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 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]