Still widely remembered as the finest center fielder to ever
play baseball, Tris Speaker
was as dangerous a hitter as he was a fielder. Inducted in the Baseball Hall of
Fame on their second-ever ballot in 1937, he nearly missed seeing that
tremendous honor because of a near-fatal flower box accident he suffered that
year.
Playing for four major league teams over 22 years
(1907-1928), Speaker hit a combined .345 (sixth all time) with 792 doubles
(first all time), 106 home runs, 1,531 RBIs and 436 stolen bases. He also
developed a reputation as a lockdown defender who helped revolutionize how
center fielders could control the field. Fortunately, he narrowly avoided
meeting an early end that would have rewritten the final chapter of his iconic
life.
By 1937, Speaker was nearly a decade removed from playing
his final major league game. He held other jobs both within and outside of
baseball but had largely settled into a life of capitalizing on the fame he had
gained as a player (coaching, announcing, public speaking, etc…). In April of
that year, just days after his 49th birthday, he was doing home
repairs when he suffered an accident that nearly killed him.
It was reported
that Speaker was at his Cleveland home and working on some flower boxes for his
wife outside of the second story of the structure when a porch railing he was
leaning on broke away and he fell some 16 feet to a walkway below that was
lined with jagged cobblestones. He suffered
a fractured skull, a broken arm and facial lacerations in the fall. He required
100 stitches to close a wound that extended from his eye down his neck. Many
initially wondered if he would make it. His doctor, E.B. Castle, was cautiously
optimistic, announcing
“His condition is critical but I think he’ll make it. He has taken care of
himself and is strong.”
Supporting Speaker’s reputation as a tough athlete, it was
also reported
that after falling he got to his feet and walked to a nearby lawn chair,
initially refusing any assistance. However, once it became apparent how hurt he
was, he was carried to an ambulance despite his continued vigorous objections.
The shock over Speaker’s accident made many recall
his former teammate, Ray Chapman,
who had been killed in 1920 when struck by a pitched ball during a game. Also
suffering a fractured skull, his tragic death was all many could think about as
the former outfielder recuperated in the hospital, with much of the public
knowing nothing other than what serious condition he was in.
Baseball luminaries across the country reached
out to Speaker and his wife during his hospital stay. Boston Red Sox owner
Tom Yawkey offered to fly into Cleveland even if it was just to “stay five
minutes if it would cheer [him].” Messages and telegrams flooded in, including
one from the Philadelphia Athletics’ venerable old manager (and Speakers final
major league skipper) Connie Mack.
After about a month of bed rest, Speaker was able to get out
of the hospital and back to his life. He lived for over another 20 years, passing
away in 1958 at the age of 70. He remains one of baseball’s most toughest
players of all time; a trait that served him well in his nasty dustup with a
flower box and a walkway.
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