| Ray Chapman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born:(1891-01-15)January 15, 1891 Beaver Dam, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| Died: August 17, 1920(1920-08-17) (aged 29) Manhattan, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 30, 1912, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 16, 1920, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .278 |
| Home runs | 17 |
| Runs batted in | 364 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Raymond Johnson Chapman (January 15, 1891 – August 17, 1920) was an Americanbaseball player. He spent his entire career as ashortstop for theCleveland Indians of theAmerican League.
Chapman was hit in the head by apitch thrown by pitcherCarl Mays and died 12 hours later. He is the only person to die directly from an injury received while playing in aMajor League Baseball game.[1][2] His death led baseball to establish a rule requiringumpires to replace the ball whenever it becomes dirty. Chapman's death and sanitary concerns also led to the ban onspitballs after the 1920 season.[3][4] Chapman's death was also one of the examples cited to justify the wearing ofbatting helmets. However, it took over 30 years to adopt the rule that required their use.
Ray Chapman was born to Robert and Blanche Chapman (née Johnson) inBeaver Dam, Kentucky, and raised inHerrin, Illinois.[5]
Chapman broke into the major leagues in 1912 with theCleveland team, then known as the Naps.[6]
Chapman led the American League inruns scored andwalks in 1918. A top-notchbunter, Chapman is sixth on the all-time list forsacrifice hits and holds the single season record with 67 in 1917. OnlyStuffy McInnis has more careersacrifices as a right-handed batter. Chapman was also an excellent shortstop who led the league in assists once. Hebatted .300 or better three times, and led the Indians instolen 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. He was one of the few players whomTy Cobb considered a friend.[7]
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.[8]
On August 16, 1920, while at bat, Chapman was struck in the head and killed by a pitch thrown byCarl Mays during a game against theNew York Yankees at thePolo Grounds.[9] At the time, pitchers commonly dirtied balls with soil,licorice, andtobacco juice, and otherwise 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."[10] Mays threw with asubmarine 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.[1]
Home plate umpireTommy Connolly, noticing that Chapman was bleeding from his left ear, screamed towards the stands for a doctor.Tris Speaker, 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.[11][12] Chapman was taken to St. Lawrence Hospital, a short distance from the Polo Grounds, where he was diagnosed with a depressedskull fracture. Despite emergency surgery to relieve swelling on his brain, Chapman died at 4:40 a.m. the next day. His pregnant wife Katie, summoned fromCleveland by phone, arrived at 10:00 a.m. and fainted upon learning he had died.[13]
Thousands of mourners attended Chapman's funeral at theCathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland[2] and he was buried atLake View Cemetery.[14]
Cleveland players woreblack armbands for the remainder of the season.[15] The Indians won the1920 World Series and dedicated their victory to Chapman.[16]
A bronze plaque was designed in Chapman's memory, funded by donations from fans, was hung atLeague Park and was moved toCleveland Stadium when theIndians moved there in 1946. Sometime in the early 1970s, however, it was removed for unknown reasons.[1][17] In 2007 it was refurbished and made part of Progressive Field's Heritage Park, which includes theCleveland Guardians Hall of Fame 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.[1][18][19] A baseball field is dedicated to Ray Chapman in his hometown ofBeaver Dam, Kentucky.
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