Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Anthony Young

Mike W.
One of the "hard luck" cases in baseball. He was a much better pitcher than his record indicated. Once the shining jewel of the Met's farm system, this guy was supposed to be the next generation Dwight Gooden.

Paul Zibben
True, Young had that horrendous 27-game losing streak. It's usually forgotten that Young had many of those losses in relief, where he was filling in for an injured John Franco. In fact, Young saved more games (18) for the Mets in the '90's than anyone not named John Franco or Armando Benitez. Still, it's a sad case of unrealized potential.

Robert Ford
What a unlucky pitcher. I remember he once wore a t-shirt that read "If I Had Any Luck At All, It Would Be All Bad." What many forget is that during his losing streak, he filled in for an injured John Franco and was 15 for 15 in his save opportunities. Sure, it was in 1993, a lost season, but it was one of the few bright spots.

flushing flash
How do you post a 4.17 ERA and go 2-14? Forget about that; how do you go 1-16 with a 3.77 ERA? This man got no run support at all. With ERA's like that and with the offense the Mets have now, he'd be a 15-game winner and be earning $5 million a year. Poor AY, born too soon.

Mets Fan in St. Louis
January 10, 2001
I met Anthony his first year with the Mets. You could not ask for a nicer guy or a bigger team player. I remained friends with him even after his move to Chicago. I think that it is really sad that people only remember him because of the losing streak. Maybe if he would have had some run support, things would have been different! And what frame of mind was he in during the streak? He went out and faced every day like it was the first! Great guy and great player! Wish there were more players like him!

NL
March 18, 2001
Classy or not, that streak was brutal, and AY really did bring most of it on himself. And by the way, I was there the night the streak ended and if you don't remember, it's because he was lucky - not good. In typical AY fashion, he had allowed the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth so he was on the hook for another LOSS. He was rescued from the loss and the streak overall when the Mets scored TWO in the bottom of the inning on an Eddie Murray double. Yeah, he was a nice guy, but the only way they could begin to recover from '93 was to purge players like that.

Grover
June 14, 2001
I was at the game on July 28th 1993 when AY was trying to break his losing streak. He battled hard but a cheap hit in the ninth caused the Mets to fall behind setting up AY for another loss. But the Mets came back and won in the bottom of the ninth to win and end AY's much publicized streak. The crowd went wild for AY when he came out of the dugout and raised his hands in the air to the crowd. The fans appreciated his streak was mostly bad luck and was pumped for him that it was over.

revolve
February 1, 2002
Saw AY start a game in the NY-Penn league at Elmira's Dunn Field in late summer 1988. Though the game was interrupted by rain in the 5th, Young was impressive. Threw hard, threw strikes, I thought he'd move fast. And he did. And then the poor guy goes out and sets a dubious record in perhaps the most dubious of Met seasons. Might be the unluckiest pitcher in the history of the game.

Frank B
February 23, 2002
AY was not a good pitcher. PUUULease! One game in mid 1993, they brought in AY to hold an 8-4 lead and he promptly allowed three runs in 5 minutes. He would always find a way to lose. I considered the AY for Viscaino trade a great trade in 1994.

ryan
April 22, 2002
I remember when he finally broke the losing streak, it looked like he blew another game and was gonna make it 28 losses in a row but in the bottom of the 9th at shea, Eddie Murray got a base hit and Ryan Thompson motored around, and I never seen him ever run that fast and he scored to win it for the Mets, one of the most exciting games in those few years when the Mets were the worst team in baseball.

Bosslarry40
April 29, 2002
Everyone said that AY had such good stuff, and other teams always wanted him in a trade, too bad we didn't make one. Every time he came in I knew the game was lost. Sure, he had SOME bad luck, but I don't think he was mentally prepared to be a pitcher. Remember that he gave up lots of hits too, not every batted ball was a fielder's error. I just want to know why management couldn't see what I could see so plainly, They just marched him out there every few days to blow another one.

Larry Burns
June 10, 2002
You say hard luck, I say he suck! Boy has there ever been a guy who was worse? I have heard the laments that he was "snakebitten" and had terrible luck. I beg to differ. He sucked. He would lose all the time. It is said that great pitchers win when they don't have their best stuff. AY could lose when he had his best stuff.

That being said he seemed like a likable chap. Considering that his career was a total loss, I guess you can make an argument that it was good to be known for total futility

I cannot believe the Cubs traded Jose Vizcaino for this clown. I would not have given a package of hot dogs for him!

Kong 26
June 11, 2002
OK, I just want to say my piece on this guy. A lot of you guys are overlooking the fact that he really was a "stand-up" guy. AY was offered a lot of endorsement deals and late night talk show appearances that would make reference to "the streak", but he turned them all away (thus, turning down a lot of $), because he had integrity. I do agree with the notion that he was not as "hard luck" as the press made him out to be, but something should be said for a guy with INTEGRITY, considering the fact that the word and the concept has banished in the 9 years since "the streak" ended.

flushing flash
June 13, 2002
For cryin' out loud, Larry Burns, the guy went 1-16 and his ERA was 3.77! Does 3.77 suck? Maybe in 1968, but not in 1993. How could a pitcher win only one game with an ERA well under 4? Because his team could not hit behind him. Ron Darling had the same problem but he had a better offensive crew to bail him out so instead of losses he got no-decisions. If he had been on the 1993 Mets he might have had an awful won-loss record too. Face it, Anthony Young may not have been Doc Gooden, but he wasn't Bill Pulsipher either. He was a hard luck pitcher, plain and simple.

pat adamek
June 23, 2002
As a Cub fan I was shocked when the the Cubs traded for AY. Really why should I be considering the Cubs' history? But still a quaility player like Visciano for the man with the most consecutive losses ever? No wonder the Cubs never win the World Series. Long time Cubs announcer and former Cy Young award winner, Steve Stone said that AY allways found a way to lose, and Stone was never wrong.

Jonathan Stern
November 21, 2002
One of the reasons why I became a Met fan was that I read stories about Casey's teams and thought they were funny. I'll admit, I laughed at times not so much at Young but at the streak. Two things, though. One, Young never lost his composure during the streak... except for the time he broke down crying on the mound and couldn't stop (Bobby Bo, of all people, had his arm around Young's shoulder as the two walked off the field together at the end of the inning). Two, I was amused when I heard that Young's own mother admitted that she was rooting for him to break the record. But when I told a friend of mine, a former star-college- athlete, about Young's mom, he replied, "Dude, if I were in jeopardy of setting that kind of record and my mom said that, I would not talk to her again for a month." He meant it, too.

Frank Grimes
April 18, 2003
It's funny but when AY finally broke the streak he came into a game in the top of the 9th with the game tied 3-3. He gave up a run and would have lost but the Mets bailed him out with two in the bottom of the 9th for the win. Even in his winning he does it like a loser.

Crewser
May 8, 2003
Let me start by saying I'm a Cubs fan through and through, but I do love this website. For all you AY haters out there who claim that he was a terrible pitcher, I want to let you know that over the 2 year span where he lost his 25 straight decisions he had a combined ERA of under 4 (3.99 to be exact). But he allowed 1.22 UNEARNED Runs per 9 Innings over that same span. That's 1 run that your defense helps to give the opposition every 8 innings. Sure AY should probably have been able to pitch his way out of some situations, but still, he probably should have been about 7-18 over that losing streak.

robert
June 27, 2003
The guy may not have been a great pitcher, but he definitely deserved a better fate. One of his problems was an inability put hitters away in tight situations - guys could often foul off his best pitches until they finally got him to give in. But 1-16 with a 3.77 ERA says much more about the sorry Mets than it does about him.

I remember an afternoon start at Shea when the streak was way up there - he gave up a leadoff hit (here we go again, I thought!) then retired the next 20-something hitters until a hit and home run beats him - only AY could retire 20 hitters in a row, take a 1-hitter into the 7th or 8th inning and still lose.

Anybody remember when this guy was a relief pitcher that converted something like 10 for 10 on save opportunities? Much to be said for the way he handled the whole streak situation - anybody can show character when things are going well - but AY showed what he was made of - wish the Mets had more like him!

Jeff In Florida
August 2, 2003
Does anyone remember right after he set the loss record, he appeared on Jay Leno and played the sax. Right then he had my respect. It was as if, Okay, our team is bad but at least we have one cool guy playing for us.

BTW AY plays the sax better than Bill Clinton ever did!

Jonathan Stern
February 14, 2005
One day during The Streak, a medium called the Mets to offer A. Y. his services. It seemed that this medium was in touch with the spiritual afterlife. And if Young so desired, he could conjure up for him the spirit of Cliff Curtis so that he could ask the deceased Boston Braves pitcher for advice.

Young said thanks, but no thanks.

And a heart surgeon wrote to Young telling him to keep his chin up. After all, he had lost 22 patients in a row, then saved the 23rd. Positive thinking, anyone?

Putbeds 62
January 4, 2006
Here's another fact about Anthony Young: He was on the University of Houston Cougars football team (I think he played Defensive Back) and they played in the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1985; their opponent was Boston College and the '84 Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie. Btw, Cotton Bowl and the Mets have a history: Lindsay Nelson spent many of a New Year's Day calling the game for CBS-TV.

Al
March 17, 2006
Young was a hot prospect coming up through the Mets system and his lack of success/support/luck had to affect his performance. He did have many quality moments in the big leagues and I'll bet he's proud of his years in MLB. He lasted long enough to get his pension! I remember another pitcher whose won-loss record didn't reflect his performance: Darold Knowles of the 1970 Senators was 2-14 with a 2.04 E.R.A! He also saved 27 games.

Bonbolito
July 12, 2006
Saw him at Shea a couple of weeks ago when the Giants were in town. He's working at the fantasy camp. He got a good reaction from the crowd which was nice. I remember going to a couple of his games during the streak and I believe there are few Mets that got the kind of support from fans that he did. It's good that the sympathy is still there. I'll say this though, considering the reason for his fame, and the way things are going now, I'm surprised they even let him into the building.

Dalkowski
December 22, 2006
One of the reasons AY probably lost so much was the defense behind him. Often you'll hear talk about unearned runs or "anyone that loses that much must suck" or what not, but do a google search of a man named Tom Sheehan. Sheehan's heroics were mostly in the Pacific Coast League, which was certainly a Major League-quality circuit, but he did have two interesting Major League seasons...1916 with the A's and 1924 with the Reds. In 1916, Tom Sheehan was hurling with the most dreadful team of the 20th Century. He managed a 1-16 record with a 3.69 ERA. The League Average was 2.85. Back then, that wasn't low. But in 1924, used as a spot starter with the halfway decent Reds, he went 9-11 with a 3.24 ERA. The League Average was 3.75.

Why then, the radical differences despite the fact that Sheehan's minor league performances were pretty consistent? Easy: the fielding behind him. Unearned runs show up. But slow fielding doesn't. A guy lumbering after a ball he didn't hussle hard enough for or not going the extra mile to catch the thing is not going to show up as an error/unearned run. It's going to show up as an earned run.

The Mets fielding during the period AY was playing was pretty bad, and I have a very strong feeling that it was comparable to the "support" that Sheehan got back in 1916. But unlike Sheehan, AY never really got a second chance. If only he'd played for a better team.

Mr. Sparkle
February 11, 2007
You don't lose 27 games in a row based solely on bad luck. You have to have a certain amount of suck in you to do that. And AY had plenty. Maybe over that span if you are a decent pitcher you'd be 10-17, but not 0-27. It's true AY has some bad luck but he only pitched in 870 games after leaving the Mets and had a 10-13 record. He wasn't the worst pitcher in the world, but he really wasn't very good either. Why can't people accept the fact that he sucked? OK, let's just say he was a very mediocre pitcher with bad luck. Still, he's not a guy I would want on today's pitching staff. He's OK for a losing team.

scott r
January 21, 2009
I remember the game when the streak ended: Mets down by a run in bottom of 9th and score 2 runs to win it. The announcers and the team acted like they just won the pennant. One the few highlights of 93. I also remember him on the Jay Leno show. Great trade to get rid him. I couldn't believe the Cubs traded Vizcaino for him.

Feat Fan
January 28, 2009
Sad thing is that in today's world a 3.77 ERA is stellar and although he went 1-16, someone would have paid him 7m!

Mitch45
September 21, 2009
Was much better than his stats say he was. Had the misfortune of playing for the only Mets team to lose over 100 games since 1967.

Todd Schuster
March 3, 2017
One of the good guys to ever put on a Mets uniform. AY had the reputation of having the longest losing streak by a pitcher ever (27 straight losses), yet despite all that, he was never nasty or combative, he was always available and cordial to the press. Now we need to say prayers due to AY having an inoperable brain tumor. So sad to hear of this for a tough luck pitcher who deserved better to play on those Mets teams from 1992-1993. The Jeff Torborg era, Bobby B showing the Bronx, Saberhagen spraying bleach on reporters, Eddie Murray and Vince Coleman and their churlish behavior. Through it all Anthony Wayne Young of Houston exuded class all throughout the tough times. Prayers for AY folks.

Kram72
March 3, 2017
I was at Mets Fantasy Camp a couple of weeks ago, and he was one of the coaches. It's now sad to see the news about his inoperable brain tumor. I wish him well, and will pray for him!

WDM
June 28, 2017
For most of us, Anthony will always be known for his record losing streak over the 1992 and 1993 seasons. The string of defeats was not really his fault since the Mets had one of baseball's worst teams at the time. A pitcher's record generally reflects the quality of his ball club more than it does himself. RIP Anthony.

Pete H
June 28, 2017
Rest in peace AY. One of the easiest guys to root for that ever wore a Mets uniform.

Steven G
June 28, 2017
Rest in peace, AY. The reason he had that long losing streak is because he was a good pitcher with good stuff, and he got no run support. If he was not a good pitcher, he never would have gotten the opportunity to pitch that many times.

Mitch45
July 24, 2023
He wasn't a great pitcher but he wasn't a bum either. He had the misfortune of being on two of the worst Mets teams of all time, in '92 and '93. He had a 4.17 ERA and 1.36 WHP in '92.

Joe
July 31, 2023
Anthony Young was a hard luck pitcher to the extreme. He was on the losing end of a lot of one run games with Mets teams that struggled to give him run support.

Dave VW
August 26, 2024
I recently watched a random spring training game from 1994 and during the broadcast they mentioned of rumors swirling that the Mets were toying with the idea of trading Young to the Angels for 1B JT Snow. At the time the Mets were planning on going with Glenn Davis at 1B for the 1994 season, but he was having a tough spring and the Mets were getting desperate to find another body. The alternate plan was to move Bobby Bonilla to 1B, and go with Jeff Kent and Fernando Vina at 2B/3B.

For whatever reason, the trade for Snow never happened...a shame because Snow would become one of the game's better first basemen by 1995. Instead, the Mets moved AY to the Cubs for Jose Vizcaino, who became the team's starter at SS over incumbent Tim Bogar. At 1B, Davis would be released, and the Mets would trade a couple of minor leaguers to Baltimore for David Segui, who would get the bulk of the starts at the position until Rico Brogna came up prior to the strike.