| Chick Stahl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1873-01-10)January 10, 1873 Avilla, Indiana, U.S. | |
| Died: March 28, 1907(1907-03-28) (aged 34) West Baden, Indiana, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 19, 1897, for the Boston Beaneaters | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 6, 1906, for the Boston Americans | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .305 |
| Home runs | 36 |
| Runs batted in | 622 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Charles Sylvester "Chick"Stahl (January 10, 1873 – March 28, 1907) was an Americanoutfielder inMajor League Baseball who was among the most feared and consistent hitters in his time. Stahl was an active major-league player when he died by suicide duringspring training before the 1907 season.
In his rookie 1897 season with theBoston Americans, he batted .354, and over his first sixty-nine games, he averaged over .300. In1899, he had six hits in a game, and in the1903 World Series, he hit three triples. By 1904, including his time with the Beaneaters and theBoston Americans, Stahl had been a key part of four pennant winning teams in seven seasons.
In1906, he was named acting manager of the Americans after his friendJimmy Collins was suspended[1] and decided to focus on his playing, and also due to the club's ownership opting for a change following a poor season by the club. He was officially named player-manager on December 4, 1906.
In 1,304games played, Stahl compiled a .305batting average (1546–5069) with 858runs scored, 219doubles, 118triples, 36home runs, 622RBI, 189stolen bases, 470walks, anon-base percentage of .369 andslugging percentage of .416 in 10 major-league seasons. In the1903 World Series, he hit .303 (10–33), scoring 6 runs and recording 3 RBI, helping theBoston Americans win the first modern World Series.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BOA | 1906 | 40 | 14 | 26 | .350 | 8th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 40 | 14 | 26 | .350 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
In March 1907, Stahl died by suicide duringspring training inWest Baden, Indiana, by drinking four ounces ofcarbolic acid. The reason for Stahl's suicide has remained a mystery for over a century. He was known as a carefree, fun-loving man and had many love affairs going on throughout the country.[citation needed] He had mentioned suicide days before inLouisville, Kentucky, prompting some teammates to take the carbolic acid from him. His final words to some of teammates were "Boys, I just couldn't help it. It drove me to it."[2] What "it" exactly was remains a mystery. A 1908 newspaper article claims that he was despondent because he had been tasked with discharging his friend Collins from the team.[3]
Cy Young reluctantly took over as manager to start the1907 season, but he was replaced six games into the season. Collins was traded to Philadelphia in June 1907. Stahl's widow mysteriously died a year and a half later.[4] Just prior to her death, Julia Stahl was seen walking in a poor area of Boston while lavishly dressed. However, no bystanders seem to have seen the events of the last moments of her life.[3]
Chick Stahl was not related toJake Stahl, despite contemporary baseball sources listing them as brothers.
Stahl was mentioned along with teammatesBill Dinneen andCy Young in the revival of the song "Tessie" (2004) byDropkick Murphys.
· Baseball Almanac