» July 13, 1905: The Philadelphia A's "sell" catcher Mike "Doc" Powers to the New York Highlanders. Powers will be sold back to the A's on August 7. As noted by Lyle Spatz, Powers was needed to replace back up C Red Kleinow, injured yesterday in a game with Detroit. Powers will play mainly at 1B, replacing Hal Chase whose nose was broken in the Detroit game.
» August 5, 1905: Highlanders 1B Hal Chase has a record 38 putouts in a doubleheader sweep versus the visiting Browns. The Highlanders win 3–1 and 6–5.
» May 11, 1906: Tom Jones, St. Louis Browns 1B, has 22 putouts-an AL record that will be tied by the Highlanders' Hal Chase on September 21, and not again until July 20, 1987, by Don Mattingly.
» September 21, 1906: At Chicago, the White Sox lose a pair to New York before 20,000, their largest Friday afternoon crowd. Hal Chase has 22 putouts at 1B in the first game, tying the ML record.
» April 11, 1907:
At Washington, a record crowd of 12,902 watch the Highlanders' Al Orth beat his old team, the Nationals, 3-2. Long Tom Hughes, one of the players New York traded for Orth, is the losing pitcher. Hal Chase skips the opener because of a salary disagreement, and George Moriarty plays 1B for New York.
» May 31, 1907: Kid Elberfeld of the Highlanders steals home twice against Boston, alone in the 6th and on a double steal with Hal Chase in the 7th.
» June 12, 1907: The Highlanders make it easy for the Tigers by committing 11 errors in the 14-6 win by Detroit. Shortstop Kid Elberfeld leads the bobble gang with four errors; 1B Hal Chase, 3B Frank LaPorte, 2B Jimmy Williams, LF Wid Conroy, and pitchers Al Orth and Bill Hogg each add a miscue. Following the game, New York manager Clark Griffith gets into a fracas with a fan and is charged with assault. Griffith later argues self defense and receives a fine.
» June 28, 1907: The last place Washington Nationals steal a record 13 bases off C Branch Rickey in a 16-5 win over New York. Rickey, acquired last February from the Browns, is pressed into service despite a bad shoulder because of the injury to starter Red Kleinow. Rickey's first throw to 2B ends up in right field and the subsequent tosses are not much better. He almost nips Jim Delahanty on a steal of 3B. In his eight innings, relief pitcher Lew Brockett helps Washington with a deliberate windup. Only pitcher Tom Hughes and 2B Nig Perrine are steal-less, while Hal Chase swipes one for New York.
» July 25, 1908: With the Highlanders leading the Tigers 3–2 in the 8th, Detroit scores two runs on a Ty Cobb triple. With lefty Claude Rossman the next hitter, New York's new manager Kid Elberfeld moves righty pitcher Jack Chesbro to 1B and replaces him with first baseman Hal Chase. Chase allows a fly ball that scores Cobb, then goes back to 1B and Chesbro resumes his spot on the mound. It is Chase's only pitching appearance as the Tigers win 5–3.
» August 13, 1908: Cy Young Day is celebrated by 20,000 in Boston. He pitches briefly against an All-Star team that includes Jack Chesbro, Hal Chase, Willie Keeler, Harry Davis, and George Mullin. The game is interrupted several times for presentations to the great hurler, including a great loving cup from the AL for all his accomplishments.
» April 8, 1909: While at spring training, Hal Chase of the Highlanders contracts smallpox. The entire team is vaccinated and quarantined while traveling north.
» September 23, 1910: George Stallings, convinced that Hal Chase tried to throw a game, but unable to make the charge stick, is replaced by his charismatic first sacker as manager of the 2nd-place Highlanders for the season's final 11 games. On his own, Prince Hal will lead the New Yorkers downhill to 6th place in 1911.
» June 8, 1911:
In the White Sox game against the host Hilltoppers in New York, pitcher Russ Ford hits Sox SS Roy Corhan on the head with a pitch (as noted by Retrosheet). New York manager Hal Chase allows Ping Bodie as a courtesy runner for Corhan, even though Bodie is already in the lineup. In the bottom of the frame, Bodie returns to CF, with Lee Tannehill moving from 1B to SS. Pitcher Doc White finishes at 1B.
» June 20, 1911:
In a 3–2 New York win against the Senators, Highlander 1B Hal Chase makes a major-league record 21 putouts.
» September 28, 1911: A scant few hundred fans see the worst game in American League history as the Highlanders trounce the Browns 18–12. The teams accumulate 29 hits, 20 walks, and 12 errors. New York scores in each of seven innings, steals a record 15 bases—7 off C Jim Stephens in two innings, eight off Nig Clarke. Hal Chase and Birdie Cree lead the thieves with four steals each. Five Highlanders runners are thrown out.
» November 21, 1911: Hal Chase resigns as manager of the Highlanders after a 6th-place finish. He will stay as a player until traded during the 1913 season. Harry Wolverton replaces him.
» October 5, 1912:
The Highlanders also play their last game at their field, Hilltop Park, beating the Senators, 8–6, on the strength of Hal Chase's 3-run home run. Next year the team will play at the Polo Grounds. Homer Thompson, in his only game in the majors, is behind the plate for New York; pitching is his brother Tommy, the first brother battery in AL history.
» January 8, 1913: Frank Chance inherits Hal Chase and the weakest lineup the New York Yankees will ever have when he signs to manage the team.
» April 10, 1913: President Woodrow Wilson, who receives a gold pass from Ban Johnson, throws out the first ball at Washington's home opener at National Park. Under new manager Frank Chance, New York is playing its first official game as Yankees. New York starter George McConnell, 8–12 last year as a 35-year-old rookie, allows just six hits but loses to Walter Johnson 2–1. Danny Moeller drives in both Nat runs with a single. After giving up an unearned run in the first, Johnson begins a string of shutout innings that will reach a record 55 2/3 before the St. Louis Browns score in the 4th on May 14th. Johnson scatters eight hits today, including one by 1B Charlie Sterrett. Regular first sacker Hal Chase, though left-handed, fills in at second base for injured player/manager Frank Chance.
» May 31, 1913: Accusing Hal Chase of playing below his capability, Yankees manager Frank Chance sends him to the White Sox for infielder Rollie Zeider and 1B Babe Borton. Despite his uncertain character and questionable honesty, Chase will be on the scene another six years.
» June 2, 1916: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants lose to the Reds in 13 innings, 6–4. The Reds knock out starter Christy Mathewson with four runs in the first three innings, then score two in the 13th off Bill Perritt for the win. The last score in the 13th on Hal Chase's steal of home.
» October 1, 1916: Hal Chase, with a lock on the NL batting title, is honored before the Reds–Pirates game in a ceremony featuring actress May Buckley. Chase then collects two hits in the Reds 4–0 win to finish the season at .339, outdistancing runner-up Jake Daubert. A month ago, Prince Hal was at .307, while Jake leading the league at .325. With today's win the Reds tie the Cards for 7th place.
» November 29, 1916: In Kansas City, Walter Johnson and Grover Cleveland Alexander face each other for the first time. The exhibition game between the two stars features Zach Wheat, Casey Stengel, Max Carey, Hal Chase and others. The "Johnsons" prevail over the "Alexanders", 3–2.
» May 2, 1917: The Cubs lefthander Hippo Vaughn and righthander Fred Toney of the Reds toe the mound in Chicago for a one-of-a-kind game. The Reds put up an all righthanded batting order, benching Edd Roush, who will lead the NL with a .341 BA. At the end of 9, both pitchers have no-hitters. With one out in the top of the 10th, Larry Kopf lines the first hit of the game. One out later, Hal Chase lines to Cy Williams, who drops the ball for an error. Chase then steals 2B, and with runners on 2B and 3B, Jim Thorpe hits a swinging bunt near the mound. Vaughn picks it up and, with no play at 1B, fires home, but C Art Wilson, not expecting the throw, freezes and the ball hits his chest protector. Kopf slides in for the only run. Toney sets the Cubs down in order and has the 4th 10-inning no-hitter to date. The run scored by the Reds is their first in 34 innings.
» August 9, 1918:
Reds manager Christy Mathewson suspects Hal Chase of taking bribes to fix games, and suspends him "for indifferent play." Chase will be reinstated and
play for the Giants in 1919.
» February 5, 1919: Charges brought in 1918 by Reds owner Garry Herrmann and manager Christy Mathewson against Hal Chase for betting against his team and throwing games in collusion with gamblers are dismissed by National League president John Heydler. Heydler decides Chase's sometimes indifferent play was due to "carelessness." Two weeks later John McGraw trades 1B Walter Holke and C Bill Rariden to the Reds for Chase, but the Giants will also have their problems with him. In September, McGraw will send Chase and Heinie Zimmerman home without explanation; during the investigation of the Black Sox scandal in 1920, McGraw will testify that the dismissal was because both players had thrown games and tried to enlist Fred Toney and Benny Kauff in their scheme.
» August 26, 1919:
Giants 1B Hal Chase handles 35 chances against the Pirates in a doubleheader.
» February 10, 1920:
Lee Magee, "wanting to make a clean breast of things," admits to NL Prexy Heydler and Cubs head William Veeck that he tried to "toss" a game with the Braves when he was with the Reds, but that the Reds won in the 13th. Heydler will later testify on June 8th that Magee told him he became suspicious that Hal Chase had double-crossed him and so he stopped payment on the check.
» August 7, 1920:
Following an all-night drinking bout and a fight at the Lamb's Club in New York, John McGraw will be indicted for violating the Volstead (Prohibition)
Act and charged with assault, but he will be acquitted. He will also be called to testify in Chicago hearings investigating gambling and bribery among players, including Hal Chase and Heinie Zimmerman.
» September 6, 1920:
Hal Chase and Heinie Zimmerman are indicted on bribery charges as an aftermath of the investigation into the 1919 World Series. John McGraw testified that he dropped the two after the 1919 season for throwing games and trying to entice Fred Toney, Rube Benton and Benny Kauff to join them. Zimmerman denies the charges, Chase ignores them, but the duo will be banned for life from baseball by Judge Landis.
» September 23, 1920: The Chicago grand jury indictment adds the names of former featherweight boxing champ Abe Attell, Hal Chase, and Bill Burns as go-betweens in the World Series scandal. Confessions, later repudiated, are signed by Ed Cicotte, Joe Jackson, Lefty Williams, and Happy Felsch.
» June 24, 1931:
Bill Sweeney, Red Sox 1B, makes 21 putouts, one fewer than Hal Chase's 1906 record. Boston outfielders have no putouts as the Red Sox lose 7-3 in Cleveland.
» February 2, 1936: The baseball writers vote for the first players to be named to the new Baseball Hall of Fame. Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson each receive the requisite 75 percent of ballots cast. Active players also are eligible in this first election, with Rogers Hornsby finishing 9th, Mickey Cochrane 10th, Lou Gehrig 15th, and Foxx 19th. Tainted former star Hal Chase receives 11 votes for 25th place, and Joe Jackson has two votes to tie for 36th place.
» July 20, 1987: Don Mattingly ties another ML record, this time in the field, as he makes 22 putouts in the Yankees 7–1 win over the Twins. The feat was last accomplished in the American League by Hal Chase in 1906.
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