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Old 09-11-2014, 11:51 AM
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Scott Garner Scott Garner is offline
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Default Cy Young Day ticket stub and clippings August 13, 1908

This pickup sincerely ranks up there with one of my favorites of all-time.
What more can be said of Cy Young: 511 career wins, 3 no-hitters including hurling the first "perfect game" from the current mound distance of 60' 6"?
He pitched a perfect game so early in baseball history (1904) that they didn't even have a name for it yet...
Heck, they named the freaking pitching award after the guy!!

Here is an unbelievably scarce ticket stub and newspaper clippings to Cy Young Day on August 13, 1908.
In 40+ years of collecting baseball tickets I do not ever recall ever seeing, or even hearing of another ticket existing to this historic game.
The second scan shows the back of the fan's scrapbook page that features clippings of Cy Young some 20 years later in 1927.

Note: It's hard to see, but printed in red, running lengthwise on the ticket it appears to say "Cy Young Day" in the facsimile handwriting of 'Ol Cy himself.
Neat!

Here is a brief write up of the Cy Young Day game:

"On August 13, 1908 the Boston Americans (Red Sox) organized "Cy Young Day."
The American League offered its support for the unprecedented celebration by ensuring that no games were scheduled on August 13th so that a select group of "All-Star" players, including "Wee" Willie Keeler, Hal Chase, and Jack Chesbro, could travel to Boston and take part in an exhibition game versus the Red Sox. It is reported that over 20,000 fans filled the stands to offer their adulation to the legendary hurler and another 10,000 were turned away at the gate. Naturally, Young was the starter for Boston, and he pleased the capacity crowd by pitching two innings in the contest. During the game, play was interrupted several times in order to make special presentations to Young, who was so moved by the ceremony that he became too choked up to speak. The ten-page program (five inches in diameter) features a portrait photo of Young on the cover set against a larger photo of countless cheering fans in the grandstand."
The most exceptional gesture of all was by given Boston American owner John Taylor: he gave the entire gate of $7,500 to Cy, which was more than Cy's annual contract for the year!


BTW, I don't own this scorebook for the Cy Young Day game, but a few of these have surfaced in the hobby through the years.
I am including photos of the scorebook as well as a photo of a trophy Cy received during the ceremony for those that are interested.

Last edited by Scott Garner; 09-11-2014 at 05:28 PM.
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