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

by Harry J. Deitz Jr.

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.

218 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2022