Red Sox History: Cy Young Wins 300th Career Game
Six pitchers reached the 300 win mark during the 19th century. On this day in 1901, Red Sox legend Cy Young became the first player in the 20th century, and seventh overall, to reach that plateau.
For most pitchers, getting to the 300 win plateau is a culmination of their career. It is a point when most pitchers get to reflect upon their careers, taking their place amongst the greats of the game and cementing their legacy. Even in the early days of the game, getting to the 300 win mark was a remarkable accomplishment, one that had only been achieved six times in the 19th century.
On this day in 1901, Red Sox legend Cy Young added his name to that group. Facing off against the Philadelphia Athletics, the Boston ace allowed seven hits in a 5-3 victory. With that win, Young reached the 300 victory mark himself.
For the most part, that marks one of the final highlights for a pitcher. Yet, Young was not close to done. The 34 year old led the American League with 34 wins, a 1.62 ERA, and a 0.972 WHiP. In fact, Young would lead the American League in wins in each of its first three years as a major league, establishing himself as the top pitcher in the league.
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Amazingly, that was not even close to his swan song. Young went on to win a total of 511 games, or 211 more after his 300th victory. In fact, only the great Walter Johnson won more than 400 games in his career, and he finished nearly 100 wins behind Young.
One could also say that Young had a Hall of Fame career after winning his 300th career game. His 211 wins afterwards are more than the career totals of pitchers like Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Rube Waddell, and Ed Walsh. Add in a 2.18 ERA and a 1.004 WHiP during that time, and the second half of Young’s career was Hall of Fame worthy on its own merit. It is understandable why the award for the best pitcher in each league would be named for Young.
Next: Top stories of the first half
On this day in 1901, Cy Young won his 300th career game. As it turns out, he was only getting started.