In tragic news from the world of baseball, former big-leaguer Anthony Young has died. This is according to former MLB infielder Lenny Harris on Twitter and later confirmed by the New York Mets in a statement from former New York pitcher Turk Wendell.
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"Anthony was a true gentleman," Wendell said in the statement. "At this year's fantasy camp, he told us he had a brain tumor. That was Anthony. He never ran away from anything."
Young was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor back in January of 2017. Because of where the tumor was located, doctors were unable to reach and remove it, according to a story in Sports Illustrated.
AY, as he was known, was 51 years old when he died. He played Major League Baseball from 1991-1996, gearing up with the Mets for three seasons before playing for the Chicago Cubs and then the Houston Astros.
Over the course of those six seasons, he played in 181 games, 51 as a starting pitcher. He notched 460 innings pitched and notched 245 strikeouts and a career ERA of 3.89.
Young was a solid major league pitcher, but his playing days will probably be best remembered for the time he lost 27 consecutive decisions while with the Mets, 14 as a starter and 13 as a reliever. That was a losing streak that spanned over two seasons and it became an MLB record. The losing carried on from May 6, 1992, to July 24, 1993.
While it was probably tough to deal with at the time, years later, Young knew enough to not take it personally. Here's what he had to say back in 2015, via Alyson Footer of MLB.com:
"They give me a hard time about it," Young said. "We make fun about it, but I know, and they know, it was a fluke.
"I really don't think I deserved it, but I have the record. And I don't wish it on anyone."
After retiring from MLB, Young decided to become a youth pitching coach in Houston, something he continued to do even while receiving treatments for his tumor.
