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.
By 1918 Chapman was already leading the American League in scored runs and walks. He could bunt a ball with an ease that came naturally to him and up to this day he holds the sixth position for sacrifices. He remains number one for the season of 1917 with 67 sacrifices.
The Cleveland Indians were originally known as the Cleveland Naps and this is the name they held when Ray began his play with the team. His career may have been one of the shortest on record but it was filled with achievements of that time. With 84 walks and runs each, he held the American League Record in 1918.
Ray was not an overly big man. He stood about 5' 10" tall which is short by most of today's standards but that did little to stop him when he was on the field. Stolen bases seemed to be his forte leading his team four different times. At present, he is number 6 in the all time record of fifty-two stolen bases during his career.
During this era of baseball, it was standard procedure for pitchers to make the baseball look very dirty. The reasoning behind this was said to make the ball harder to hit because it was simply hard to see crossing the plate. Common practice or not, it is said that this is what led to the demise 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.
The death of Ray Chapman was a wake up call to all baseball teams of that time. The spitball was outlawed and never used again. In the short eight year span that this man played baseball and the many records he held, it is felt that if it were not for his untimely death, he would hold records that would stand until to this day.
By 1918 Chapman was already leading the American League in scored runs and walks. He could bunt a ball with an ease that came naturally to him and up to this day he holds the sixth position for sacrifices. He remains number one for the season of 1917 with 67 sacrifices.
The Cleveland Indians were originally known as the Cleveland Naps and this is the name they held when Ray began his play with the team. His career may have been one of the shortest on record but it was filled with achievements of that time. With 84 walks and runs each, he held the American League Record in 1918.
Ray was not an overly big man. He stood about 5' 10" tall which is short by most of today's standards but that did little to stop him when he was on the field. Stolen bases seemed to be his forte leading his team four different times. At present, he is number 6 in the all time record of fifty-two stolen bases during his career.
During this era of baseball, it was standard procedure for pitchers to make the baseball look very dirty. The reasoning behind this was said to make the ball harder to hit because it was simply hard to see crossing the plate. Common practice or not, it is said that this is what led to the demise 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.
The death of Ray Chapman was a wake up call to all baseball teams of that time. The spitball was outlawed and never used again. In the short eight year span that this man played baseball and the many records he held, it is felt that if it were not for his untimely death, he would hold records that would stand until to this day.
No comments:
Post a Comment