The Main Event

  • June 1, 1893 – Ed Delahanty hits two inside-the-park home runs in the same game. He would accomplish the feat again when he hit four home runs in a game – two of them inside-the-park home runs – in July of 1896.

Few deaths in the history of professional baseball are as bizarre, tragic, and unresolved as that of Edward James “Big Ed” Delahanty, one of the greatest hitters of the 19th century and a cornerstone of the Philadelphia Phillies franchise. More than 120 years after his death, the full truth of what happened on the night of July 2, 1903, has never been established.

A three-time .400 hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies, Delahanty was the sport’s first bona fide slugger, leading the league with 19 home runs and 146 RBI in 1893. He was the only player outside of Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby to bat above .400 three times. A career .346 hitter, he is the only player ever to win both an AL and NL batting title, and in 1945 the Veterans Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame.

A Life Unraveling

By the time Delahanty reached the Washington Senators, his personal life was in freefall. His wife became ill, and Delahanty squandered the couple’s financial resources by gambling on horses and binge drinking. His debts mounted to the point that he would threaten suicide in the hopes that teammates would bail him out; at times, even his mother followed him on road trips to keep watch over him. A desperate attempt to jump to the higher-paying New York Giants collapsed when league officials intervened. When a subsequent deal with the AL’s New York Highlanders also fell through, Delahanty began disappearing from the team for days at a time. Once, his frustration led him to turn on the gas in his hotel room; luckily, a teammate yanked him out in time.

The Night of July 2, 1903

On July 2nd, Washington fell to 16–43 after losing to the Tigers in Detroit, and the 35-year-old outfielder reached a breaking point. He parted ways with the Senators and headed for New York City, but never made it. Delahanty reportedly threw back five shots of whiskey on the train before causing a scene, breaking open a compartment containing a fire axe and chasing fellow passengers through the cabins with a razor.

The conductor threw him off the train at Fort Erie, Ontario, before crossing the International Railway Bridge. When warned he was in Canada, Delahanty replied, “I don’t care if I’m in Canada or dead” — an eerily prescient response.

In the darkness, Delahanty walked out onto the 3,600-foot-long bridge and was standing at its edge, staring into the water, when he was approached by night watchman Sam Kingston. A scuffle ensued; Kingston dragged Delahanty toward the middle of the bridge, but then fell down and Delahanty got away. His body — naked except for tie, shoes, and socks — was found 20 miles downstream at the base of Horseshoe Falls seven days later.

Several facts surrounding the case have never been satisfactorily explained. A dress suit and black leather bag left on the train contained a complimentary Senators park pass belonging to Delahanty — the item that ultimately cracked his identity. Kingston’s account also shifted: his initial story described a physical altercation that sent Delahanty into the water, but he later told police he had witnessed Delahanty jump. Most troublingly, Kingston admitted he could hear Delahanty’s cries for help from the river below, yet failed to report the incident until early the next morning.

The Theories

No consensus has ever been reached on the cause of death. The coroner ruled it an accident — a heavily intoxicated man stumbling off a dark, railing-free railroad bridge. The suicide theory points to Delahanty’s prior threats on his own life, his spiraling debts, and years of escalating self-destruction. A third theory holds that bookmakers or loan sharks, given that Delahanty owed money in nearly every town on the major rail stops in the country, caught up with him that night — the nearly-naked body consistent with a robbery gone fatal. Most provocatively, some researchers suspect Kingston himself, whose changing story and suspicious delay implicate him in a struggle that may have ended with Delahanty going over the edge — accidentally or otherwise.

The Aftermath

A lawsuit by a destitute Norine Delahanty provided her and her daughter with a mere $5,000 from the railroad company. John McGraw served as a pallbearer, and Delahanty was laid to rest in Cleveland. The case was never reopened. For Phillies fans, the loss of one of the franchise’s greatest players — under circumstances still unexplained — remains one of baseball history’s most haunting open questions.

Philadelphia Baseball Events for June 1

  • June 1, 1923 – The NY Giants score in every inning of a 22-8 victory at the Baker Bowl. The Phils made seven errors, and were charged with two wild pitches and a passed ball. The margin would have been wider, but the Phils caught a runner trying to steal home.
  • June 1, 1939 – In the Phillies first night home game, the Pirates earn a 5-2 victory.
  • June 1, 1969 – Dick Allen homers in his fifth consecutive game, setting a team record, but the Phillies lose to the Dodgers 12-4.
  • June 1, 1979 – In a game against the Reds, manager Danny Ozark bats pitcher Steve Carlton in the eighth spot in the order. Bud Harrelson batted ninth and got a hit, while Carlton went hitless. The Phillies lost 4-2.
  • June 1, 1983 – Mike Schmidt shares the cover of Sport magazine with Andre Dawson, Gary Carter, and Robin Yount.
  • June 1, 1984 – Playing first base, Len Matuszek plays a full game without making a putout. Only one other Phillies first baseman turned in a similar fielding line. Matuszek did account for three assists and one error.
  • June 1, 1993 – Lost infielder Juan Bell on waivers to Milwaukee.
  • June 1, 2005 – Tied at six in the bottom of the eight inning, Chase Utley hits a pinch-hit grand slam to lead the Phillies to a 10-6 win over San Francisco.
  • June 1, 2018 – Thirteen Phillies strike out in a 4-0 loss to San Francisco. It was the sixth straight game in which they fanned at least 10 times, setting a new club record.

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Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for June 1

  • Duke Sedgwick (born 1898) – A right-hander, Sedgwick pitched in 21 games over two MLB seasons with 15 of those games being for the Phillies in 1921. He also pitched five games for the Washington Senators in 1923 and was a combined 1-4, 5.46.
  • Dutch Schesler (born 1900) – Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Schesler pitched one major league season and it was with the Phillies in 1931. In 17 games he had a 7.28 ERA.
  • Daniel Harper (born 1999) – Drafted by the Phillies in the 17th round of the 2022 Draft, Harper is a reliever with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. In 11 outings this season, he has a 6.75 ERA.
  • Ryan Dromboski (born 2003) – Signed as an undrafted free agent, Dromboski is pitching for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. He has a 4.20 ERA in nine starts.

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