Was there ever a baseball player named Chapman, and if so did he hit a homer?

[Leo_Bloom]

It is one of Nabokov’s best quickies, when a character glances at a newspaper headline (I believe it was in Pale Fire) and he enjoys the moment:

On Chapman’s Homer: 24. On first looking into Chapman’s Homer - Collection at Bartleby.com

I always thought that was too good to be true, but you never know…could somebody here who knows how to handle the records check for me?

Thanks.

Also, I can’t help adding, particularly since I just mentioned in GQ (hey, it should have gone here!) Bertie Wooster’s records for sitting high-jump when alarmed: he is also prone to gawking “with wild surmise” at people (see cite) under similar circumstances.

[running_coach]

Not baseball.

“On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet John Keats (1795–1821) in October 1816. It tells of the author’s astonishment while reading the works of the ancient Greek poet Homer as freely translated by the Elizabethan playwright George Chapman.

Reported for forum change.

[Bullitt]

Yes there was, and yes at least one of them did. baseball-reference.com is your friend. Throughout MLB history there have been 19 MLB players named Chapman. I looked at one of them, a Kelvin Chapman, and in 1984 he hit 3 HRs with the NY Mets.

Search Results | Baseball-Reference.com

[running_coach]

@Bullitt

Yes there was, and yes at least one of them did. baseball-reference.com is your friend. Throughout MLB history there have been 19 MLB players named Chapman. I looked at one of them, a Kelvin Chapman, and in 1984 he hit 3 HRs with the NY Mets.

Search Results | Baseball-Reference.com

Ray Chapman certainly did.
Played in the deadball era (1912-1920), hit 17 HRs lifetime.
Only player to be killed during a game. Fastball to the head from Carl May.

[Peremensoe]

I think this is the link the thread is looking for.

[wonky]

@running_coach

Not baseball.
Reported for forum change.

Yes, baseball. Nabokov was referring to a sports headline (that may or may not have been fictional) that used the phrase such and such team wins “on Chapman’s Homer.” The OP is asking if there was likely to have been such a headline.

[Colibri]

@jsgoddess

Yes, baseball. Nabokov was referring to a sports headline (that may or may not have been fictional) that used the phrase such and such team wins “on Chapman’s Homer.” The OP is asking if there was likely to have been such a headline.

Per Peremensoe’s link, the Nabokov quote was:

A curio: Red Sox Beat Yanks 5-4
On Chapman’s Homer, thumbtacked to the door

The only player named Chapman to play for the Red Sox before Nabokov’s work was published was Ben Chapman, and he never hit a homer to win a game against the Yankees 5-4. He hit one against them, but it only tied the game in the second inning, and the Red Sox went on to win 8-4. So while there are elements of truth to it, the actual headline was fictional.

[BigT]

@Colibri

Per Peremensoe’s link, the Nabokov quote was:

The only player named Chapman to play for the Red Sox before Nabokov’s work was published was Ben Chapman, and he never hit a homer to win a game against the Yankees 5-4. He hit one against them, but it only tied the game in the second inning, and the Red Sox went on to win 8-4. So while there are elements of truth to it, the actual headline was fictional.

Either that or he had one heck of a thumbtack, and hung the book (and the headline) on the door.

[Tom_Tildrum]

@running_coach

Not baseball.
Reported for forum change.

You might also be interested in “Aristotle Contemplating A Bust Of Homer.”

[ElvisL1ves]

When Mr. Onassis was looking at the former home of Buster Keaton in Hollywood, the NY Daily News captioned the story as “Aristotle contemplating the home of Buster”.

[denquixote]

@running_coach

Ray Chapman certainly did.
Played in the deadball era (1912-1920), hit 17 HRs lifetime.
Only player to be killed during a game. Fastball to the head from Carl May.

Carl Mays threw the deadly pitch and it might have kept him out of the Hall of Fame.