Cy Young was so venerated as a pitcher that Major League Baseball in 1956 named its award for the best pitcher in each league after the former right-hander. On May 19th, 1910, Young became the first – and, to date, only – pitcher to reach 500 wins.
1910 was Young’s twenty-first season in the Major Leagues and second season with the Cleveland Naps, coming off a 19-win campaign in 1909. He had a habit of finishing what he started on the mound, completing 749 games, but his supporting cast didn’t always pull through: Young was 29-29 with a 2.50 ERA in three years with the Naps, including a 7-10 mark with a 2.53 ERA in 1910, despite completing 48 of his 69 games in an Naps uniform. He won 11 more games before retiring at the end of the 1911 season at the age of 44.
Mick Gillispie told the story in the sixth inning of Tennessee’s 3-1 win over Mississippi on Monday.
Andrew Green
James Rowe
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