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Ray Chapman, Killed by Pitched Ball August 17, 1920

On August 16, 1920, in the late afternoon at the Polo Grounds, Ray Chapman stepped into the batter’s box for what would be the very last time. The 29 year old Cleveland Indians’ shortstop, known as “Chappie”, squared around to bunt off the Yankee’s Carl Mays. The submariner’s pitch was inside, Chapman was unable to duck and the pitch hit him on the temple. The ball struck so loud and with such a sound that Mays thought it had hit Chapman’s bat and threw the rolling ball to first for an out.

Chapman never regained consciousness and died at 4:30am the next day, August 17, 1920. Thankfully, Chapman remains the only MLB player to suffer fatal injuries during a game. (Minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh was struck on the head and killed while coaching a Tulsa Drillers game in July 2007).

The Indians won the tragic game 4-3, handing Mays the loss. As a dedication to Chapman, The Cleveland squad went on to win both the American League pennant as well as the 1920 World Series over the Brooklyn Robins 4 games to 3. This was the series where Indians’s Bill Wambsganss’ pulled off the only unassisted triple play in World Series history.

Chapman’s Biography

Chapman was born in Beaver Dam, Kentucky. He grew up in Herrin, Illinois. He broke into the Major Leagues in 1912 with the Cleveland team, then known as the Naps (for Napolean Lajoie)

Chapman led the American League in runs scored and walks in 1918. A top-notch bunter, Chapman is 6th on the all-time list for sacrifice hits and holds the single season record with 67 in 1917. Only Stuffy McInnis has more career sacrifices as a right-handed batter. Chapman was also an excellent shortstop who led the league in putouts three times and assists once. He batted .300 three times, and led the Indians in stolen bases 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.

The Tragic Aftermath

Chapman’s wife, Kathleen, was not at the hospital in New York when Ray died. She learned of the accident in Cleveland and was en route to New York when Ray succombed to his injuries. She was 3-months pregnant at the time and had a daughter–Rae–on February 27, 1921. After the injury, Ray’s wife never attended another game. In 1928 she committed suicide. In 1929 8-year old Rae died from measles.

Carl Mays was a very accomplished major league pitcher. Over a 15-year career, that included stints with Boston and New York of the American League and Cincinnati and New York of the National League, Mays was 208-126 with a 2.92 ERA. Despite these accomplishments, Mays was never able to shake the fatal pitch. By trying to blame the ball or the conditions, he didn’t endear himself to fans. His life had other tragedies as well. Mays lost his life savings in the 1929 stock market crash and his wife died at the age of 36 from an eye infection leaving him with two young children. Mays used to say that “Nobody ever remembered me for anything except that one pitch.” The New York Times obituary headline when he died in 1971 tells it all: Carl Mays, Yankee Whose Pitch Killed Batter in 1920, Is Dead