Former pitcher Anthony Young died of a brain tumor at the too young age of 51.

Teammates say he was known for his dignity and grace, characteristics he demonstrated through what his career is remembered for: losing 27 consecutive decisions between the 1992 and 1993 seasons, the longest streak in major-league history.

He died on the anniversary of his 24th consecutive loss on June 27, 1993, which set the major-league record.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Here is the winless streak, line by line. Note that during the streak, Young saved 16 games, so it’s not as if he had no success in the stretch. He was a low strikeout pitcher, however, and a 4.37 ERA in the pre-high-offense era was not that good. There was bad luck, but some poor pitching as well. Left-handed batters hit him hard, and teams put as many lefties as they could against him.

Still, he spent six seasons as a major league pitcher, and earned a great deal of fame as someone who endured a very rough stretch of pitching. It’s a better career than most players experience.