Chapman died of a concussion after he was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Yankees pitcher Carl Mays, and died 12 hours later. He remains the only Major League Baseball player to have died from an injury received during an MLB game.

Mays never seemed to show remorse, and bemoaned the fact, in subsequent years, that he was only remembered for that one pitch.

His death led to Major League Baseball establishing a rule requiring umpires to replace the ball whenever it became dirty, and it was partially the reason the spitball was banned after the 1920 season.

Chapman's death was also one of the examples used to emphasize the need for wearing batting helmets (although the rule was not adopted until over 30 years later).

Chappy's batting average was .303 when he died. He had led the team in stolen bases 4 times and was considered an excellent bunter, setting a team record for sacrifices not surpassed until 1980. He was one of the few players Ty Cobb considered a friend.

He was considering making 1920 his last season. He had recently married and planned on going into business with his father-in-law.

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