Former Mets Pitcher Anthony Young Dies At 51
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Anthony Young, a former Mets pitcher known more for his failures on the mound than his successes, died Tuesday. He was 51.
According to former Mets teammate Turk Wendell, Young had been suffering from an inoperable brain tumor.
"Anthony was a true gentleman," Wendell said, according to CBSSports.com. "At this year's fantasy camp, he told us he had a brain tumor. That was Anthony. He never ran away from anything."
Young died in his hometown of Houston.
Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 10th round in 1984, Young spent six seasons in the majors. He played for the Mets from 1991-93 and also for the Cubs and Astros.
In 1993, he broke the major league record for most consecutive losses -- 27.
He received good luck charms from fans nationwide and even appeared on "The Tonight Show" during his drought after Jay Leno repeatedly joked about it. "You can make fun of my chin if you want to," Leno told Young.
"A.Y. took a lot of kidding about his losing records," said Doug Flynn, a fellow Mets player and fantasy coach. "But he was the victim of some bad luck during the streak. He knew inside that he was a better pitcher than his numbers."
For his career, Young was 15-48 with a 3.89 ERA.
