Chester James (Pop) Chadbourne (October 28, 1884 – June 21, 1943) was an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

, playing mainly as a

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

for three teams between and . Chadbourne spent portions of five seasons in the major leagues, but his only two complete major league seasons were with the Kansas City Packers of the

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

. He had more success in the minor leagues, collecting more than 3000 hits over 20 years. Listed at , , Chadbourne batted left-handed and threw right-handed. After his playing career, Chadbourne managed and umpired in the minor leagues.

Early life and career

Chadbourne was born in

Parkman, Maine Parkman is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The population was 747 at the 2020 census. History First known as Plantation Number Five, Sixth Range, it was purchased by Samuel Parkman, a Boston Brahmin. In 1822, it was incorpor ...

. A fine defensive outfielder, he entered the major leagues in with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

, playing for them two years before being sold to the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opene ...

of the American Association in November 1908. After five minor league seasons, he played from to for the Kansas City Packers of the

, where he led the league's outfielders in assists (34) in and in

outs In baseball, an out occurs when the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a batter or runner is out, they lose their ability to score a run and must return to the dugout until their next turn at bat. When three outs are recorded in a ...

(475) and

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

(.979) in . In 1914, Chadbourne became the first major league player to bat at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago W ...

(then called Weeghman Park), hitting leadoff for the Packers against the Chicago Chi-Feds on April 23. Chadbourne returned to the minors for the 1916 and 1917 seasons, making his last major league appearance with the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

in . In a five-season career, Chadbourne was a .255 hitter (345-for-1353) with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s and 82

RBI RBI most often refers to: *Reserve Bank of India *Run batted in RBI may also refer to: Organisations *Radio Berlin International *Raiffeisen Bank International *Reed Business Information *Restaurant Brands International *Ruđer Bošković In ...

in 347 games, including 183 runs, 41 doubles, 18 triples, and 78 stolen bases.

Later life

Following his major league career, Chadbourne returned to the minors to play in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

; he finished with 3,216

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

over 21 total minor league seasons. He also managed the Salt Lake City Bees of the 1926 Utah–Idaho League. By January 1927, the press reported that Chadbourne was seeking an umpiring position. He was hired as a PCL umpire after the 1928 season. Chadbourne was umpiring in the PCL in 1930 when he had a confrontation with star outfielder

Buzz Arlett Russell Loris Arlett (January 3, 1899 – May 16, 1964), also known as Buzz Arlett, was an American baseball player, sometimes called "the Babe Ruth of the minor leagues." Like Ruth, Arlett was a large man, and , who began his career as a p ...

after a game and struck Arlett in the face with his umpire mask. Arlett required twelve stitches to his face and the injury may have cost him an opportunity to sign with the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californ ...

. After Commissioner

Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his h ...

investigated the incident, Chadbourne was fired. He umpired in the Western League in . Chadbourne died in Los Angeles at age 58 by self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was survived by his wife, Gladys.

References

External links

Retrosheet
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chadbourne, Chet 1884 births 1943 suicides 1943 deaths Baseball players from Maine Major League Baseball outfielders Boston Red Sox players Boston Braves players Minor league baseball managers Suicides by firearm in California People from Parkman, Maine Worcester Busters players Providence Grays (minor league) players Indianapolis Indians players Portland Beavers players Kansas City Packers players Memphis Chickasaws players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Vernon Tigers players Wichita Izzies players Salt Lake City Bees players Oklahoma City Indians players Baseball coaches from Maine