This day in baseball: Carl Mays beans Tris Speaker
Posted: May 20, 2019 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Carl Mays, Cleveland Indians, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, Ray Chapman, sports, Tris Speaker 2 CommentsOn May 20, 1918, Indians outfielder Tris Speaker was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Red Sox hurler Carl Mays. A right-handed submarine pitcher, Mays denied Speaker’s allegation that the beanball pitch was intentional. Mays pitched a complete game, winning 11-1 that day. The beanball would prove a precursor to the pitch that would kill Ray Chapman two years later.
Carl Mays (SABR)
Yikes. I’ve heard this story before, but never with the afterward about the deadly beanball.
Yeah, it’s a bit terrifying to think about.
If you’re interested, you can read that story here: https://archivedinnings.com/2013/08/17/this-day-in-baseball-death-by-pitch/