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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

There is a very interesting story by Waite Hoyt that was published relating to an
event at Cleveland weeks before that fatal day that took Ray Chapman's life on
the ballfield. Washington vs Cleveland and Walter Johnson is pitching and in the
latter innings the fog started rolling off Lake Erie into the Stadium. Ray Chapman
was at bat and the "Big Train's" sidearm pitches were becoming faintly visible to
the batter. Chapman brought this to the attention of the Umpire, but the Ump re-
fused to stop the game. Understandably, Chapman was feared of getting struck by
one of those rising sidearm fast balls from Johnson which Ray no longer could see.

Walter Johnson sensed Chapman's concern and approached the Ump and told him
that it was to dangerous for him to continue pitching. With that, the Umpire did
stop the game.

The pitcher that threw the ball that struck Ray Chapman was Carl Mays.
He too, was a powerful sidearm pitcher like Johnson.