Do you think Cy Young is myth or reality?

Question

Considering the fact Cy Young pitched from 1890-1921and baseball has changed so much, would Cy Young have achieved as much as he did in his lifetime, pitching in 21st Century baseball?

Is Cy Young a legitimate barometer for pitchers of just some romantic figure during a time when baseball was just starting?

Just some facts for anyone who answers....


Young, Cy (1867-1955), was one of the greatest right-handed pitchers in the history of baseball. Young won a record 511 major league games from 1890 through 1911. He also holds the record for the most innings pitched (7,356), the most complete games (753), and the most losses (313). Young pitched for the Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Boston Braves.

Young was born on March 29, 1867, in Gilmore, Ohio. His full name was Denton True Young. He received the nickname "Cy" after a catcher said he was "as fast as a cyclone." He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. He died on Nov. 4, 1955. At the end of each season, the Cy Young Award is given to the outstanding pitcher in the National League and the American League.

Answer 1

Cy young was a real person, so why can't he be a barometer by which to judge the performance of other pitchers? Because he was so astoundingly great? I'm not sure I understand your point . . .

Answer 2

I'm sure all of the old players could still play today just not as dominating. Cy Young pitched that much becuase Bullpens were one or two pitchers who were nott good enough to start aft first. then in the 50's and 60's a designated relief pitcher would pitch at the ned of some games. But bullpens never took off until the 70's and the true defintion of closer not until the 80's with eckersley and goose gossage amoung others.

In the old days pitchers would only have 3 man rotations. then 4 from the 50's onward and the 5th starter wasn't used until the early 90's. so its doubtful that there will be anymore 300 game winner other than the ones who are close becuase they started a few years before teams used 5th starters.

Answer 3

I think Cy Young would indeed be comparable to the best pitchers today. He almost certainly would have added a slider to his inventory, and according to Ted Williams, that pitch changed the game. He would be able to pitch in as many years (consider Nolan Ryan or Jamie Moyer) but the tendency is to limit pitch counts today and when it gets over 100, pitchers are often pulled no matter how well they are doing. Even in the early 1970s it was not uncommon for pitchers to have over 30 complete games. Now it is uncommon for entire pitching staffs to have that many complete games.

As for relief pitchers, they were certainly not a major item for many years. Jim Konstanty of the Phillies was one of the more notable ones (1950). I remember ElRoy Face of the Pirates, who threw what is now called a splitter but was then known as a "fork ball". By the 1960s there were short relievers and long relievers, and I remember it being remarkable when a fellow named Bill Wakefield put in 63 appearances for the Mets in, I believe, 1965. There was no such thing as a dedicated closer, though during the 1969 season the Mets had a right-handed pitcher and a left-handed pitcher for short relief (Ron Taylor and Tug McGraw, respectively). Despite this, when Tom Seaver posted a 25-7 record he completed almost all of those games.

The five-man rotation also makes a difference in that pitchers do not have to work as often, but it's not that big a difference (Seaver was part of a 5-man rotation in 1969).

There are pitchers today that probably have the same kind of stamina as Cy Young and his contemporaries, but they simply would not be allowed to pitch that much, and neither would he. I doubt you will see a pitcher achieve 300 innings in a year ever again.

The award is properly named for a player who made his own legend. Cy Young was a great pitcher, not merely overall but in comparison to his peers.

Answer 4

Cy Young is more of a romantic figure only because baseball has changed so much over the years. It used to be an insult to be pulled from a game for a reliever. In this era of specialization, pitchers only expect to throw 6 or 7 innings. The days of Cy Young are over, but not forgotten.

Answer 5

With regards to naming the award after him (if that is your point here)...
I think that his is just the name of the award, which was created when his records were a little closer to the present, and to honor his passing (Cy Young died in 1955, the award began in 1956). It is given to the best pitcher judged against his peers, so he really isn't a barometer.
On the other hand, with regards to Cy Young himself...
I think that Cy Young would do comparably to today's best pitchers, were he still pitching today. The best pitchers can adapt to whatever the hitters are doing, and since Cy was so good for so long, he could obviously adapt and keep getting outs. To finally answer your question, barring injuries, I think that, yes, Cy Young would be able to accomplish today what he did nearly a century ago.

Answer 6

to correct an earlier post, the mound was 50 ft from home plate when Cy Young came up, in 1890... the mound was moved to the current 60 1/2 feet in 1893. So Young did pitch most of his career with the 60 ft pitching distance.

Young would not be able to win 511 games were he pitching today. One difference between pitching back then and today is that, back then, there were not a lot of HR's hit... a pitcher could afford to throw fast balls at 70, maybe 75 MPH, and save his good stuff for the times when there was a runner on base (and thus , the danger of a run being scored). Pitching this way was a major part of pitching science during the dead ball era... Christy Mathewson specifically explained in his "Pitching in a Pinch" book, why pitchers 'don't work as hard all game long, instead of just in the 'pinches'.

After 1920, there was a danger of a run being scored at ANY MOMENT, and the number of innings that pitchers were able to pitch was sharply reduced.

In terms of how good he was, Young was basically the 2nd best pitcher in baseball during his career... not quite as good as Walter Johnson... Grover Cleveland Alexander was probably a better pitcher as well, but he came up at the very end of Yong's career... however, Young was better than Christy Mathewson.

Young certainly knew how to pitch, and he certainly could have adapted to any changes in the way baseball is played, so I'm sure he would be a great pitcher today if we could bring him back in his prime.

And he IS worthy of the award which was named after him. He probably would have won at least 3 "Cy Young" awards himself, but probably none after 1902.

There may not have been a lot of years in which Young was the BEST pitcher in baseball, but he was among the very best for roughly three generations of opponents.

Answer 7

it's difficult to compare players from different eras.

Cy Yong was clearly the best pitcher of his time, and set records that may very well stand for all time. (511 wins is almost double the 300-something that Roger Clemens has, for example, so in order to catch up, Clemens would have to pitch well into his 60's.)

don't forget when you consider having Cy Young pitch against modern hitters that he would have access to all the things that pitchers do today also - strength training, film, research, computer analysis, etc. which would certainly make him more effective as a pitcher as well.

Answer 8

Cy Young would not be as succesful today, but he would still be one of the best pitchers in the league. He would not pitch as much mowadays because they have more pitchers on a team so he would not have as many wins. This would work the other way to, and he would not have as many losses. His ERA would be much higher as well, with the much much much smaller parks and the corkier balls. Cy Young could win 300 games if he pitched today, but if some one like Roger Clemens or Greg Maddux pitched when Young did, they would be amazing, like three-finger Brown and Grover Alexander.

Answer 9

Cy Young is one of baseball's true immortals. He played several seasons before the rules changed to the way they are today and still won well over 350 or more after that. He had amazing durability and control. He was a big man that threw several types of pitches and he could bring it! He deserves to be honored as he is as his record will never be broken!

Answer 10

Cy Young pitched in a different era. Ptchers pitched every few days and pitched complete games. Batters also stunk. No one can duplicate his numbers in baseball today. A more appropriate question would be what would someone like clemens or manny have done if they played 100 years ago.