Overview

The son of a coal miner from a small Illinois town, Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman lived the American dream until his untimely death at age twenty-nine. In his brief life, he reached the pinnacle of baseball success as the best shortstop in the American League. While many professional ballplayers struggled with meager salaries, the handsome Chapman had married heiress Kathleen Daly, one of Cleveland’s wealthiest women. With a child on the way and an executive job in the offseason, Chapman was moving toward a privileged place in society until an errant fastball fractured his skull and ended his life the next day. Late in the 1920 pennant race, the Indians were in New York for a key series against the Yankees. New York pitcher Carl Mays threw a high hard one that Chapman could not evade. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors tried in vain to save his life. The tragedy did not end there. His widow took her own life eight years later, and their daughter, Rae, subsequently died from meningitis. Today, people visit Chapman’s impressive grave in Cleveland’s Lake View Cemetery, leaving baseballs and gloves in his memory. Though gone over a hundred years, he is well remembered as a Cleveland icon. This book goes far beyond the well-worn accounts of Chapman’s untimely death to illustrate the fullness of his short life.

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9780821425688

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Reviews

Even the most passionate baseball fans know little about Ray Chapman except for his death: the only major league ballplayer to die of injuries sustained on a baseball field. This book is a worthwhile (and frankly, overdue) exploration of his life, from the hollers of Kentucky to the minor leagues to Cleveland, where he distinguished himself with his talent and ingratiated himself with his personality. -- Vince Guerrieri, sports writer Scott H. Longert paints a complete picture of Ray Chapman as a human being, instead of Ray Chapman as a sad piece of baseball lore. Longert's biography uncovers and restores who Chapman actually was: a great baseball player, a fan favorite, and a loveable, well-respected person. Chapman had a fascinating life and career—a baseball Horatio Alger story. -- Jeremy Feador, Cleveland Guardians team historian

Author Information

Scott H. Longert is the author of numerous books on Cleveland baseball history from the post–Civil War era through the middle of the twentieth century. He has an MA in American history from Cleveland State University and has appeared on numerous broadcast media shows, on baseball documentaries, and at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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