 Cy Young in 1902 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | May 5, 1904 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Huntington Avenue Grounds | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City | Boston, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Umpires | Frank Dwyer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 10,267 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On May 5, 1904, Cy Young of the Boston Americans threw a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics at Huntington Avenue Grounds. It was the third perfect game in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, and the first perfect game to be thrown under current day rules. As a result, some baseball historians regard Young's perfect game as the first true perfect game in MLB history.
Young and his opponent Rube Waddell were two of the best pitchers in the league, and a large portion of the 10,267 people who attended the game specifically came to watch the duel between the two. Of the 27 batters Young faced, the at bats that posed the greatest threat were Monte Cross' at bat in the third inning and Ollie Pickering's at bat in the seventh inning. Cross hit a pop-up into shallow right field that forced right fielder Buck Freeman to make a running catch. Pickering softly hit a ground ball to shortstop Freddy Parent, who charged the ball and threw out Pickering by less than a step.
Once the final out was recorded, fans in attendance ran onto the field to congratulate Young on his accomplishment. As the concept of a perfect game did not exist at the time, sports writers gave differing perspectives on the game. From April 25 to May 17, Young had a streak of 45 consecutive scoreless innings, which included his perfect game. During his scoreless inning streak, Young also pitched 24 consecutive innings without allowing a hit, which remains the MLB record. Young was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937, and is often regarded as one of the best, if not the best pitcher in MLB history.