Ray Chapman
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Raymond Johnson Chapman (January 15, 1891 – August 17, 1920) was an American
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player. He spent his entire career as a
shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
for the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
. Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by pitcher
Carl Mays Carl William Mays (November 12, 1891 – April 4, 1971) was an American baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. During his career, he won over 200 games, 27 in 1921 alone, and was a member of four Wor ...
and died 12 hours later. He is the only player to die directly from an injury received during a major league game. His death led baseball to establish a rule requiring
umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...
to replace the ball whenever it becomes dirty. Chapman's death and sanitary concerns also led to the ban on
spitball A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. This technique alters the wind resistance and weight on one side of the ball, causing it to m ...
s after the 1920 season. Chapman's death was one of the examples cited to justify the wearing of
batting helmet A batting helmet is worn by batters in the game of baseball or softball. It is meant to protect the batter's head from errant pitches thrown by the pitcher. A batter who is "hit by pitch," due to an inadvertent wild pitch or by intent, may ...
s. However, it took over 30 years to adopt the rule that required their use.


Career

Chapman was born in
Beaver Dam, Kentucky Beaver Dam is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Ohio County, Kentucky, Ohio County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 3,409 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is named for the Beaver Dam Baptist Chur ...
, and raised in
Herrin, Illinois Herrin is a city in Williamson County, Illinois. The population was 12,352 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Marion-Herrin Micropolitan Area and is a part of the Carbondale- Marion-Herrin, Illinois Combined Statistical Area with 123,27 ...
. He broke into the major leagues in 1912 with the
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
team, then known as the Naps. Chapman led the American League in
runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...
and walks in 1918. A top-notch bunter, Chapman is sixth on the all-time list for
sacrifice hits In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, and ...
and holds the single season record with 67 in 1917. Only
Stuffy McInnis John Phalen "Stuffy" McInnis (September 19, 1890 – February 16, 1960) was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. McInnis gained his nickname as a youngster in the Boston suburban leagues, where his spectacular playing brought ...
has more career
sacrifices Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...
as a right-handed batter. Chapman was also an excellent shortstop who led the league in assists once. He batted .300 or better three times, and led the Indians in
stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
s four times. In 1917, he set a team record of 52 stolen bases, which stood until 1980. He was hitting .303 with 97 runs scored when he died. He was one of the few players whom
Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the las ...
considered a friend. There was conjecture that 1920 was going to be Chapman's last year as a pro baseball player. Shortly before the season began, Chapman married Kathleen Daly, who was the daughter of a prominent Cleveland businessman. Chapman had indicated he was going to retire to devote himself to the family business into which he was marrying, as well as to begin a family.


Death

On August 16, 1920, Chapman was struck in the head and killed by a pitch thrown by
Carl Mays Carl William Mays (November 12, 1891 – April 4, 1971) was an American baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. During his career, he won over 200 games, 27 in 1921 alone, and was a member of four Wor ...
during a game against the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
at the
Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...
. At the time, pitchers commonly dirtied balls with soil,
licorice Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English) ( ; also ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted. The liq ...
, and
tobacco juice Tobacco water, tobacco juice, tobacco dust juice, or tobacco lime is a traditional organic insecticide used in domestic gardening. In ''The English Physician Enlarged'' of 1681, Nicholas Culpeper recommends tobacco juice to kill lice on children's h ...
, and scuffed, sandpapered, scarred, cut, or spiked them, giving a "misshapen, earth-colored ball that traveled through the air erratically, tended to soften in the later innings, and, as it came over the plate, was very hard to see." Mays threw with a
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
delivery, and it was late afternoon. Eyewitnesses recounted that Chapman did not react to the pitch at all, presumably unable to see it. The sound of the ball striking Chapman's skull was so loud that Mays thought it had hit the end of Chapman's bat; he fielded the ball and threw to first base. Home plate umpire
Tommy Connolly Thomas Henry Connolly (December 31, 1870 – April 28, 1961) was an English-American umpire in Major League Baseball. He officiated in the National League from 1898 to 1900, followed by 31 years of service in the American League from 1901 to 1 ...
, noticing that Chapman was bleeding from his left ear, screamed towards the stands for a doctor.
Tris Speaker Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career bat ...
, who had been on deck, rushed to Chapman, as did several players from each team. Carl Mays merely stood on the mound. Chapman tried to walk, but his knees buckled. As he was helped off the field by his teammates, he mumbled "I'm all right; tell Mays not to worry... ring....Katie's ring," before falling unconscious. Chapman was taken to St. Lawrence Hospital, a short distance from the Polo Grounds where he died about 4:40 AM from brain damage. His pregnant wife Katie, summoned from
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
by phone, arrived at 10:00 a.m. and fainted on learning he had died. Thousands of mourners attended Chapman's funeral at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland and he was buried at
Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a privately owned, nonprofit garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1869, the cemetery was favored by wealthy families during the Gil ...
. Cleveland players wore black armbands for the remainder of the season. The Indians won the 1920 World Series and dedicated their victory to Chapman.


Honors

A bronze plaque was designed in Chapman's memory, funded by donations from fans, was hung at
League Park League Park was a baseball park located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was situated at the northeast corner of Dunham Street (now known as East 66th Street) and Lexington Avenue in the Hough, Cleveland, Hough neighborhood. It was built ...
and was moved to
Cleveland Stadium Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball an ...
when the Indians moved there in 1946. Sometime in the early 1970s, however, it was removed for unknown reasons. In 2007 it was refurbished and made part of Progressive Field's Heritage Park, which includes the
Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame This is a list of award winners and league leaders for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball. Awards Most Valuable Player *George Burns (first baseman), George Burns (1926) *Lou Boudreau (1948) *Al Rosen (1953) Cy Young *Gaylord Pe ...
and other exhibits from the team's history. Chapman had been inducted into the team Hall of Fame in 2006, part of the first new induction class since 1972. A baseball field is dedicated to Ray Chapman in his hometown of Beaver Dam, KY.


See also

*
List of baseball players who died during their careers This is a list of baseball players who died during their careers. These deaths occurred during a game, due to illness, results of accidents, acts of violence, or suicide. Repeated studies have shown that Major League Baseball players have a greate ...
*
Phillip Hughes Phillip Joel Hughes (30 November 1988 – 27 November 2014) was an Australian Test and One Day International (ODI) cricketer who played domestic cricket for South Australia and Worcestershire. He was a left-handed opening batsman who play ...
, Australian cricketer killed by a ball during play in 2014


References


Further reading

* Vigil, Vicki Blum (2007). ''Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols & Stories''. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. * The book ''The Pitch That Killed'', by Mike Sowell, is a history of the Chapman-Mays tragedy. * The historical novel, ''The Curse of Carl Mays'', by Howard Camerik, also recounts the Chapman-Mays incident. * The
Dan Gutman Dan Gutman (born October 19, 1955) is an American writer, primarily of children's fiction. His works include the '' Baseball Card Adventures'' children's book series that began with '' Honus & Me'', and the '' My Weird School'' series. Early li ...
novel ''Ray & Me'', tells the story of the Chapman incident with a fictional touch as the main character Joe Stoshack travels back in time to try to prevent his death. *''Do It for Chappie: The Ray Chapman Tragedy'' by Rick Swaine is a historical novel based on true events involving real-life historical figures.


External links


The Death of Ray Chapman
– ''New York Times'', August 18, 1920 {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Ray 1891 births 1920 deaths Cleveland Indians players Cleveland Naps players Baseball players from Kentucky Major League Baseball shortstops Davenport Prodigals players Springfield Senators players Toledo Mud Hens players People from Beaver Dam, Kentucky People from Herrin, Illinois Burials at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland Sports deaths in New York (state) Baseball deaths Deaths from head injury