The Pecan Park Eagle

Cy Young's 511 WIns Is Baseball's Safest Record.

In the entire history of baseball, from the 19th century forward, only eighteen pitchers have thrown perfect games. Two of those gems came about in the 19th century; fifteen unfolded in the 20th century; and one by Mark Buerhle has perfectly Christened the 21st century.

They don’t come easy. an official perfect game has to go nine innings, resulting in a victory that prevents the other team from producing so much as a single base runner. That’s 27 batters up and down on outs without a hit, a walk, an error in the field, a hit batsman, or a catcher’s interference call ever happening in the game for the losing team. Unlike the much easier achievement of a no-hitter, a pitcher cannot lose a perfect game, nor will he be credited for satisfying all these conditions if the game ends earlier than nine innings due to bad weather or whatever – or if a pitcher is perfect through nine innings and then allows a base runner in extra frames.  It is possible for more than one pitcher to combine their work for a perfect game. It simply hasn’t happened yet.

Cy Young nailed his perfect game on May 5, 1904 as a pitcher for the Boston American League club that one day find their identity as the Red Sox. He did it at home against the Philadelphia Athletics and a Boston crowd of 10, 267 fans, a strong attendance for that day and time. He also did it hurling against fellow future Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell and the wiley strategies of “The Tall Tactician,” Mr. Connie Mack.

10,267 fans, a good crowd for that day and time, were there to see the classic game that Young would pitch that day.They would be privileged to watch the first perfect game in 24 years. Both 19th century perfectos happened in 1880. The pitchers in those earlier contests were Lee Richmond (6/12/1880) and five days later, John Montgomery Ward (6/17/1880).

Cy Young had all his best stuff working that day and this “stuff” included a blazing fastball, a just as fast curve that broke in reverse, breaking away from a right-handed batter and then turning in like a fastball, and a slower, wider-breaking curve. Young used them all that special day, but it’s important to note that he never even admitted to having these two different curve ball pitches until long after his career was done. Young believed that owning up to what he was doing on the mound only helped batters adjust to him. He would have nothing to do with anything that brought aid or comfort to the enemy. Remember. The man won 511 big league games in the big leagues. He didn’t get there by handicapping himself.

Boston finally broke the ice with a one run in the seventh and two more in the eighth. Young’s only close call came in the third when Monte Cross of the A’s dropped a bloop fly between first and second that first looked as though it was going to drop into short right field for a base hit. Boston right fielder Buck Freeman saved the day for Young with a running grab off the top of the grass for the out.

When Young reached 26 outs, he found himself facing pitcher Rube Waddell as the last hope of the A’s and, even though the home Boston crowd curiously clamored for Mack to send in a pinch hitter so that Young could finish strong against a regular position player hitter, Waddell was allowed to approach the plate as Philadelphia’s last hope.

Waddell took two strikes and then lifted a fly ball to center that caused Boston center fielder Chick Stahl to drift back a few steps for the catch. There was never any doubt on the play. Stahl made the easy catch and Cy Young had won his perfect game.

Fans stormed the field, all wanting to shake hands with Cy Young, who tried as much as possible to oblige their wishes. One older gent even placed a five dollar bill in Cy’s hand as tangible sign of his appreciation. Young kept the tip.

The whole game took only one hour and twenty-three minutes to play. It doesn’t take long to earn eternal memory. All you have to do is be perfect.

Tags: Baseball, Cy Young, History

This entry was posted on February 5, 2010 at 12:55 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.