Hit By Pitch

August 16, 1920 is a day that would go down in baseball infamy. Late that afternoon at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan, Cleveland Indians' shortstop Ray Chapman stepped into the batter’s box for what would be the very last time in his life. And no, he wasn't retiring from baseball.

During the at bat, Chapman squared up, ready to bunt, but New York Yankees' pitcher Carl Mays threw a submariner that got away. The ball struck Chapman right on the temple, with the resulting hit being so loud that Mays actually fielded the ball and threw to first, thinking that perhaps Chapman had made contact with his bat.

In fact, Chapman never regained consciousness and died next day, the only major-league player ever to have suffered fatal injuries in a game.