Talk:List of baseball players who died during their careers

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Contradictory[edit]

The lead states that this is a list of people who died during a game of baseball. But then it lists the two centenarians, who died of old age. If this is a list of people who died in baseball, the two centenarians should be removed. If it is a list of people who died associated with the sport, then it should include Thurman Munson, who was at least active when he died; and it can possibly cover every retired baseball player who died of old age, such as Catfish Hunter. - Boneyard90 (talk) 15:51, 21 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

  • The lead sentence defines the scope of the list as "list of deaths associated with the sport of baseball". The following clause about deaths during a game is an example, not an exhaustive list of possibilities. I shall expand the lead to make this clearer. Note that this scope comes from sources such as The Cultural Enyclopedia of Baseball which considers a variety of exceptional deaths of players, not just those which occurred during a game. Warden (talk) 23:17, 21 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

"Incomplete" is putting it mildly[edit]

I didn't know that it had been decided by AfD that List of sportspeople who died during their careers should become an index for each individual sport list. We need to expand this page. Below is the content from the aforementioned page:

Baseball players/umpires who died during their careers

Major League Baseball[edit]

Players/umpires with an asterisk (*) are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Minor-league players are listed with their major-league affiliations.

Player Age Position Team Cause of death Year
Nick Adenhart 22 P Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim car accident 2009
Harry Agganis 26 1B Boston Red Sox pulmonary embolism 1955
Steve Bechler 23 P Baltimore Orioles complications from misuse of Ephedra 2003
Wally Bell 48 Umpire Major League Baseball heart attack 2013
Marty Bergen 28 C Boston Beaneaters suicide after murdering his family 1900
Bill Blair 26 P Chicago Cubs influenza 1890
Tony Boeckel 31 3B Boston Braves car crash 1924
Walt Bond 29 OF Minnesota Twins leukemia 1967
Tiny Bonham 36 P Pittsburgh Pirates appendicitis 1949
Lyman Bostock 27 OF California Angels homicide 1978
Nick Bremigan 43 Umpire American League heart attack 1989
Hal Carlson 38 P Chicago Cubs stomach hemorrhage 1930
Ray Chapman 29 SS Cleveland Indians hit by pitch in game 1920
Larry Chappell 27 OF Boston Braves 1918 flu pandemic 1918
Néstor Chávez 21 P San Francisco Giants plane crash 1969
Roberto Clemente* 38 RF Pittsburgh Pirates plane crash 1972
Brian Cole 22 OF New York Mets car accident 2001[1]
Leonard "King" Cole 29 P New York Yankees tuberculosis 1916
Mike Coolbaugh 35 Coach Colorado Rockies hit by line drive while coaching first base during a game 2007
Tim Crews 31 RP Cleveland Indians boat accident that killed teammate Steve Olin and injured teammate Bobby Ojeda 1993
Amos Cross 28 C Louisville Colonels tuberculosis[2] 1888
Jay Dahl 19 P Houston Colt .45s car accident 1965
Mike Darr 25 OF San Diego Padres car accident 2002
Jake Daubert 40 1B Cincinnati Reds appendicitis 1924
Ed Delahanty* 35 OF Washington Senators swept over Niagara Falls 1903
Joe DeSa 27 1B Chicago White Sox car accident 1986
Lou DiMuro 51 Umpire American League struck by automobile after working game in Arlington, Texas 1982
John Dodge 27 3B Cincinnati Reds hit by pitch during game 1916
Cozy Dolan 34 OF Boston Braves typhoid fever 1907
Alfredo Edmead 18 RF Pittsburgh Pirates on-field collision with teammate 1974[3][4]
Paul Edmondson 27 P Chicago White Sox car accident 1970
Mario Encarnación 30 OF Macoto Cobras unknown causes 2005
Charlie Ferguson 25 P Philadelphia Phillies typhoid fever 1888
Jim Fogarty 27 OF Philadelphia Phillies tuberculosis 1891
Danny Frisella 30 P Milwaukee Brewers dune buggy accident 1977
Miguel Fuentes 23 P Seattle Pilots murdered in a bar in Loíza Aldea, Puerto Rico 1970
Tom Gastall 24 C Baltimore Orioles plane crash 1956
Elmer Gedeon 27 OF Washington Senators killed in World War II 1944
Lou Gehrig* 37 1B New York Yankees Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (diagnosed in 1939, ending his career) 1941
Geremi González 33 P Milwaukee Brewers lightning strike 2008
Eddie Grant 35 2B New York Giants killed in World War I 1918
Marc Hall 27 P Detroit Tigers diabetes 1915
Greg Halman 24 OF Seattle Mariners homicide, killed by his brother[5] 2011
Josh Hancock 29 P St. Louis Cardinals car accident 2007
Willard Hershberger 30 C Cincinnati Reds suicide 1940
Ken Hubbs 22 2B Chicago Cubs plane crash 1964
Addie Joss* 31 P Cleveland Indians meningitis 1911
Joe Kennedy 28 P Toronto Blue Jays hypertensive heart disease 2007
Darryl Kile 33 P St. Louis Cardinals heart defect 2002
Len Koenecke 31 OF Brooklyn Dodgers killed in fight 1935
Jim Korwan 25 P Chicago Colts tuberculosis 1899
Walter Lerian 26 C Philadelphia Phillies car accident 1929
Cory Lidle 34 P New York Yankees plane crash 2006
Pat Luby 30 P Louisville Colonels tuberculosis 1899
Steve Macko 27 IF Chicago Cubs cancer 1981
Dan McGann 39 1B New York Giants suicide 1910
Austin McHenry 27 OF St. Louis Cardinals brain tumor 1922
Doc McJames 27 P Brooklyn Superbas tuberculosis, complicated by injuries sustained when he was struck by a runaway carriage 1901
John McSherry 51 Umpire National League heart attack during Cincinnati Reds Opening Day game vs. Montreal Expos 1996
Mike Miley 23 SS California Angels car accident 1977
Doug Million 21 P Colorado Rockies asthma attack 1997
Bob Moose 29 P Pittsburgh Pirates car accident 1976
Donnie Moore 35 P California Angels suicide 1989
Ed Morris 32 P Boston Red Sox stabbed to death in a tavern in Century, Florida 1932
Thurman Munson 32 C New York Yankees plane crash 1979
Tom O'Brien 27 OF Pittsburgh Pirates pneumonia 1901
Steve Olin 27 P Cleveland Indians boat accident that killed teammate Tim Crews and injured teammate Bobby Ojeda 1993
Harry O'Neill 27 C Philadelphia Athletics killed in World War II 1945
José Oliva 26 3B St. Louis Cardinals car accident in the Dominican Republic 1997
Jiggs Parrott 26 3B Chicago Colts tuberculosis 1898
Charlie Peete 27 OF St. Louis Cardinals plane crash 1956
Gus Polidor 33 Infielder Montreal Expos murdered during robbery 1995
Doc Powers 38 C Philadelphia Athletics gangrene 1909
Jim Ritz 22 3B Pittsburgh Pirates typhoid fever 1896
Jim Rogers 27 1B Louisville Colonels 1900
Chico Ruiz 32 utility infielder California Angels car accident 1972
Jimmy Sebring 27 RF Washington Senators Bright's disease 1909
Ralph Sharman 23 OF Philadelphia Athletics drowning 1918
Mike Sharperson 34 IF San Diego Padres car accident 1996
Urban Shocker 38 P New York Yankees pneumonia 1928
Len Sowders 27 OF Baltimore Orioles 1888
Chick Stahl 34 OF Boston Red Sox suicide 1907
Dernell Stenson 25 OF Cincinnati Reds murdered during robbery 2003
Alan Storke 25 infielder Cincinnati Reds general streptococcus due to empyema 1910[6]
Oscar Taveras 22 OF St. Louis Cardinals car accident 2014
Jack Taylor 26 P Cincinnati Reds nephritis 1900
Al Thake 22 OF Brooklyn Atlantics drowned while fishing 1872
Danny Thompson 29 IF Texas Rangers leukemia 1976
Jim Umbricht 33 P Houston Colt .45's malignant melanoma 1964
Dick Wantz 25 P California Angels inoperable brain tumor 1965
Lee Weyer 51 Umpire National League heart attack 1988
Don Wilson 29 P Houston Astros carbon monoxide poisoning 1975[7]
Cliff Young 29 P Cleveland Indians car accident 1993
Ross Youngs* 30 OF New York Giants Bright's Disease 1927

† José Oliva started a game at third base for the Atlanta Braves on May 16, 1995. In the seventh inning, he was substituted for by Mike Sharperson.[8] Both Oliva and Sharperson subsequently died in car accidents, within a year and a half of each other.

Negro League Baseball[edit]

Player Age Position Team Cause of death Year
Josh Gibson* 35 C Homestead Grays brain tumor and stroke 1947
Pythias Russ 26 C Chicago American Giants tuberculosis 1930
Chino Smith 28 OF Lincoln Giants yellow fever 1932

Dutch League Baseball[edit]

Player Age Position Team Cause of death Year
Hartog Hamburger 37 infielder OVVO hit by line drive ball on head 1924

References

  1. ^ "The Best Player You Never Saw". Sports Illustrated. 2013-04-01. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
  2. ^ Egan, James M. Base Ball on the Western Reserve: The Early Game in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, Year by Year and Town by Town, 1865-1900, McFarland, 2008, p. 162.
  3. ^ "Gammons: Take heed the Edmead incident". MLB.com. 2010-08-08. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
  4. ^ "Scorecard: A Sad Loss". Sports Illustrated. 1974-09-02. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
  5. ^ (in Dutch) Honkballer Halman omgekomen bij steekpartij
  6. ^ "Alan Storke Dies Suddenly". The New York Times. 1910-03-19. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  7. ^ "Wilson of Astros Is Found Dead". The New York Times. 1975-01-06. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  8. ^ Retrosheet. "Atlanta Braves 15, Colorado Rockies 3, May 16, 1995". Retrieved 27 January 2014.

Additions[edit]

Here are some suggestions of players who could/should be added to the list: John Ake, Francisco Barrios, Cy Bentley, Cy Blanton, Andujar Cedeno, Tiny Chaplin, George Craig and Woody Crowson. Alex (talk) 12:50, 6 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Tommy Hanson[edit]

Tommy Hanson was not an active player when he died. Leggomygreggo8 (talk) 16:06, 23 November 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It's an interesting case. He was technically still 'active,' just without a team at the time of his death. He belongs on this list, but I don't think putting his team as the Giants is accurate. Alex (talk) 13:20, 3 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

"Over 100"[edit]

Causes of deaths during a player's career include the aftermath of beanball. Being struck on the head by a ball was the most common cause of death before batting helmets were introduced to prevent this. Over a hundred batters have been killed in this way

This statement needs to be clarified. In all my time studying baseball, I had only heard of one player, Ray Chapman, who was killed after being struck with a pitch. Indeed, Chapman's wikipedia entry states, "He remains the only Major League Baseball player to have died from an injury received at a major league baseball game."

It appears there was another major league player, John Dodge who was killed after being struck in a MINOR LEAGUE game. These are the only two players listed here to be killed by a pitch.

George Prentiss should be added to the list. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.42.208.183 (talk) 16:55, 26 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Bo Diaz[edit]

Bo Diaz is included in this list, but his wikipedia article says that he retired in July 1989 - over a year before his death. Echoedmyron (talk) 21:30, 5 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Issues with article.[edit]

1. Should those whose rows have no references be considered undocumented? Should all tables have a reference column?

2. What's the difference between a "car crash" and a "car accident"?

3. Should suicides be clarified with causes like homicides?

4. In the second table, why are the last teams for Gonzalez and Webb listed as Free Agency? Since each had not played since his release from his MLB team, were they technically even in baseball?

5. Has there been only one recorded college baseball player's death? Steve Georgiadis was a pitcher at the University of Florida in 1990 and died during the season following complications from shoulder surgery. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-03-18-9003184061-story.html 2600:8807:C885:B600:E4F4:3C50:5605:70F3 (talk) 21:22, 16 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]


6. If you sort the primary table by cause of death, there's an inconsistent link policy. For example, there's first use linkage for car crash and suicide, but full linkage to tuberculosis and typhoid fever.

Gprobins (talk) 17:45, 2 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Agree about Gonzales and Webb, both of whom died nearly two years after they had last played professionally, and about a year or so after they had been released from their clubs. I see no evidence that they died during their careers. Will wait to see if anyone has objections, but plan to make the change in the next few days. 70.31.124.93 (talk) 05:42, 2 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Nick Adenhart[edit]

The article says that Adenhart died in an automobile accident, but the driver of the other vehicle was convicted of murder. Shouldn't Adenhart be called a murder victim?

Lou Gehrig[edit]

Should Lou Gehrig been included on this list? I know he retired before he died but his illnesses ended his career abrutly in 1941 as it wasn't the ending he planned, and he died from these same illnesses just two years later in 1943. And then there is this famous speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNLKPaThYkE DoctorHver (talk) 22:40, 12 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

No he shouldn't. Gehrig had been out of baseball for two years....William, is the complaint department really on the roof? 23:01, 12 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Stan Bell[edit]

May have missed it, but Stan Bell was another. I don't think there is an article on him. A most tragic story.

https://www.facebook.com/JeffHullinger11Alive/posts/384452563267327

https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/21/archives/stan-bell-of-the-braves-dies-after-auto-crash.html

BillVol (talk) 13:25, 8 October 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Should Slim Jones be included on this list?[edit]

He died in the 1938-39 offseason, and his SABR bio says that his career "appeared to be at an end" after 1938, but also that he may have solicited an advance on his salary for 1939. Is there a rule for cases like this? Hatman31 (talk) 17:46, 24 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]