Over the edge
The brilliant life and mysterious death of Baseball's first superstar
Have you heard the one about…
…the Hall of Famer who disappeared over Niagara Falls?
Before Babe Ruth became Baseball’s biggest attraction…
Before Ty Cobb became the game’s best hitter…
Before Honus Wagner became the standard by which all-around players were measured…
There was Big Ed Delahanty.
In the final years of the 19th century, Delahanty was the biggest star in America’s young national pastime. In a sport still learning how to create heroes, the Philadelphia Phillies star became one of its first.
At 6-foot-1 and nearly 200 pounds, Delahanty looked the part. He was an imposing figure in an era when most players were much smaller. His game was defined by confidence, charisma and a powerful swing that helped transform the way fans thought about offense.
And he produced numbers that had not previously been seen.
Delahanty finished his career with a .346 batting average, a mark that--more than a century later--still ranks among the highest in major league history. He hit .400 three different times. He won two batting championships. He twice led his league in home runs, captured four RBI crowns and topped the National League in slugging in four seasons. On July 13, 1896, he became the first player in major league history to hit 4 home runs in a single game. Three years later, he recorded hits in 10 consecutive at-bats.
Pitchers understood the challenge he presented at the plate better than anyone. “When you pitch to Ed Delahanty,” opposing pitcher Frederick “Crazy” Schmit said, “you just want to shut your eyes, say a prayer and chuck the ball. The Lord only knows what’ll happen after that.”
But the greatness of Big Ed Delahanty extended far beyond his bat. He was one of Baseball’s first true all-around stars--a powerful hitter with the athleticism to play all three outfield positions, the versatility to appear at all four infield positions and the speed to steal more than 450 bases while legging out nearly 200 career triples.
Historian Bill James called the Phillies outfield of Delahanty, Sam Thompson and Billy Hamilton “the greatest outfield of the 19th century.”
Baseball greatness ran in the Delahanty family. Four of Big Ed’s brothers--Jim, Joe, Frank and Tom--also reached the major leagues, making the Delahantys one of the sport’s first great baseball families.
For 16 seasons, fans came to see Big Ed Delahanty do things few players had ever done.
Then, in the summer of 1903, Baseball lost its first superstar.
On June 25, 1903--123 years ago yesterday--Delahanty went 1-for-4 against the Cleveland Naps in what would be his final major league game for the Washington Senators.
Nobody knew it at the time.
Not his teammates. Not his opponents. Not the fans who had spent years watching one of the greatest hitters in the game.
The next week would become one of the strangest and saddest chapters in Baseball history.
Delahanty had struggled with alcohol throughout his life, and his final days followed a familiar pattern. During Washington’s series in Cleveland, he reportedly went on a drinking binge and had a confrontation with Senators manager Tom Loftus. Loftus suspended him and ordered that he return home.
Delahanty boarded a train headed east to Washington. Along the journey, he continued drinking and became increasingly disruptive. Near Niagara Falls, his behavior became so unruly that train personnel forced him to leave.
It was the middle of the night.
What happened next remains one of Baseball’s oldest unanswered questions.
Witnesses later reported seeing a disoriented man believed to be Delahanty walking on the International Bridge above the Niagara River. Did he accidentally fall? Did he intentionally jump? Could foul play have been involved? The answer remains unknown.
The mystery captivated the public. Newspapers in Philadelphia, where Delahanty had become a superstar, asked whether their former hero had plunged into the river intentionally or met some other tragic fate.
Two weeks later, searchers found his body in the Niagara River.
The image was as haunting as the mystery itself. Baseball’s first superstar was discovered naked except for his necktie, socks and shoes.
There was no farewell tour. No final game surrounded by tributes. No chance for fans to say goodbye.
The biggest star Baseball had ever known simply disappeared into the darkness beside the fearsome waters of Niagara Falls.
More than 120 years later, the final moments of Big Ed Delahanty’s life remain unknown.
But the greatness that defined his life never should be.
While You’re Here…
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