A Stone’s Throw from a Coal Mine to the Hall of Fame

Stanley Coveleski’s life was a story of triumph and tragedy.

He was born in the Coal Region town of Shamokin, PA in 1889, the eighth child of Polish immigrants, and went to work as a breaker boy when he was twelve. But he escaped the 12-hour work days in the mines by throwing stones at a can tied to a tree—his own crash course in how to pitch a baseball.

Years later, he was one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.

In a season marked by personal and team tragedy—the death of his wife and his teammate Ray Chapman, who is the only player to die as a result of being hit by a pitch—Covey pitched three complete-game victories in the Cleveland Indians’ 1920 World Series championship.

Covey, one of 17 pitchers still allowed to throw a spitball after it being outlawed before the 1921 season, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

Check out this interview about the book...

by Harry Deitz Jr.
Page Count: 218
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Publish Date: July 31, 2022
Imprint: Sunbury Press
Genre: Baseball Biography

SPORTS & RECREATION / Baseball / History
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Sports