Remembering Baseball Hall of Famers Who Served in the Chemical Corps

摘要

It is widely known throughout the nostalgic baseball world that New York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson, "the Big Six," suffered from chlorine gas exposure as a Chemical Corps officer during World War I and later died of tuberculosis. But did you know that other legendary baseball Hall of Fame stars such as Branch Rickey, Ty Cobb, and George Sisler also served in the Chemical Corps (known at that time as the Chemical Warfare Service [CWS]) during World War I? Branch Rickey, the president of the St. Louis Cardinals and the former University of Michigan baseball coach, obtained the rank of major in the CWS and commanded a unit that eventually included Captain Ty Cobb, Captain Christy Mathewson, and Lieutenant George Sisler. Mathewson and Rickey, at 38, were too old for military service; but Rickey was encouraged to join the CWS by Harvard's former football coach and president of the Boston Braves, Perry Haughton (who was also a member of the CWS). Through the auspices of Major Rickey, St. Louis first baseman George Sisler (a player under Rickey at the University of Michigan) was also enticed to join the CWS.