The Pitch That Killed Ray Chapman

On August 16, 1920, Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman stepped into the batter's box at the Polo Grounds in New York and never walked off the field under his own power. Yankees submarine pitcher Carl Mays delivered a fastball that struck Chapman on the left side of his skull. The sound of the impact was so sharp that Mays thought the ball had hit Chapman's bat and fielded it, throwing to first base for what he believed was a routine play.

Chapman crumpled to the ground. He managed to stand and began walking toward the clubhouse in center field, but collapsed near second base. Teammates carried him off, and he was rushed to St. Lawrence Hospital. Surgeons operated that night, removing a piece of skull roughly three and a half inches square. Chapman died at 4:40 a.m. on August 17, twelve hours after the beaning. He was 29 years old.

Chapman remains the only major league player to die from injuries sustained during a game. He had been one of the best shortstops in the American League, batting .303 that season with 97 runs scored. He had married Kathleen Daly, the daughter of a prominent Cleveland businessman, just that winter, and had told friends he planned to retire after the 1920 season to pursue a business career.

Mays was not a popular figure among opponents or even his own teammates. He had a reputation for throwing inside, and Chapman was known for crowding the plate. On that gloomy August afternoon, with no lights and a ball muddied from constant use, the pitch arrived in a blind spot Chapman could not pick up.

The tragedy prompted major changes. Umpires began replacing dirty baseballs more frequently during games, and the spitball was gradually legislated out of the sport. The use of batting helmets did not become mandatory until decades later, but Chapman's death planted the seed. Cleveland went on to win the 1920 World Series, playing through grief and dedicating the championship to their fallen shortstop.