changeup (he called it the "slow ball") and perfected the curve.
He threw from four different arm slots; overhand, three-quarters, sidearm and occasionally submarine; attributing his longevity to using his arm in different angles.
He beat Chicago in his major league debut, throwing a three-hitter. He threw so hard, his catcher inserted a steak inside his glove for more padding.
He always argued that the most important element in pitching was control and led the league in fewest walks per nine innings in 14 different seasons. Young led the league in WHIP seven times, WAR and shutouts six times, in wins five times. Strikeouts and ERA, just twice. Owns career records in:
- Wins / 511
- WAR / 165.6
- Losses / 315
- Starts / 815
- Complete Games / 749
- Innings pitched / 7,356
- Hits allowed / 7,092
- Earned runs allowed / 2,147 (but just a 2.63 ERA)
- Batters faced / 29,565
He was a decent hitter for a pitcher: .210, 18 career HRs, 35 triples, 87 doubles. He was a good fielder - he still hold the career record for most assists by a pitcher.
Rube Waddell of the A's threw a one-hitter against the Red Sox and taunted Young to face him the next time the A's played the Red Sox...so, three days later Young pitched the first perfect game in MLB's modern era against the A's. That perfect game was the centerpiece of a pitching streak. He set major league records for most consecutive scoreless innings pitched and most consecutive innings without allowing a hit (still a record at 25 1/3rd innings).
He was the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter until Nolan Ryan broke his record. In that no-hitter, Young gave up just one walk.
He became a vegetarian after baseball and was a Freemason. Also, Young was NOT part of the first Hall of Fame class with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Honus Wagner. The initial idea was that the first fifteen slots would be divided up ten in the 20th centry players and five from the 19th century...Young played half his career in each century, so didn't make the first class.
Audaces fortuna iuvat