MLB power rankings: Top 30 nicknames of all-time
By John Buhler
6. Denton Young: Cy
Denton True Young was baseball’s first undeniable fireballer. He pitched in the big leagues from 1890 to 1911, most notably with the Cleveland Spiders and the Boston Red Sox. Young is best known for two things: 1.) Winning more ball games than any pitcher ever at 511. 2.) The annual top pitcher award handed out in both leagues that is named after him: The Cy Young Award.
Young had other nicknames as a kid like Chief and Farmer, but his most iconic won comes from his powerful right arm. During a tryout for a professional club in Canton, Ohio, Young threw his fastball so hard that it mangled the backstop fences and grandstand like a cyclone had come to town.
The nickname Cyclone was eventually shortened to Cy by baseball reporters and basically everybody forget his first name, he was just Cy from then on. Young still holds several MLB records over 100 years since his retirement from baseball.
Young was part of the second Baseball Hall of Fame class in 1937. He led baseball in wins five times and ERA and strikeouts twice. Young won the first World Series in 1903 as the ace of the Red Sox. He is in both the Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame.