Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career.

In 1901, Young jumped to the American League and played for the Boston Red Sox franchise until 1908, helping them win the 1903 World Series.

By the time Young retired, he had established numerous pitching records, some of which have stood for over a century.

[1] Young was born in Gilmore, a tiny farming community located in Washington Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio.

Young stopped his formal education after he completed the sixth grade[3] so he could help out on the family's farm.

Young played for many amateur baseball leagues during his youth, including a semi-professional Carrollton team in 1888.

During his tryout, Young impressed the scouts, recalling years later, "I almost tore the boards off the grandstand with my fast ball.

Therefore, in 1890, Young signed with the Cleveland Spiders, a team that had moved from the American Association to the National League the previous year.

On August 6, 1890, Young's major league debut, he pitched a three-hit 8–1 victory over the Chicago Colts.

Bill James wrote that Zimmer often put a piece of beefsteak inside his baseball glove to protect his catching hand from Young's fastball.

Anson told Spiders manager Gus Schmelz, "He's too green to do your club much good, but I believe if I taught him what I know, I might make a pitcher out of him in a couple of years.

"[8] Two years after Young's debut, the National League moved the pitcher's position back by 5 feet (1.5 m).

[9] The 1892 regular season was a success for Young, who led the National League in wins (36), ERA (1.93), and shutouts (9).

It was around this time that Young added what he called a "slow ball" to his pitching repertoire to reduce stress on his arm.

[3] In 1896, Young lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning when Ed Delahanty of the Philadelphia Phillies hit a single.

[12] Prior to the 1899 season, Frank Robison, the Spiders owner, bought the St. Louis Browns, thus owning two clubs simultaneously.

Just weeks before the season opener, most of the better Spiders players were transferred to St. Louis, including three future Hall of Famers: Young, Jesse Burkett, and Bobby Wallace.

Pitching to Criger, who had also jumped to Boston, Young led the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA, thus earning the colloquial AL Triple Crown for pitchers.

[16] In February 1902, before the start of the baseball season, Young served as a pitching coach at Harvard University.

Young, who started Game One against the visiting Pirates, thus threw the first pitch in modern World Series history.

Young finished the series with a 2–1 record and a 1.85 ERA in four appearances, and Boston defeated Pittsburgh, five games to three.

This occurred in 1880, when Lee Richmond and John Montgomery Ward pitched perfect games within five days of each other, although under somewhat different rules: the front edge of the pitcher's box was only 45 feet (14 m) from home base (the modern release point is about 10 feet (3.0 m) farther away); walks required eight balls; and pitchers were obliged to throw side-armed.

[27] In his final start two weeks later, the last eight batters of Young's career combined to hit a triple, four singles, and three doubles.

Young compiled 511 wins, which is the most in major league history and 94 ahead of Walter Johnson, second on the list.

[15] Young is tied with Roger Clemens for the most career wins by a Boston Red Sox pitcher: they each won 192 games while with the franchise.

"[8] In addition to his exceptional control, Young was also a workhorse who avoided injury, owing partly to his ability to pitch in different arm positions (overhand, three-quarters, sidearm and even submarine).

[45] Young's career is seen as a bridge from baseball's earliest days to its modern era; he pitched against stars such as Cap Anson, already an established player when the National League was first formed in 1876, as well as against Eddie Collins, who played until 1930.

When Young's career began, pitchers delivered the baseball underhand and fouls were not counted as strikes.

On September 23, 1993, a statue dedicated to him was unveiled by Northeastern University on the site of the Red Sox's original stadium, the Huntington Avenue Grounds.

A home plate-shaped plaque next to the statue reads: On October 1, 1903 the first modern World Series between the American League champion Boston Pilgrims (later known as the Red Sox) and the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates was played on this site.