Earned run average 3.86 Role Baseball player Name Kip Young | Strikeouts 71 Win–loss record 8-9 | |
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Kip Lane Young (born October 29, 1954 in Georgetown, Ohio) is a former professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, Young played Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers in 1978 and 1979.
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Amateur career
Young attended Whiteoak High School in Mowrystown, Ohio graduating in 1972 and Bowling Green State University and was named to the all-MAC team each of his last three years at Bowling Green. Both the Bowling Green and MAC record books are filled with Young's name. He twice won 11 games in a season, and his 37 career wins are the most in MAC history. He compiled a 1.02 ERA in 1974 on his way to second team all-conference honors, and followed that up with a pair of first team appearances as a junior and senior. 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.
Professional career
Young was drafted by the Tigers in the 23rd round of the 1976 amateur draft. He made his major league debut at age 23 on July 21, 1978, entering the game as a relief pitcher in the 10th inning. After a 1-2-3 10th inning, Young gave up two runs in the 11th inning for a loss to the California Angels.
Young followed with four wins in four starts. In his first major league start on July 24, 1978, Young pitched a complete game and held the Oakland A's to one run (scored by former Tiger Willie Horton). Five days later, Young pitched a four-hitter against the Mariners in his second start, as the Tigers won, 9–1. On August 4, Young held the White Sox to one run, and on August 9, he held the Rangers to two runs in his fourth consecutive complete game win. Having pitched well in each of his first four starts, it appeared Young would be the next in the Tigers' string of terrific rookie pitchers, following Mark Fidrych in 1976 and Dave Rozema in 1977. In his fifth start, Young gave up three runs in seven innings and lost to the Royals. He finished the 1978 season with a 6–7 record and a 2.81 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 138).
In 1979, Young's ERA jumped to 6.39 in 13 games, as he compiled a 2–2 record. He pitched his final major league game on September 26, 1979 and was sold to the Mariners in November 1979. He did not make the Mariners' major league roster, and pitched just four games for their top farm club, the Spokane Indians. He moved on to the Cincinnati Reds organization, playing the rest of 1980, all of 1981, and part of 1982 with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. He finished the 1982 season, and his professional baseball career, with the Toledo Mud Hens in the Minnesota Twins farm system.
After baseball
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.