There are some of you that may have no idea who Ray Chapman is. The short life that he lived playing major league baseball for the Cleveland Indians was one that was full of milestones at the time he played. Born in 1891, he was a mere 21 years old when he began his career.
It took little time for Chapman to prove what he could do on the field of play. He scored numerous walks and runs within six years of play. He led the league in sacrifices with his innate ability to bunt the ball and bring a teammate across the plate to score one for the Indians.
The eight years that Ray spent with the Indians, or Naps, saw him do an outstanding job as shortstop. The number of hits he intercepted and then threw the runner out is unparalleled. He achieved highlights that most other players could only hope to achieve in much smaller numbers, where he led his team.
A good friend of Ty Cobb, other accomplishments of Ray's were batting .300 on three different occasions. He led his team in stolen bases a total of four times. From 1917 to 1980, this man held the team record of 52 stolen bases. Standing a mere 5' 10" tall what he lacked in stature he made up for in prowess as a player on the field.
It was common practice during these years of pro baseball to dirty up the ball in several ways. The worst the ball looked the better it was considered to be. Dark and dingy the baseball was difficult to see, and the ball that one could not see, one could not hit. It was this thinking that led to the death of Ray Chapman.
The Indian's were playing the New York Yankees on August 16, 1920. The opposing pitcher was Carl Mays. Ray came up to the plate and it is said that he often crowded it, looking for that perfect pitch. It is said that Ray never made a move to back away from the plate indicating the likelihood that he never saw the ball coming that hit him in the head. Mays retrieved the ball and made a throw to first base commenting that sound was that of the ball being hit by a bat.
Obviously dazed, the man was escorted off the field, taken to a medical facility where he passed away some twelve hours later. In an odd sense, he had broken yet another record. He is the only man to be killed while participating in the sport of baseball. It was is demise that put an end to the habit of making the ball dirty to prevent batters from seeing it. The necessity of batting helmets was recognized also, but that was not put into play until 30 years later.
Many wonder what further records would have been set by Ray Chapman. Oddly enough, 1920 was to have been his last year in pro ball. He had married before that season and had decided to retire to enter his wife's family business. It was never to be and many of this great players records still stand today in the Baseball Hall of Fame
It took little time for Chapman to prove what he could do on the field of play. He scored numerous walks and runs within six years of play. He led the league in sacrifices with his innate ability to bunt the ball and bring a teammate across the plate to score one for the Indians.
The eight years that Ray spent with the Indians, or Naps, saw him do an outstanding job as shortstop. The number of hits he intercepted and then threw the runner out is unparalleled. He achieved highlights that most other players could only hope to achieve in much smaller numbers, where he led his team.
A good friend of Ty Cobb, other accomplishments of Ray's were batting .300 on three different occasions. He led his team in stolen bases a total of four times. From 1917 to 1980, this man held the team record of 52 stolen bases. Standing a mere 5' 10" tall what he lacked in stature he made up for in prowess as a player on the field.
It was common practice during these years of pro baseball to dirty up the ball in several ways. The worst the ball looked the better it was considered to be. Dark and dingy the baseball was difficult to see, and the ball that one could not see, one could not hit. It was this thinking that led to the death of Ray Chapman.
The Indian's were playing the New York Yankees on August 16, 1920. The opposing pitcher was Carl Mays. Ray came up to the plate and it is said that he often crowded it, looking for that perfect pitch. It is said that Ray never made a move to back away from the plate indicating the likelihood that he never saw the ball coming that hit him in the head. Mays retrieved the ball and made a throw to first base commenting that sound was that of the ball being hit by a bat.
Obviously dazed, the man was escorted off the field, taken to a medical facility where he passed away some twelve hours later. In an odd sense, he had broken yet another record. He is the only man to be killed while participating in the sport of baseball. It was is demise that put an end to the habit of making the ball dirty to prevent batters from seeing it. The necessity of batting helmets was recognized also, but that was not put into play until 30 years later.
Many wonder what further records would have been set by Ray Chapman. Oddly enough, 1920 was to have been his last year in pro ball. He had married before that season and had decided to retire to enter his wife's family business. It was never to be and many of this great players records still stand today in the Baseball Hall of Fame
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