Doc Powers
Encyclopedia
Michael Riley "Doc" Powers (September 22, 1870 – April 26, 1909) was an American
Major League Baseball
player who caught
for four different teams from to . 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.
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. 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.
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
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player who caught
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for four different teams from to . He played for the Louisville Colonels
Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891, first as the Louisville Eclipse and later as the Louisville Colonels , the latter name derived from the historic Kentucky colonels...
and Washington Senators
Washington Senators (1891-1899)
The Washington Senators were a 19th century baseball team. The team was also known as the Washington Statesmen and the Washington Nationals. The team played at Boundary Field....
of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
, and the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
and New York Highlanders
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
. He played college baseball at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in 1897 and 1898. Powers' nickname was derived from the fact that he was a licensed physician as well as a ballplayer.
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
Foul ball
In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that:* Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or* Bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or...
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. The only other player to die from an on-field incident was Ray Chapman
Ray Chapman
Raymond Johnson Chapman was an American baseball player, spending his entire career as a shortstop for Cleveland....
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
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
arising from post-surgery infections.
His injury may have served as the inspiration for that suffered by "Bump" Bailey, a minor character in Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud was an author of novels and short stories. Along with Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, he was one of the great American Jewish authors of the 20th century. His baseball novel, The Natural, was adapted into a 1984 film starring Robert Redford...
's novel The Natural
The Natural
The Natural is a 1952 novel about baseball written by Bernard Malamud. The book follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked when he is shot by a woman who seeks to kill arrogant athletes to "better the world"...
, as well as its subsequent film adaptation
The Natural (film)
The Natural is a 1984 film adaptation of Bernard Malamud's 1952 baseball novel of the same name, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close and Robert Duvall...
.