August 6
CY YOUNG DAY
Denton ‘Cy’ Young pitched his first major-league baseball game on this day in 1890. He led the Cleveland Spiders past the Chicago White Sox. Young went on to enjoy a great baseball career, winning a total of 511 games (95 more than second place Walter Johnson) ... averaging more than 23 victories over 22 seasons, playing for Cleveland, St. Louis, and Boston (where he played in the first World Series, and won).
The Cy Young Award was established in 1956, when the Baseball Writer’s Association of America bestowed the honor on the best pitcher in major-league baseball for that year. The award has been presented every year since. In fact, from 1967 on, two Cy Young awards have been presented annually to the best pitcher in each major league.
Where did Denton get the nickname, Cy? It seems that Denton Young, a six-foot, two-inch, 210-pound player, could throw a re-e-e-ally fast curve ball, kind of like a cyclone spinning through the air. A story told about the Baseball Hall of Famer says that one time, before a game, he was warming up by throwing balls at a wooden fence. Afterwards, a remark was made that the fence looked like a cyclone had hit it. Yeah! A cyclone named Denton Young aka Cy Young.
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
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