Cy Young 1940 Signed Baseball PSA DNA COA
$12,995.00
Circa 1940 Cy Young & Burt Shotton Signed Baseball.
"Too many pitchers," an elderly Cy Young lectured a reporter for The Sporting News before the start of the 1951 season. "That's all. There are just too many pitchers. Ten or twelve on a team. Don't see how any of them get enough work. Four starting pitchers and one relief man ought to be enough. Pitch 'em every three days and you'd find they'd get control and good, strong arms." But despite the legendary hurler's unimpeachable credentials, the baseball world would continue to trend in the opposite direction as the decades passed until the rare complete game was seen as a charming old relic amidst a tangle of various starters, middle relief, set-up men and closers.
Though Young's public lamentations of pitcher coddling were undoubtedly heartfelt, he must have realized on some level that the movement toward decreasing workloads had cemented his legacy, and ensured that his career record of 511 Major League victories would endure eternally. It has been over a quarter century since the last 25+ victory season was posted, with Oakland A's right hander Bob Welch earning the 1990 American League Cy Young Award for the feat.
This baseball was signed by Young in the early 1940's for Ohio State of Representative member George Forney. Forney served four terms and after was with the Sergeant-at-Arms in the Ohio State Senate. From 1939-40, Forney and Young were on the Sergeant-at-Arms roster of the 93rd General Assembly of the Ohio State Senate. It was during this time when Young signed this baseball for Forney. Former Brownhelm resident Burt Shotton also signed this ball just above Young's signature. Full LOA from PSA/DNA.
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