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Kip Young

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Kip Young
Pitcher
Born: (1954-10-29) October 29, 1954 (age 70)
Georgetown, Ohio
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 21, 1978, for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance
September 26, 1979, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Earned run average3.86
Win–loss record8-9
Strikeouts71
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Kip Lane Young (born October 29, 1954) is a former baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, Young played Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers in 1978 and 1979. As a rookie in 1978, he pitched complete-game victories in his first four starts and compiled a 2.81 earned run average (ERA) for the season.

Before his professional career began, Young played college baseball at Bowling Green State University where he won 37 games to set a Mid-American Conference record.

Early years

Young's retired number and jersey at Whiteoak High School

Young was born in Georgetown, Ohio, in 1954.[1] He attended Whiteoak High School in Mowrystown, Ohio, graduating in 1972. He then enrolled at Bowling Green State University and was named to the All-Mid-American Conference baseball team for three consecutive years. He twice won 11 games in a season, and his 37 career wins established a MAC record. He compiled a 1.02 ERA in 1974. His 232 strikeouts and 295 innings pitched are also Bowling Green records. He was inducted to the Bowling Green Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976.[2]

Professional baseball

1976 and 1977 seasons

Young was drafted by the Tigers in the 23rd round of the 1976 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft.[1] He spent the 1976 season with the Lakeland Tigers where he compiled a 4-2 record and 2.78 earned run average (ERA). He began the 1977 with the Double-A Montgomery Rebels where he compiled a 5-2 record and 3.20 ERA. He was promoted to the Triple-A Evansville Triplets in the middle of the 1977 season and went 4-4 with a 4.03 ERA.[3]

1978 season

Young began the 1978 season in Evansville. By July, he had an 11-3 record in 20 starts with 3.02 ERA.[3]

Young's strong showing at Evansville led to a call from the Tigers, and he made his major league debut in July 1978. In his first four starts, he pitched four complete games: a 4-1 victory over the Oakland As on July 24 in which he retired the last 12 batters he faced;[4] a four-hit, 9-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on July 29;[5] a 7-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on August 4;[6] and a 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on August 9.[7]

After the fourth victory, the crowd of 30,515 demanded a curtain call from Young who obliged and noted, "I can't 100 per cent believe what's happening."[7] Young was billed as the Tigers' third rookie pitching prodigy in three years, following Mark Fidrych in 1976 and Dave Rozema in 1977.[8] Interviewed in mid-August, he noted: "Staying consistent, that's the thing. . . . I don't want to be remembered as a guy who pitched three or four good games, then didn't pitch well the rest of the year."[8]

In his fifth start, Young gave up three runs in seven innings and lost to the Royals.[9] His strong pitching continued with eight consecutive quality starts, at that time tied for the second longest streak in Tigers' history -- trailing only Tommy Bridges' nine-game streak in 1942.[10] Young finished the 1978 season with a 6–7 record and a 2.81 ERA in 14 games.[1]

1979 season

Young started the 1979 season pitching well during spring training. He had a string of 12 scoreless innings in March and was the team's "most impressive starter."[11] After a strong showing in spring training, Young began the season as part of the Tigers' four-man starting rotation along with Dave Rozema, Jack Billingham, and Milt Wilcox.[12] In four starts, however, Young struggled to a 9.60 ERA. On May 9, the Tigers sent him back to Evansville to make room for yet another promising rookie Jack Morris.[13] At the time, Young took responsibility for pitching himself out of a job, noting, "My changeup is not there like it was last year. I never threw so many high changeups in my life. . . . I'm just thoroughly disgusted with what's been happening."[13]

In his first start after being sent to Evansville, Young pitched a one-hitter.[14] In mid-June, Tiger starter Dave Rozema was put on the disabled list, and Young was recalled to the Tigers having won three of six decisions with a 3.60 ERA.[15] However, with Sparky Anderson now the Tigers' new manager, Young never figured prominently in the club's plans.[16] He was demoted again to Evansville on July 25 and before being recalled for a final stint in the majors in September.[17][18]

Young pitched in his final major league game on September 26, 1979. He finished the season with a 2-2 record and a 6.39 in 43-2/3 inning pitched.[1] On November 21, 1979, the Tigers sold Young to the Spokane Indians, the Triple-A farm club of the Seattle Mariners.[16]

1980 to 1982 seasons

Young did not make the Mariners' major league roster, and appeared in only four games for Spokane, compiling a 7.07 ERA in 14 innings pitched.[3] He was acquired by the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in late May 1980.[19] He remained with Indianapolis through the 1981 season and at the start of the 1981 season. He started 26 games for Indianapolis in 1981, compiling a 10-12 record and 4.04 ERA.[3]

At the start of the 1982 season, Young, at age 27, acknowledged he had been close to giving up on his pitching career, but was still not ready to quit: "First of all, I still love the game of baseball and if I didn't think I could still pitch I wouldn't be in the game. Second of all, I still think I can pitch in the big leagues if given a chance."[20]

Young finished the 1982 season, and his professional baseball career, with the Toledo Mud Hens in the Minnesota Twins farm system. He started 15 games for Toledo and compiled a 6-5 record and 4.61 ERA.[3] In the spring of 1983, Toledo did not offer Young a contract. He noted at the time: "It's amazing. Not too long ago, I was supposed to be one of the top young pitchers in Detroit, then the next year I'm nobody. But that's baseball, worth a million one day and a dime the next."[21]

Later years

After his retirement from baseball, Young became a physical education teacher for the Eastern-Local School District in Brown County, Ohio. Young has since retired from this position, as well.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Kip Young". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ a b c d e "Kip Young Minor League Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  4. ^ Jim Hawkins (July 25, 1978). "Tigers' Young stops A's, 4-1". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 4D – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Tigers pound Seattle, 9-1; rookie Young hurles 4-hitter". Detroit Free Press. July 30, 1978. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Brian Bragg. "Tigers' Young hurls 3d straight win, 7-1". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Jim Hawkins (August 10, 1978). "Corcoran's slam rallies Tigers, 5-2: 6-hitter is Young's 4th win". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Jim Hawkins (August 15, 1978). "Kip Young takes curtain calls just like Bird from Tiger fans". Detroit Free Press. p. 4D.
  9. ^ Jim Hawkins (August 16, 1978). "Tigers can't hold lead, fall to Royals, 4-2: Misplays on field, on bases send Kip Young to defeat". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 4D – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Quality start streak ends". Detroit Free Press. May 25, 2011. p. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Brian Bragg (March 20, 1979). "A Tiger Star Born? Savvy 'kid' hurls 2-1 win". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 5D – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Brian Bragg (April 1, 1979). "Pitching OK, but . . ". Detroit Free Press – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b Brian Bragg (May 10, 1979). "Tigers ship Kip Young to Evansville". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Kip Young pitches 1-hitter at Evansville". Detroit Free Press. May 14, 1979. p. 5D – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Rosie out 21 days with sore shoulder". Detroit Free Press. June 17, 1979. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b Brian Bragg (November 22, 1979). "Tigers ship out pitcher Kip Young in roster shuffle". Detroit Free Press. p. 1F – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Mick McCabe (July 26, 1979). "Shakeup send 2 to Evansville". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 7D – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Brian Bragg (September 6, 1979). "Tigers call Kirk, 3 others". Detroit Free Press. p. 1F – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Tribe Wonders What Next". The Indianapolis News. May 31, 1980. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Indians 'Think Big' For Home Opener". The Indianapolis News. April 22, 1982. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Young Too Old For Another Try?". The Indianapolis News. April 13, 1983. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2008-02-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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