Remembering the Baseball Players Who Gave All

[OldOriole]

Baseball has had a rich tradition of having many of its players serve the country through military service. From Bob Feller and Ted Williams to Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb. However, given the approaching holiday, I thought I would focus on those major league players who paid the ultimate sacrifice while in the military.

According to SABR 535 baseball players have lost their lives in military service, with 12 having been Major Leaguers. Here are the 12....

Bill Stearnes (1853-1898). Volunteered to serve in the Spanish-American War. Became ill during first landing in Puerto Rico and died months later. Was a pitcher in the National Association.

Tom Burr (1893-1918). Made just one appearance with the Yankees. Killed when his plane collided with another in France.

Harry Chapman (1885-1918). Catcher for the Cubs, later traded to the Cardinals. Joined the US Army after the 1917 season, contracted pneumonia and perished.

Larry Chappell (1890-1918). Outfielder for the White Sox, among others. Left baseball while leading the PCL in batting average. Joined the US Army Medical Corps, contracted influenza and died in San Francisco.

Harry Glenn (1890-1918). Played six games for the St, Louis Cardinals. Left-handed catcher. Drafted into the Army, developed pneumonia and died.

Eddie Grant (1883-1918). Played at Harvard, spent 10 seasons in the Major Leagues - including two with the Giants in the World Series. Retired after the 1915 season, enlisted in 1917. First former Major Leaguer killed in action in WW1 (in France).

Newt Halliday (1896-1918). Had one Major League at bat (a strikeout) with Pittsburgh in 1916. Joined the US Navy in 1917. Contracted tuberculosis and died at age 21.

Ralph Sharman (1895-1918). Played in 13 games with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1917. Joined US Army and drowned in a training exercise.

Bun Troy (1888-1918). Pitcher with one Major League appearance with the Detroit Tigers (against Walter Johnson). Joined the US Army, was shot and killed during the Meuse-Argonne offensive in France, 1918.

Elmer Gedeon (1917-1944). Played five games with the Washington Senators. Drafted into the US Army in 1941. Survived a plane crash during training that year. His plane was shot down in 1944 flying from the UK to France. First Major Leaguer killed in action in WWII.

Harry O'Neill (1917-1945). Catcher who played one game with the Philadelphia Athletics. Enlisted in the Marine Corps after Pearl Harbor. Killed by sniper fire during assault of Iwo Jima.

Bob Neighbors (1917-1952). Appeared in seven games with the St. Louis Browns. Joined the Army Air Force in 1942. Plane was shot down in Korea during a night mission. Only Major Leaguer killed in Korea.

You could also make a case for Christy Mathewson, who enlisted in the Army Chemical Corp in 1918 at age 38. He was accidentally exposed to poisonous gas and struggled with health problems the rest of his life before dying at 45 in 1925.

Don't know how many of these guys had cards, but it would be nice to see a few.