On This Date in Sports May 5, 1904: Cy Finds Perfection in the American League
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Cy Young of the Boston Americans becomes the first pitcher in the history of the American League to throw a Perfect Game, blanking the Philadelphia Athletics 3-0 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds. Young struck out eight batters on the way to retiring all 27 batters in order as he avenges a loss one week earlier to Rube Waddell. It would be the second of three No Hitters thrown by Cy Young.
Born Denton True Young on March 29, 1967, Cy Young was one of the biggest stars to jump from the National League to the American League when the Junior Circuit was founded in 1901. While beginning his career, Young tossed a ball that nearly broke a cyclone fence, leading a reporter to nickname him Cyclone, which was shortened to Cy. Playing with the Boston Americans, the name for the Boston franchise before becoming the Red Sox, Cy Young was the top pitcher in the American League’s first season. In 1903, when the Americans won the pennant, he was given the honor of starting the first modern World Series game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Young and the Americans would go on to win the series in eight games.
The defending World Series Champions had a big crowd on hand as 10,267 fans paid to see Cy Young take on Rube Waddell of the Philadelphia Athletics in a meeting of baseball’s top two pitchers. On April 25th, Waddell defeated Young and the Americans 2-0, throwing a one-hitter in Philadelphia. Prior to the game, Waddell took to trash-talking Cy Young and the rest of his teams through the press. This time, Boston was able to get the Athletics' top hurler as every player, with the exception of Cy Young, recorded a hit. With a run in the sixth and two in the seventh inning, the Americans scored three runs on ten hits against Rube Waddell. Meanwhile, Cy Young tore through Philadelphia, getting some help from his defense that made several big plays. After retiring Waddell to end the game, Cy Young was heard shouting, “You like that, you hayseed,” at the opposing pitcher, who suffered his first loss of the season.
Cy Young’s Perfect Game came in the middle of a 45-inning scores streak and a string of 25.3 innings without allowing a hit; both were records at the time. The hitless innings streak, which saw him face 76 batters without allowing a hit, is still the record. Cy Young would toss a third No-Hitter in 1908, having thrown his first in 1897. At the time, he was the oldest pitcher ever to throw a No-Hitter, a record that would stand over 80 years before Nolan Ryan broke it in 1990. Cy Young would retire in 1911, as baseball’s all-time winningest pitcher, with a record of 511-316.