Ross Youngs - Illness and Death

Illness and Death

Youngs's career was abruptly cut short in 1926 when he was diagnosed with the kidney disorder that, at the time, was called Bright's disease. He had been exposed to streptococcal infection in 1924. Too ill to play after August 10, 1926, Youngs returned home on McGraw's insistence and received a blood transfusion in March 1927.

Youngs died of Bright's disease on October 22, 1927 at the age of 30. He went from weighing 170 pounds (77 kg) during his playing career to 100 pounds (45 kg) by the time of his death. In Youngs' obituary in The New York Times, Giants manager John McGraw called Youngs "the greatest outfielder I ever saw on a ball field." The Giants honored Youngs with a bronze plaque on the right field wall of the Polo Grounds; although the Giants intended to pay for it, fans expressed their desire to contribute and, even though contributions were limited to $1 per person, donations paid for the plaque entirely.