# Was there ever a baseball player named Chapman, and if so did he hit a homer? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 4, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740 "2016-08-04T14:56:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/1 "2016-08-04T14:56:25Z")
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](http://www.bartleby.com/126/24.html) 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. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/2 "2016-08-04T15:02:04Z")
[Not baseball.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_First_Looking_into_Chapman%27s_Homer) > [@](#): > > “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. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/3 "2016-08-04T15:03:00Z")
Yes there was, and yes at least one of them did. [baseball-reference.com](http://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](https://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?search=Chapman&results=)** > > Sports Reference Search Engine ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/4 "2016-08-04T15:06:22Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Yes there was, and yes at least one of them did. [baseball-reference.com](http://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](http://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?search=Chapman&results=) [Ray Chapman](http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/chapmra01.shtml) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/5 "2016-08-04T17:11:27Z")
I think [this](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/02/sports-legend-revealed-did-vladimir-nabokov-work-an-actual-baseball-headline-into-his-novel-pale-fir.html) is the link the thread is looking for. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/6 "2016-08-04T17:20:31Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Not baseball.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_First_Looking_into_Chapman%27s_Homer) > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/7 "2016-08-04T17:46:23Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/8 "2016-08-05T18:31:47Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/9 "2016-08-05T18:56:33Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Not baseball.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_First_Looking_into_Chapman%27s_Homer) > Reported for forum change. You might also be [interested](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/10/b4/d8/10b4d86940dd90aa545788d00580aa39.jpg) in “Aristotle Contemplating A Bust Of Homer.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/10 "2016-08-05T22:29:41Z")
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”. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-baseball-player-named-chapman-and-if-so-did-he-hit-a-homer/761740/11 "2016-08-16T19:56:51Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Ray Chapman](http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/chapmra01.shtml) 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.