Historical Perspective

On 27 June 2001, Brendan Grant was playing summer baseball for the Belmont Senior Babe Ruth Baseball Team on the Belmont High School Varsity Field, in Belmont Massachusetts. While attempting to catch a routine fly ball from his position as left fielder, Brendan collided with the center fielder, and sustained fatal injuries from the resulting collision.

In the sport of baseball, this event appears to be a very rare occurrence. Research into the archives of baseball on this matter is on-going. At this time, information has been located on 20 other individuals who appear to have died as a direct result of an accident while preparing or participating in a game of organized baseball.

Most of the accidents (16 out of 21) have been the result of being hit by the baseball, and only one appears to have resulted from a collision between teammates (Alfredo Edmead in 1974). The details of this particular event involving Edmead are unknown at this time, and further clarification is still being sought (i.e., whether this involved a base path collision, a collision of infielders, a collision of outfielders, etc).

The information tabulated below includes only individuals who were participating in the preparation or playing of a baseball game in an organized league, and who died as a direct result of the accident. This includes anyone actively involved on the field of play such as players, umpires, bat boys, etc, and does not include non-participants such as spectators, groundskeepers, etc. Furthermore, this only includes accidental deaths during a game or pre-game, and does not include acts of intentional violence (e.g., fights, riots, murders, suicides, etc). Individuals are not included who were injured and returned to play baseball, or who returned to normal life in some capacity, but subsequently died of complications due to an earlier injury.

This information has been compiled primarily through  the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) and The Deadball Era. Information is also being investigated with the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, which indicates that during the period of 1982 to 2000 there were 8 high school and 2 college related baseball fatalities.  The details of these particular events are still being researched.  If you have information that could assist, please send it to us at the email identified through the "Foundation Information" section (under "contact us") of this website.

The following table summarizes the accidental baseball player fatalities known at this time.  This is a listing of baseball notables who were fatally injured while preparing or playing the game of baseball as part of an organized league.

SUMMARY OF ACCIDENTAL BASEBALL PLAYER FATALITIES
Last Updated 19 September 2004 

     Year Name Age Team League Description
1 1862 James Creighton, Jr. 21            Ruptured bladder caused by swinging at a pitch, died 18 Oct 1862
2 1906 Thomas F. Burke   Lynn (MA) New England League Fractured skull when beaned by Fall River pitcher Joe Yeager
3 1906 Herbert Whitley   Burlington Pathfinders Iowa State League Fractured skull when beaned by Waterloo pitcher Fred Evans
4 1909 Charles Pinkney 22 Dayton (OH)   Killed by a pitched ball while playing in September
5 1909 Charles Tenhuy   Dayton (OH) Central League Fractured skull when beaned by pitcher Hagerman of Grand Rapids on Sept 24th
6 1910 Philip Forney     Western Association As an umpire, hit over the left eye (died or was paralyized?)
7 1911 Ed Cermak 29   Cotton States League As an umpire, hit in the throat by a baseball
8 1916 John Dodge 27     Hit by a pitched ball while playing in the Minor leagues, died 19 June 1916
9 1920 Ray Chapman 29 Cleveland American League Hit in the head by a pitch from Yankees pitcher Carl Mays, died 17 Aug 1920
10 1920 Carl Jager   Plainwell (MI)   As an amateur player, hit in the head by a pitch, died same day as Ray Chapman (17 Aug 1920)
11 1923 Jim Scoggins 32     Brain injury after being hit in the head by a baseball
12 1936 George Tkach   Superior Northern League Hit by a pitch
13 1938 Linus (Skeeter) Ebnet 23 Winnipeg Northern League Injuries from a beaning
14 1947 James (Stormy) Davis 20 Ballinger Longhorne League Injuries from a beaning (hemorrhage) on 3 July 1947. Died 7 days later
15 1951 Richard J. Conway 19 Twin Falls Pioneer Club Struck over the heart by a thrown ball during pre-game practice
16 1951 Ottis Johnson 24 Dothan Alabama-Florida Injuries from a skull fracture after being beaned by Headland pitcher Jack Clifton
17 1951 Andy Strong 23 Crowley Evangeline League Struck by a bolt of lightning during a game at Alexandria, La
18 1964 Gerald Highfill 13 Wenatchee Northern League As a batboy, hit by a line drive in pre-game practice
19 1974 Alfredo Francisco Edmead 18 Salem (NC) Carolina League Injuries from a collision with a teammate
20 2001 Brendan Peter Anthony Grant 18 Belmont (MA) Middlesex Division Babe Ruth League In a Senior Babe Ruth game, fatally injured in outfield collision with teammate
21 2003 Brandon Patch 18 Helena, Montana Class AA Legion Injury to the head after being hit by pitch while pitching.  See www.forever11.com