Doc Powers

Doc Powers
Catcher
Born: September 22, 1870(1870-09-22) Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Died: April 26, 1909(1909-04-26) (aged 38) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 12, 1898 for the Louisville Colonels
Last MLB appearance
April 12, 1909 for the Philadelphia Athletics
Career statistics
AVG	.216
HR	4
RBI	199
Teams
Louisville Colonels (1898–1899) Washington Senators (1899) Philadelphia Athletics (1901–1905) New York Highlanders (1905) Philadelphia Athletics (1905–1909)

Michael Riley "Doc" Powers (September 22, 1870 – April 26, 1909) was an American Major League Baseball player who caught for four different teams from 1898 to 1909. He played for the Louisville Colonels and Washington Senators of the National League, and the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Highlanders of the American League. He played college baseball at the University of Notre Dame in 1897 and 1898. Powers' nickname was derived from the fact that he was a licensed physician as well as a ballplayer.^[1]

On April 12, 1909, Powers was injured during the first game played in Philadelphia's Shibe Park, crashing into a wall while chasing a foul pop-up. He sustained internal injuries from the collision and died two weeks later from complications from three intestinal surgeries, becoming the first Major Leaguer to suffer a fatal on-field injury.^[2] The only other player to die from an on-field incident was Ray Chapman in 1920. Powers himself said that he had become ill as a result of eating a cheese sandwich before the game. The immediate cause of death was peritonitis arising from post-surgery infections.^[3]

His injury may have served as the inspiration for that suffered by "Bump" Bailey, a minor character in Bernard Malamud's novel The Natural, as well as its subsequent film adaptation.

See also

• Mike Coolbaugh

References

1. ^ Stew Thornley, Land of the Giants: New York's Polo Grounds (Temple University Press, 2000), p75
2. ^ Merron, Jeff (June 22, 2002). "Major Leaguers Who Died In-Season". espn.com
3. ^ Thornley, p75

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Persondata
Name	Powers, Mike
Alternative names
Short description	American baseball player
Date of birth	September 22, 1870
Place of birth	Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Date of death	April 26, 1909
Place of death	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania