Why they rank here
The award for the best pitcher in each league bears his name, and the reason is a career of almost incomprehensible volume and quality. Young won 511 games — a record no modern pitcher can approach in an era of five-inning starts — threw 7,356 innings, and completed 749 of his starts, both untouchable records, while posting a 2.63 ERA across 22 seasons. He threw the first perfect game of the modern era in 1904, won 30 games in a season five times, and pitched effectively on both sides of the 1893 rule change that moved the mound back to 60 feet 6 inches and ended many careers overnight. His 163.6 WAR sits among the top handful of all players regardless of position. The workload belongs to a vanished game — no one will start 815 games again — but the sustained dominance would translate to any era, and the trophy ensures his name is spoken every October.
Career profile
Each bar shows how this athlete compares with the strongest in our all-time list for that metric.
Head-to-head
Compare career numbers side by side.