The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-06
LIKE CY YOUNG
May Stage an Old
Age Comeback This Year.
At the Age of 40 Young Fooled
Them All.
BY FRANK G. MENKE.

Mathewson going to flash the same |
sensational comeback that Cy Young |
did in 1907 just when everyone had |
figured him as completely through?
In many ways, the records of
Mathewson and Young parallel each
other. Just recently it seemed that
they would diverge-that Mathewson
had reached the end-but the great
showing by Big Six" during the past
month. has led many to hope that he
too will do as Young did.
Young broke into the majors back
in 1890. For ten years he starred with
the Cleveland club, then was trans
ferred to the st. Louis Cardinals, and,
in 1901, was sold to the Red Sox. 1t
was the brilliant pitching of Cy during
1903 and 1904 that enabled the Bos-
tonians to win two remnants and one
worlds championship.
But in 1905 something went amiss
with Young's arm. The old whip
wouldn't crack as it had in the other
years; the old zipp was gone from the
ball. The opposition clubbers found
| little or no difficulty in swattng the
| heaves of the veteran.
| Just about then the wise ones be-
| gan to chant the swan song. They
| pointed out that Young was through.
| Hes been pitching for sixteen years
| and no matter how good a man is he
| Furthermore, Cy is 3S years old-an
age far beyond the athletic prime.
He Kept Slipping.
| When Young turned in his 1905
| ~Verage it was found that he had won
only eighteen of the thirty-seven COM
| bats in which he had figured. Young's
showing for 1906 was even worse He
won only thirteen out of thirty-four
games and didn't seem able to go the
route. He finished the season with an
average of .3S2-the worst he ever
amassed. That convinced the bulk of
the fans that Cy was through.
But the Red Sox manager wouldn't
| can Cy. He figured that his great
work for the Red Sox in the other
years merited his keeping him for an
| other season, even if Cy did nothing
but coaching duty
And SO Cy. then 3S years old, was
kept on the Red Sox roster, while the
| fans clamored for his Punishment to
the Old Mems Home. That probably
peeved him bit. because, after hav-
ing his arm tinkered here and there.
he begged for chance to display his
wares in 1907. He did-and won %
out of 81 combats, for pitching av-
D., erage of .597. The next season-1908
Icy won 81 out of 80 games for an
average of .656. which is quite a
healthy showing for II year old
hurler. On June 80, 1908. he shut out
the Yankees without a hit, only one
man reaching first.
In 1909 he went back to the Cleve-
land club and won 19 out of "a games.
The following year-1910-he figured
in La games and won 10. In 1911 he
took unto himself job with the Eos
ton Braves and won four out of nine
starts. He decided then that he was
getting a bit too old to pitch, being
A years old at the time and he re-
tired from the fro1ic.
Reviewing Young's record from the
or af 1n IL L
was considered "an through" until
the time he actually quit, we find that
he won 13 and lost only Sc games
giving him grand average of .576
; for the five years from 1907 to 1911
! inclusive.
: MatllewSon's Case.
Now let us consider the case OF
Mathewson:
Matty Joined the Giants in 1900
Over sweep of Is seasons-fron
i 1900 until the end of the 1914 season
0 the big blonde hurler was the king
4; pin of the Giant pitching staff. Blu
late in the 1914 season he contracted
armitis.' did Young at the end OF
q his sixteenth year.
In 1915 Matty. then in his sixteenth
!, year as a major performer. was O.
y no real value to his club. His arm
seemed gone. He won only out O
:. his % starts and some of those vic
. tories were of the fluke order Befor,
Int SSdSOi. eIIueu' the Wise ones Oe
; clared that Matty was about through
Hes been pitching for 16 year
: and no matter how good a man he il
he can't go on forever they said, re
peating what their associate member
said about Cy Young back in 1906
The folks pointed out also that Matt,
:: was quite an elderly person, as base
! bal1crs go. then approaching his thir
- ty-sixth birthday.
y But Matty in 1916 seems to b
duplicating what Young did in 1907
: He has started off this season at
great rate. His arm trouble seem
1 gone In his first tryout of the year
K, big Six didn't look overly gooc
That is because he merely was givir
the wing a workout But since the
he has been pitching real baseball. H
1 hasn't the old speed of bygone year:
but he is using a splitter and his brai