100 Years Ago Today: Ray Chapman/Carl Mays

[jerseygary]

August 16 is the 100th anniversary of the infamous "Pitch that Killed" when Indians star Ray Chapman took a Carl Mays fastball to his temple, causing a skull fracture that led to his death the following day. Besides being the sole play-induced fatality in MLB history, Chapman's death led to several rule changes including the banning of trick pitches and a more frequent replacement of dirty and scuffed baseballs by the umpires.

I wrote a piece on Carl Mays whose career was so much more than the one unfortunate pitch that he is known for today. In a 15 year career, Mays was accused of trying to throw a World Series and was one of the most despised ballplayers of the 1920s. He also posted five seasons of 20 or more wins, retired with an ERA under 3.00 and has a better record than many pitchers with a plaque hanging in Cooperstown.

You can read the story HERE

Let's see some Carl Mays and Ray Chapman cards - and i think I recall one of the members here actually had a scorecard from the August 16, 1920 game...