Major League Baseball

Former Mets pitcher Anthony Young dead at 51

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:43 p.m. ET

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Sports Illustrated, Dan Gartland/Sports Illustrated

Former Mets pitcher Anthony Young has died, according to ex-MLB player Lenny Harris. He was 51. The Mets later confirmed his passing.

Young was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in January. He said in February that doctors treated the growth as cancerous because it was located on the brain stem, meaning it was impossible to do a biopsy to test its malignancy. He underwent chemotherapy and reported at the time that the tumor had shrunk. Harris said earlier Tuesday that Young had fallen into a coma. 

Young played six seasons in the majors—three with the Mets, two with the Cubs and one with the Astros—and had a career ERA of 3.89. Most baseball fans remember him as the man who lost 27 consecutive decisions—14 as a starter and 13 as a reliever—from May 6, 1992 to July 24, 1993. Young, though, grew to accept that the streak would be his lasting mark on the game, even though he chalked it up to bad luck.

“I really don't think I deserved it, but I have the record,” he told MLB.com in 2011. “And I don't wish it on anyone.”

After retiring from baseball, Young went on to become a youth pitching coach in his hometown of Houston. He continued giving pitching lessons while undergoing treatment for his brain tumor. 

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