List of baseball players who died during their careers
This is a list of baseball players who died during their careers. These deaths occurred during a game, due to illness, acts of violence, or as a result of accidents.
Repeated studies have shown that Major League Baseball players have a greater life expectancy than males in the general US population — about five years more, on average. This is attributed to their superior fitness. The longer the active career, the longer the player lives, on average. This correlation is attributed to the maintenance of fitness and increased wealth.[1]
Deaths of active players
This is a list of notable deaths in baseball and untimely deaths of active professional baseball players.
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
Major League Baseball
Minor league players are listed with their major league affiliate team. Minor league players who never appeared in a major league game are listed in italics.
Former players of Major League Baseball still active in professional baseball at the time of their death.
Player | Age | Position | Last MLB Season | Last MLB Team | Last Team | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cedeño, AndújarAndújar Cedeño | 31 | Shortstop | 1996 | Houston Astros | Azucareros del Este | car accident | 2000 | |
del Toro, MiguelMiguel del Toro | 29 | Pitcher | 2000 | San Francisco Giants | Seibu Lions | car accident | 2001 | |
DeSa, JoeJoe DeSa | 27 | First baseman | 1985 | Chicago White Sox | Ponce Lions | car accident | 1986 | |
Encarnación, MarioMario Encarnación | 30 | Outfielder | 2002 | Chicago Cubs | Macoto Cobras | congenital disorder | 2005 | |
García, RosmanRosman García | 32 | Pitcher | 2004 | Texas Rangers | Tigres de Aragua | car accident | 2011 | |
González, GeremiGeremi González | 33 | Pitcher | 2006 | Milwaukee Brewers | Yomiuri Giants | lightning strike | 2008 | [22] |
LeRoy, JohnJohn LeRoy | 26 | Pitcher | 1997 | Atlanta Braves | Sioux City Explorers | heart attack and brain aneurysm | 2001 | |
Lima, JoséJosé Lima | 37 | Pitcher | 2006 | New York Mets | Aguilas Cibaenas | heart attack | 2010 | |
Oliva, JoséJosé Oliva | 26 | Third baseman | 1995 | St. Louis Cardinals | Brother Elephants | car accident | 1997 | |
Negro League Baseball
Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gibson, JoshJosh Gibson | 35 | Catcher | Homestead Grays | brain tumor and stroke | 1947 |
Russ, PythiasPythias Russ | 26 | Catcher | Chicago American Giants | tuberculosis | 1930 |
Smith, ChinoChino Smith | 28 | Outfielder | Lincoln Giants | yellow fever | 1932 |
Warfield, FrankFrank Warfield | 35 | Second baseman/manager | Washington Pilots | heart attack | 1932 |
Williams, CharlieCharlie Williams | 27 | Shortstop | Chicago American Giants | ptomaine poisoning | 1931 |
Dutch League Baseball
Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hamburger, HartogHartog Hamburger | 37 | Infielder | OVVO | hit by line drive ball on head | 1924 |
College baseball
Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Everett, DonnyDonny Everett | 19 | Pitcher | Vanderbilt | drowned | 2016 |
See also
References
- ↑ Saint Onge, Rogers & Krueger 2008.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Dittmeier, Bobbie (November 21, 2011). "Tragic deaths of Major Leaguers". MLB.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ↑ Murphy, Jarrett (February 17, 2003). "Ephedra Tied To Pitcher's Death". CBS News. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- ↑ Arcidiacono, David. Major League Baseball in Gilded Age Connecticut: The Rise and Fall of the Middletown, New Haven and Hartford Clubs, McFarland, 2009, p. 195. ISBN 0786436778
- ↑ Pearlman, Jeff. "Fifth and Jackson". espn.go.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ↑ "The Best Player You Never Saw". Sports Illustrated. April 1, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Gammons: Take heed the Edmead incident". MLB.com. August 8, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ↑ "Scorecard: A Sad Loss". Sports Illustrated. September 2, 1974. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17632541/miami-marlins-ace-jose-fernandez-dies-boating-accident
- ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/news/marlins-star-jose-fernandez-dies-in-boating-accident-131251128.html
- ↑ (Dutch) Honkballer Halman omgekomen bij steekpartij
- ↑ Bowman, Mark (November 11, 2015). "Former Braves, Angels pitcher Hanson dies at 29". MLB.com. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ↑ Russo, Frank. The Cooperstown Chronicles: Baseball's Colorful Characters, Unusual Lives, and Strange Demises, Rowman & Littlefield, 2014, p. 91. ISBN 144223640X
- ↑ Hershberger, Richard. "SABR Baseball Biography Project – Tom Miller", SABR.org, November 17, 2011.
- ↑ Nightengale, Bob (May 27, 1996). "Sharperson, Former Dodger, Dies in Crash". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- ↑ "Alan Storke Dies Suddenly". The New York Times. March 19, 1910. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ↑ "Sy Sutcliffe". SABR.org. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- ↑ Brown, David (July 20, 2015). "Life Without Oscar". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- ↑ Batesel, Paul. Players and Teams of the National Association, 1871–1875, McFarland, 2012, p. 131. ISBN 0786490764
- ↑ "Wilson of Astros Is Found Dead". The New York Times. January 6, 1975. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ↑ "Former MLB pitcher Gonzalez killed by lightning strike". ESPN.com. May 26, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
Sources
- Abrunzo, Thomas (1991), "Commotio Cordis: The Single, Most Common Cause of Traumatic Death in Youth Baseball", American Journal of Diseases of Children, 145 (11): 1279–1282, doi:10.1001/archpedi.1991.02160110071023, PMID 1951221
- Gorman, Robert; Weeks, David (2009), Death at the Ballpark: A Comprehensive Study of Game-related Fatalities of Players, Other Personnel and Spectators in Amateur and Professional Baseball, 1862–2007, McFarland, ISBN 9780786452545
- Lawless, Molly (2012), Hit by Pitch: Ray Chapman, Carl Mays and the Fatal Fastball, McFarland, ISBN 9780786484843
- Lennox, Doug (2010), Now You Know Baseball, Dundurn, ISBN 9781770705883
- Light, Jonathan (2005), "Deaths", The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, pp. 246–250, ISBN 0-7864-2087-1
- Saint Onge, Jarron; Rogers, Richard; Krueger, Patrick (July 17, 2008), "Major League Baseball Players' Life Expectancies", Social Science Quarterly, 89 (3): 817–830, doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2008.00562.x, PMC 2743321, PMID 19756205
Further reading
- Lee, Bill (2009), Baseball Necrology, McFarland, ISBN 978-0786442393
- Bedingfield, Gary (2009), Baseball's Dead of World War II, ISBN 978-0786444540
- Baltov, Victor (2010), "Jaws (There is a Shark in the Water)", Baseball Is America, AuthorHouse, pp. 253–276, ISBN 9781452004884