Cleveland author’s book profiles the Toledo Mud Hen
It was the top of the fifth inning when Ray Chapman settled his 5-foot-10 frame into the batter’s box at the Polo Grounds in New York City.
The Yankees’ pitcher that day was right-hander Carl Mays, an infamous “headhunter” who was known for intentionally throwing at opposing hitters. Chapman, nearing the end of his career as the shortstop for the Cleveland Indians, knew this.
Chapman was not wearing a batting helmet. None of the players wore helmets back then. The day was Aug. 16, 1920. Less than 12 hours later, the 29-year-old Chapman, known for his speed and rifle arm, would die from a depressed skull fracture.
The fastball Mays threw hit Chapman in the temple with such force that Mays said later he thought the pitch hit the end of Chapman’s bat. Mays simply fielded the ball and threw to first base.
This tragedy has long been a part of baseball lore. To this day, Chapman, the son of a coal miner from Beaver Dam, Ky., is the only player to die in a major league baseball game.
Author Scott Longert, 70, a Cleveland native now living in Beachwood, knew parts of Chapman’s tragic story and chose the topic for his seventh book, Love and Loss: The Short Life of Ray Chapman. The book is 177 pages and was published by Ohio University Press in late August.
“I had this idea maybe three years ago,” Longert said. “I thought about Chapman for a while. Ohio University gave me a contract, and I did the research and we went from there. Chapman wasn’t born in Ohio, but he played in Toledo and played in Cleveland, so there was a good Ohio connection to it.
“Quite a bit about Chapman’s life was a rags to riches story. He played semi-pro ball and played for the Mud Hens for two years. He was considered the best shortstop in the American League.”
Chapman married Katie Daly, whose father, Martin, owned the Cleveland-based East Ohio Gas Company, the largest gas company in the country for many years.
“Katie was a very accomplished woman,” Longert said. “She went to school in Toledo, and her family had a house in the West End. They moved to Cleveland, and that’s where she met Ray. They had the perfect life.
“His father-in-law built them a home as a wedding present, and he was set at the height of his career. Life was great. He served with the Navy in World War I and probably would have gone on to great things. I just wanted to tell this story so people could learn about him and what he was about.”
One of Longert’s other books, Addie Joss: King of Pitchers (1998), profiles Hall of Fame pitcher Addie Joss, who pitched for the Mud Hens from 1900-01 and wrote sports for the old Toledo News-Bee. Joss also went on to play for the Indians.
Thom Ovacek, a commercial producer at WTOL in Toledo, met Longert a few years ago while making a video on Joss. The video includes interviews with Longert and Mud Hens historian and author John Husman.
“The strange similarities are Chapman and Joss both played for two years for the Mud Hens before moving to Cleveland,” Ovacek said. “I work at WTOL and we were looking for something to do for opening day (2021). I did a three-minute video for the news and a 10-minute version.
“It was the 110th anniversary of the passing of Addie Joss (tuberculous meningitis) and I wanted to put a Toledo spin on it. I grew up in Cleveland and loved Cleveland baseball, and Scott was a connection from Toledo and Cleveland. I read his book (on Joss) and decided we should tell this story on the news if possible.”
Longert said Love and Loss covers Chapman’s life from when he was a young boy through the aftermath of his death, and what became of his family, notably Katie and their daughter, Rae.
“People still go to his grave in Cleveland and leave baseballs and gloves,” Longert said.
Whatever happened to Mays, the pitcher who threw the fastball that ended Chapman’s life?
“This did not really affect his career at all,” Longert said. “He came back to pitch five days later and never showed any remorse. That just made his reputation worse and was probably what kept him out of the Hall of Fame.”
Love and Loss: The Short Life of Ray Chapman can be ordered online at ohioswallow.com.
