Ray Chapman

For the Australian philatelist, see Ray Chapman (philatelist). For the American sport shooter, see Ray Chapman (marksman).

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 runs17
Runs batted in364
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Raymond Johnson Chapman (January 15, 1891 – August 17, 1920) was an American baseball player. He spent his entire career as a shortstop for the Cleveland Indians.

Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by pitcher Carl Mays and died 12 hours later. Mays dirtied the ball, making it difficult for Chapman to see. He is, as of 2024, the only player to die directly from an injury received during a major league game.[1][2] His death led baseball to establish a rule requiring umpires to replace the ball whenever it becomes dirty. Chapman's death and sanitary concerns also led to the ban on spitballs after the 1920 season.[3][4] Chapman's death was also one of the examples cited to justify the wearing of batting helmets. However, it took over 30 years to adopt the rule that required their use.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference plaque was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Goodman, Rebecca (2005). This Day in Ohio History. Emmis Books. p. 250. ISBN 9781578601912. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  3. ^ Wulf, Steve (April 13, 1981). "Tricks Of The Trade". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  4. ^ Terbush, Jon (May 3, 2013). "Spitballs, nail files, and other ways pitchers cheat". The Week. Retrieved April 23, 2018.