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Eat your home. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star. And the American people. And to search for the Our American Stories podcast, go to the iHeartRadio app. or wherever you get your podcasts.
Our next story comes to us from Nick Ragon, host of the popular YouTube channel This Date in History with Nick Ragon. Ray Caldwell put on a Cleveland Indian uniform for the first time. And none of the 20,000 fans at League Park had any idea that they were about to see something that defies belief. Let's take a listen. If you're a baseball fan, you're probably familiar with the term electric stuff to describe a pitcher who is on top of his game.
Growing up in the 80s, it seemed like Dwight Gooden, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, and other flamethrowers had their electric stuff every night. But what if I told you that the term actually originated in the early part of the 20th century? that it wasn't really used to describe a pitcher's throwing prowess, but rather traces its origins to one of the strangest events in Major League Baseball history. Hack one of the strangest events in sports history. It was August 24, 1919, and by all accounts an uncomfortably muggy day at League Park in Cleveland.
The first place Indians were hosting the Philadelphia Athletics in front of 20,000 fans. They were excited to see their new pitcher, the journeyman Ray Caldwell. was recently let go by the Boston Red Sox. Once upon a time, Caldwell had been regarded as a generational talent. One of those guys with transcendent stuff that screamed can't miss potential.
But years of hard drinking and erratic behavior had left him a shell of his former self. By 1921, Haldwell was desperate for a last chance to show that he could still play the game. He no longer had his dominant fastball a nasty curve. but he did sport one of the game's best spit balls, which in 1919 was still legal. On this particular afternoon he had total command of his spitter.
The athletic players were flummoxed by the way it bobbed and weaved through the air, impervious to contact. The combination of the bright sunshine and saliva-ridden ball had resulted in just four baserunners for the A's through the first eight innings. given the Indians a slim one-run lead heading into the top of the ninth inning. Fans would later say that they noticed dark clouds that seemingly materialize out of Lake Erie and descend upon the stadium with alarming speed, practically enveloping it. With droplets of rain beginning to sprinkle from the heavens, Caldo worked extra fast, hoping to avoid a rain delay.
He quickly got ahead of the first batter and induced a meek pop-up to the shortstop for out number one. A nasty spitter resulted in a second infield pop-up. and Caldwell and the Indians were now one out from putting the A's away. By this time the wind was howling, It's as if the stadium was mired in a total eclipse had become so dark.
Some fans had already scattered from League Park. A combination of the rain and sense of foreboding chasing them away.
So picture this. Caldwell is towing the rubber and leaning in to get the sign. when a flash from the sky explodes into the middle of the field. Indian shortstop Ray Chapman would later say he felt a surge of electricity go down his leg. and the violence of the lightning strike causes the players to dive for the ground.
I took my metal mask and threw it as far as I could, said Cleveland's catcher Steve O'Neill after the game. I didn't want to attract any bolts towards me. Seconds after the lightning hit the ground, the players were still staring at each other in disbelief. On the mound lay Ray Caldwell, arms spread wide, completely unconscious. The lightning bolt had struck him directly.
Players rushed to aid Caldwell, but the first man who touched him leapt into the air, saying he had been zapped by Caldwell's prone body. The players in Ump stared over Caldwell, his chest smoldering from where the bulk burned it. Shortstop, Ray Chapman blurted out to nobody in particular, is he dead? The players were terrified to touch him to even take his pulse. Nobody knew what to do.
Believe it or not, they were ready to pronounce Caldwell dead when the 31-year-old pitcher started groaning and crawled back to his knees and then his feet. His teammates were thrilled to see him alive. but they kept their distance from the guy whose chest was on fire just minutes before. One of the umpires offered to assist him off the field and take him to a hospital. But Kobel would have none of it.
I have one more out to get, he testily barked at the ump. He argued the point with the Indian's player manager, the legendary Tris Speaker, and his intransigence won the day. as Speaker reluctantly let him stay on the field to try and record the final out. Give me the dang ball and point me towards the plate. He commanded shortstop Ray Chapman.
who was still in semi-disbelief that Caldwell was alive and pitching. The umpires lingered around the mound as the players slowly took their positions. Ace shortstop Joe Duggan dug into the batter's box, waiting for the umps to signal play ball. The umps just look at each other for an extra beat and shrug their shoulders. Play ball, one of them says.
By this time most of the fans had scattered in the chaos of the lightning strike. but for the few hardy souls who stuck around, they're about to witness the conclusion of the strangest game in Major League history. With the first pitch, Calba grooves a fastball to Dugan, Who hits a screaming line drive to third baseman Willie Gardner, who knocks it down with his chest and rushes to throw to first just in time to edge out Dugan. And with that, Ray Caldwell, in his first start as a Cleveland Indian, pitches a complete game victory, which includes being struck by lightning. Yeah.
E-R-Hawk! with the media after the game. Ray Caldo was as curt as he was brief. I just wanted to complete the game, he hurriedly told reporters as he rushed from the clubhouse, purportedly to hit his favorite watering hole. As if this story isn't fascinating enough, there's an interesting footnote, actually two footnotes.
Seventeen days after being struck by lightning, Ray Caldwell would pitch a no-hitter against one of his former teams, the New York Yankees.
Someone on his team jokingly told the media after the game that he had electric stuff that day, and the term stuck. His stuff would remain electric for the rest of the year as he went 5-1 with the Indians and nearly led them past the White Sox, who would famously go on to throw the World Series. The following year he matched a 20-win season. Sadly, that would be the same year that the Indian shortstop Ray Chapman tragically died after being beamed in the head by the Yankees' crawl maze. His death prompted several rules changes.
including banning the spitball and requiring dirty balls to come out of play.
So the next time you hear some pitcher has electric stub, Just remember. He's no Ray Caldwell. And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler. And a special thanks to Nick Ragon, and he hosts the popular YouTube channel, This Date in History, with Nick Ragon, the story of Ray Caldwell. Here on Our American Stories.
This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories. And all of our history stories are brought to us by our generous sponsors, including Hillsdale College, where students go to learn all the things that are beautiful in life. and all the things that matter in life. If you can't get to Hillsdale, Hillsdale will come to you. Go to hillsdale.edu.
That's hillsdale.edu. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint.
It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only. This historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q.
Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why Sun Protection. And timely detection matter.
Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at Let's Get RealaboutskinCancer.com. Uh You've watched racing.
Now get behind the wheel. At Kaizen Autosport Racing School at VIR, professional race drivers teach you how to drive faster, safer, and with more confidence on one of America's legendary racetracks. Never driven on track? We'll get you started. Already experienced, we'll take you to the next level.
Ready to race? Earn your competition license and learn real wheel-to-wheel racecraft. Stop watching, start driving. Go to racevir.com. That's racevir.com.
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