Doc Powers

Michael Riley “Doc” Powers was far more than a dependable catcher for Connie Mack’s early Philadelphia Athletics. He was a gifted athlete whose amateur career was repeatedly shadowed by accusations of professionalism, a respected team leader at Holy Cross and Notre Dame, a medical doctor who balanced baseball with rigorous studies, and a compassionate teammate known throughout the game as “Red Cross Mike.” His professional career spanned the birth of the American League and included catching some of the greatest pitchers of the Deadball Era, even as injuries, roster changes, and personal tragedy steadily eroded his playing time. That career came to a tragic end on Opening Day of Shibe Park in 1909, when a heroic insistence on finishing a game masked a fatal medical condition. Powers’s story is one of perseverance, service, and quiet dignity, culminating in a death that left a profound mark on Philadelphia baseball and the people who knew him.

Michael Riley Powers was born on September 22, 1870, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the third of five children born to Michael and Catherine (née Dewey) Powers. He attended grammar school in Pittsfield, but the family later moved roughly 15 miles north to Adams, Massachusetts,1 where his father, older brother, and sister worked in a cotton mill.2 While attending school in Adams, Michael Riley began his baseball career as a catcher for the local team, the C. F. Smith nine. When fully matured, he measured 5-foot-8/160 pounds, and batted and threw right-handed. Powers later joined a semiprofessional club called the Renfrews and was “making quite a reputation as a ball player”3 in the local baseball community.4 Little did he know that his time with the semipro team would cause problems in the years ahead.

In 1892, Michael continued to find teams to play for, this time joining the Holyoke nine,5 where he further honed his catching skills. On December 30, 1892, he enrolled for the 1893 spring term at Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding school where he would receive an exceptional education while sharpening his abilities on their baseball team.6

Phillips Exeter Academy was founded in 1781 by John Phillips and his wife, Elizabeth, who resided in Exeter, New Hampshire.7 Approximately 30 miles south of Exeter is Andover, Massachusetts, where Phillips Andover Academy was founded in 1778 by John Phillips’s nephew, Samuel Phillips.8 “The two schools have enjoyed passionate sports competition since 1861, making it one of the oldest and most storied school rivalries in the nation.”9

This rivalry came to a boiling point in June 1893, when Phillips Andover protested10 Powers’s participation in the annual game against Phillips Exeter, believing that he had previously played baseball with a professional team. Andover sent a letter to Exeter claiming that if Powers played, they would call the game off. The Exeter baseball team responded that if Powers could not play, they too would refuse to take the field.11

For several days, the two schools went back and forth, pointing fingers. Andover published a newspaper column outlining what it believed were the facts supporting its claim that Powers was a professional. Exeter countered that it possessed an affidavit from the manager of the team in question stating that Powers had never received money for playing baseball and had only been reimbursed for expenses. Exeter then reached out to Harvard and Princeton for their opinions on the matter.12

On June 14, 1893, Phillips Exeter Academy published a response from Harvard and Princeton in its school newspaper,13 The Exonian, which showed that both universities agreed with Exeter based on the facts presented to them. Nevertheless, the game was canceled, as both teams stood their ground, and the season came to an end. In the Phillips Exeter 1893 yearbook, The Pean, the baseball team took exception to the cancellation and published the following remark:

“Owing to a severe attack of … ‘CRY-BABY,’ on the part of Phillips ANDOVER, our Base-ball Team did not have the pleasure of wiping New Hampshire soil with them. We therefore feel justified in tacking up the following score: — Exeter 9, Andover 0.”14

Instead of returning to Phillips Exeter in the fall of 1893, Powers enrolled in the preparatory program at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.15 While at Holy Cross, he competed — and won first prize in — two events in a joint field day with Boston College: throwing a baseball and the shot put. Unfortunately for Mike, the stigma of being labeled a “professional” followed him, and the Boston College Athletic Association protested his participation in the competitions. As a result, he was never awarded the prizes.16

The year 1894 was filled with misfortune for Powers. He missed the first two games of the Holy Cross baseball season with a thumb injury and then went on to bat .229 over the remaining 11 games.17 He returned home following his first year at Holy Cross, whereupon his father, Michael Powers, age 48, died unexpectedly after being ill for only a few days.18 This was the second tragedy the Powers family had endured: their youngest daughter, Katie, had died at the age of one in 1880 from spinal meningitis.19 More tragedy still lay ahead.

A couple of weeks later, Powers was again behind the plate, this time in Maine serving as captain and catcher for the Poland Spring club. Louis Sockalexis, another future major leaguer, was also a member of the team. Sockalexis would later be recognized as the first Native American to play in the National League.20 Seeing Sockalexis’s talent, Powers persuaded him to enroll at Holy Cross for the fall term, where the two became teammates in 1895.21

During a game on August 31, 1894, a player from the Rockland club collided with Powers, breaking three of his ribs and possibly causing internal injuries. Several newspapers reported that he would never play again because of the severity of the injury.22 Roughly two weeks later, Powers sent a telegraph home stating that his injuries had been greatly exaggerated,23 but there are no subsequent reports indicating that he played thereafter that summer. The injury also appears to have prevented him from competing in the annual Holy Cross Field Day, held that October.

In February 1895, Powers was recovered from his injuries and appointed captain of the Holy Cross baseball team.24 He appeared in 23 of the team’s 24 games, hitting .370.25 At the end of the school year, he and Sockalexis again traveled north to Maine, this time to play for a team in Warren.26 Upon returning to Holy Cross in the fall, both men participated in the annual class games field day. Powers had previously won the baseball throw and the shot put; in 1895, he won the shot put and the standing broad jump, while finishing second to Sockalexis in the baseball throw. Powers threw the ball 111 yards, while Sockalexis threw it 126 yards.27

During the 1896 Holy Cross baseball season, Powers, again serving as team captain, played in 25 of the 27 scheduled games and posted a .350 batting average, second only to Sockalexis, who hit .444.28 After the Holy Cross semester ended, Powers spent the summer playing for a club in Plattsburgh, New York29 before returning to Holy Cross for the start of the 1896-1897 academic year. He once again competed in the annual field day, though for the first time he did not win any of the competitions.30 On December 17, 1896, Powers announced that he was leaving Holy Cross to attend classes at the University of Notre Dame, where he would also be captain of the baseball team.31

After the first game of Notre Dame’s 1897 baseball season, Powers’s past as a semiprofessional was called into question once again, this time by the South Bend Tribune. Following Notre Dame’s 18–3 victory over the University of Michigan, the paper published an article claiming that the team was composed of semipro players and could not be stopped by young college boys.32 The Notre Dame Scholastic responded with a rebuttal, stating that all players were enrolled as full-time students working toward degrees. This time, the accusations went no further.33

The Notre Dame team finished the season with a 7–2 record, scoring double-digit runs in six of its seven victories. Powers led the team with a .405 batting average and tied for the team lead in stolen bases with eight.34 Thereafter, he spent the summer baseball season playing back in Plattsburgh.35

Powers returned to Notre Dame for the 1897-1898 school year, where he was elected captain of the baseball team for a second time. In February 1898, during a school play, Powers was asked to address the audience and present a silver bat to future Hall of Famer Adrian Constantine “Cap” Anson, once a Notre Dame player. Anson accepted the gift with gratitude and delivered a brief speech, stating that he hoped to return soon to watch a game.36 On April 18, 1898, Notre Dame played its first game of the season against the University of Michigan. Cap Anson made a surprise appearance and umpired the entire game, which Notre Dame won, 4–2.37

Powers completed the Notre Dame baseball season while also finishing his undergraduate coursework. That June, he was awarded a Bachelor of Letters degree.38 He then left campus to enter the professional ballplaying ranks, joining the Louisville Colonels of the National League.

On June 12, 1898, Mike Powers made an impressive major league debut in a Louisville home game against the Cincinnati Reds. On defense, the new backstop performed flawlessly, neither committing an error nor allowing a passed ball while throwing out the only Reds baserunner who attempted to steal. He also registered his first big league base hit, a single off left-hander Ted Breitenstein as the Colonels rallied late for a 5-4 victory. After the game, pleased Louisville player-manager Fred Clarke declared that Powers “won the game and was a howling success.”39    

The Louisville Colonels, though not a competitive team in 1898, featured a core of talented players, including future Hall of Famer Honus Wagner and Clarke, as well as outfielder Billy “Dummy” Hoy, infielders Claude Ritchey and Tommy Leach, and Powers’s future Philadelphia Athletics teammates Harry Davis and Topsy Hartsel. Powers appeared in 34 games at catcher, first base, and left field, batting a respectable .273. This solid professional start earned him another season with the Louisville Colonels in 1899, which, regrettably, did not go as well as his first.

The 1899 Colonels made several additions to their roster, including pitchers Deacon Phillippe and future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell, though the moves did not help the team improve upon its ninth-place finish from the previous year. Powers struggled that season, batting a disappointing .207 in 49 games, and was sold to the NL Washington Nationals in mid-September.40 He finished the year with 14 appearances, batting .263 for Washington.

In the fall of 1899, Powers decided to pursue a medical degree, enrolling at Louisville Medical College.41 But over the winter, Powers’s baseball situation was dramatically altered; contraction of the National League to an eight-club circuit left him one of many players scrambling for employment. With Washington among the liquidated clubs, Powers was engaged by the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the high minor American (née Western) League.  Appearing in 110 games at catcher or first base, he batted .298, with 23 extra-base hits and a respectable .370 slugging percentage.

Meanwhile, Powers continued his medical studies and married Gertrude Morris in Indianapolis on May 23, 1900.42 After such an unsettling start to the year, things seemed to be moving in the right direction—until tragedy struck once again. His wife fell ill later that summer and died on November 18, 1900, from pulmonary tuberculosis, with heart disease listed as a contributing factor.43 Somehow, Powers continued his studies at the Louisville Medical College through the end of the year and into 1901, when his fortunes finally began to change for the better.

In 1901, American League president Ban Johnson unilaterally declared his circuit a fully major league which would compete directly with the National League.44 Milwaukee Brewers field boss Connie Mack was recruited to manage the new Philadelphia Athletics. Mack traveled to several states and handpicked players, including Powers, whom he selected as one of the team’s two catchers. Future Hall of Famer  Nap Lajoie was named team captain, while another future Hall of Famer, rookie left-hander Eddie Plank, also joined the club for its inaugural season. Powers caught 206 of Plank’s first 282 starts and the two developed a lasting friendship.45

The AL Philadelphia Athletics opened on April 26, 1901, against the Washington Senators. More than 10,000 spectators crammed into Columbia Park to watch their Athletics take the field. Standing on the mound to start the game was right-hander Chick Fraser, who had been lured away from the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies during Connie Mack’s signing spree earlier that year. Behind the plate was “Doc”46 Powers. Powers played well, handling nine chances without error and going one-for-three off Donut Bill Carrick. But to no avail: the A’s lost, 5-1. Philadelphia players and fans alike had to wait until their third game — against the Boston Americans47 — for the club’s first victory.

During the 1901 season, Powers appeared in 116 games, starting 111 of them behind the plate, while also spending occasional time at first base and serving as a pinch-hitter. It proved to be arguably the finest season of his professional career, both defensively and at the plate. Powers led league catchers in games played, putouts, assists, and runners caught stealing, establishing himself as one of the premier defensive backstops in baseball. Offensively, he hit .251 with 108 hits and drove in 47 runs, most often batting from the eighth spot. In the fall of 1901, he entered his final year at Louisville Medical College and began a relationship that soon led to remarriage.

Powers completed his medical degree in March48 and married his new love, Florence Ehrmann, on April 2, 1902, in Louisville.49 Shortly after the wedding, the couple moved to Jeffersonville, Pennsylvania, where Doc Powers eventually opened his own medical practice.50 Before that could happen, however, there was still baseball to be played.

The 1902 Athletics strengthened their roster by signing Rube Waddell and catcher Ossee Schrecongost. Waddell and Schrecongost were longtime batterymates, roommates, and close friends; Ossee possessed a unique ability to manage the highly eccentric Waddell. Schrecongost’s arrival significantly reduced Doc Powers’s playing time, as he offered an offensive upgrade while providing comparable defense. As a result, Doc went from catching 113 games in 1901 to just 68 in 1902.

The 1903 Athletics added another future Hall of Famer, Charles “Chief” Bender, to bolster their starting rotation. The formidable trio of Plank, Waddell, and Bender combined for 61 wins, helping the Athletics finish second in the American League behind the Boston Americans, who went on to win the first modern-day World Series.

Powers continued to split time with Schrecongost, catching just 66 games. Yet he still ranked third in putouts and fourth in assists among American League catchers. But his batting average slipped to a disappointing .227.

On September 5, 1903, Powers and Florence welcomed the first of their three children, Carolyn Elizabeth. A few weeks later, the Athletics decided to play a prank on him in order to present a congratulatory gift celebrating the birth of his daughter. In the first inning of a game against the St. Louis Browns, Topsy Hartsel came to bat and swung viciously at the first pitch, missing the ball and collapsing to the ground, writhing in pain. Doc, who was sitting on the bench, immediately jumped up and sprinted onto the field to assist his friend. As he knelt beside Hartsel attempting to administer first aid, a friend quietly wheeled a baby carriage across the field to home plate. At that moment, all the players — including Hartsel — stood up and walked off the field, leaving Powers alone at home plate with the baby carriage.51

In 1904, the Athletics finished in fifth place despite their Hall of Fame trio combining for 61 wins. Doc’s playing time declined to 56 appearances, and his batting average fell to .190. His defense also slipped, as he ranked fifth among catchers in both errors committed and passed balls. After the season concluded, he and Florence welcomed their second child, Gertrude Naomia, who was presumably named in honor of his first wife.

In 1905, the Athletics captured the American League pennant, earning the right to face the New York Giants in the World Series. Doc’s playing time declined once again, as he made only 40 appearances behind the plate and saw his batting average fall to a dismal .149.

On July 13, Connie Mack loaned Powers to the New York Highlanders,52 who needed depth at the catcher position because of injuries.53 The practice of loaning players was widely frowned upon, and several managers complained to AL president Johnson. Meanwhile, Chicago White Sox fans berated Doc and even threw bottles at him as he crouched behind the plate during a game at South Side Park III.54

While with the Highlanders, Powers appeared in just four games at catcher and played seven games at first base. In one of those games, he was tasked with catching Jack Chesbro, marking the fourth Hall of Fame pitcher he caught during his career. Chesbro and Powers were also natives of Berkshire County, Massachusetts.55 On August 7, Doc returned to the Athletics in time to help the team secure the pennant and to play in his first — and only — World Series. He saw only sparing action, going one-for-seven (.143) in three appearances during the historic all-shutout Fall Classic, won by the Giants in five games.

In 1906, the Athletics were poised to contend for another pennant, but the pitching staff faltered. Powers continued to back up Schrecongost, appearing in 58 games and posting a.157 batting average. But the season was not without highlights.

On September 1, 1906, Doc was behind the plate in Boston when A’s right-hander Jack Coombs pitched a spectacular game, going 24 innings, giving up 15 hits, one run, six walks while striking out 18 and finally emerging victorious, 4-1. Doc caught all 24 innings, setting an endurance record that was not broken until May 9, 1984, when Carlton Fisk caught 25 innings.56

During the 1907 and 1908 seasons, Powers appeared in 59 and 63 games, batting .182 and .180, respectively. At the conclusion of the 1907 season, Doc and Florence welcomed their third child, Katharine Florence,57 who was presumably named in honor of his sister, who died in 1880. The baby’s middle name was taken from her mother.

On Opening Day, April 12, 1909, Doc Powers was given the honor of being behind the plate for the grand opening of Shibe Park in Philadelphia, catching Eddie Plank. In the seventh inning, Doc complained of intense stomach pain but refused to leave the game.58 He finished the contest, returned to the clubhouse, and collapsed.59 Powers was rushed to a nearby hospital, where some newspapers initially reported that he was suffering from a bout of severe indigestion and would return to action the following day. But his condition worsened that evening, and doctors determined that immediate surgery was necessary.60

Powers had a life-threatening condition called intussusception, in which part of the intestine slides into another section, creating a blockage that prevents food and blood from passing any farther.61 The condition caused gangrene within Powers’s intestines, requiring surgeons to remove approximately one foot of damaged tissue. A second operation soon followed, during which additional gangrenous intestine was removed.

Although Powers’s condition briefly improved, it took a sharp turn for the worse on April 25. A third operation followed, during which surgeons determined that their patient was experiencing acute dilation of the heart. With death imminent, he was administered the Last Rites of the Catholic Church.62 On the morning of April 26, 1909, Michael Riley “Doc” Powers passed away. He was 38. Following a Solemn Requiem Mass said at St. Elizabeth Church in Philadelphia, the deceased was interred in St. Louis Cemetery, Louisville.

Including his fateful final game, Doc Powers’s career spanned 11 major league seasons. Never an imposing batsman, he posted a meek .216/.248/.268 slash line over 647 games. His strengths, rather, were demonstrated behind the plate. Powers was an excellent receiver with good hands and a strong throwing arm. He also handled pitchers well and was respected and liked by teammates, club brass, the sporting press, and fans alike.

The death of Powers prompted an unusually strong public response in the city. In recognition of both his service to fellow players and the circumstances faced by his surviving family, Connie Mack and Ban Johnson organized “Doc Powers Day,” a benefit held to honor his memory and raise financial support for his widow and children. The event reflected the high regard in which Powers was held by players, club officials, and fans alike.63

As a practicing physician, one might expect that Powers would have recognized that something was wrong, since intussusception is not a condition that typically develops suddenly. There were no reports indicating that he had been experiencing health problems, though one intriguing detail may suggest that he sensed something was amiss. On February 23, 1909, Doc Powers purchased a $5,000 life insurance policy, which was paid to his family on May 1, 1909.64

Acknowledgments

This bio was reviewed by Bill Lamb and Rory Costello and fact-checked by Eric Frost.

Sources

Sources for the biographical info imparted above include the US Census and other government records accessed via Ancestry.com; and certain of the newspaper articles cited in the endnotes. Unless otherwise specified, statistics have been taken from Baseball-Reference.

Notes

1 “Dr. Powers, Noted Catcher, Native of Pittsfield, Dead,” Berkshire (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Evening Eagle, April 26, 1909: 3.

2 Year: 1880; Census Place: Adams, Berkshire, Massachusetts; Roll: 521; Page: 84b; Enumeration District: 046.

3  “Local News,” Adams (Massachusetts) Freeman, June 19, 1891: 5.

4 “Dr. Powers, Noted Catcher,” above.

5 “Local News,” Adams Freeman, August 26, 1892: 5.

6 Phillips Exeter Academy Center for Archives & Special Collections.

7 Phillips Exeter Academy History: https://exeter.edu/history-traditions/.

8 Phillips Andover Academy History: https://www.andover.edu/about/history.

9 Same as above.

10 The Phillipian, Phillips Andover Academy, June 7, 1893: 1-2.

11  Adams Freeman, June 9, 1893: 8.

12 The Exonian, June 14, 1893: 1.

13 Same as above.

14 The Pean, Volume X, Exeter, New Hampshire, 1893, 111 – 129; Phillips Exeter Academy Center for Archives & Special Collections.

15 Archives and Distinctive Collections at the College of the Holy Cross.

16 “Boston College Notes,” Boston Globe, October 23, 1893: 4.

17 The Purple, Vol. 1, Issue 1, Art. 1-12; Archives and Distinctive Collections at the College of the Holy Cross.

18 “Michael Powers,” Adams Freeman, July 7, 1894: 1. There are conflicting dates as to when the father, Michael Powers died. The referenced article shows that he was in his hometown when he died while also working in a mill as a “dyer.”  On the 1880 census, he is listed as working in a mill as a dyer.  In addition, the referenced article lists the names of his boys. Lastly, future references in local newspapers state “Michael R. Powers arrived home to visit his mother.”  This last phrase appeared many times over the next five to 10 years.  Never once did it say anything about him visiting his father.

19 Ancestry.com – Massachusetts, U.S., Death Records, 1841-1915 for Katie Powers.

20 Louis Sockalexis: Remember, Now & Forever:  https://sockalexis.net/.

21 “Other Sporting News,” Bangor (Maine) Commercial, November 26, 1894: 8.

22 “Powers Injured,” North Adams (Massachusetts) Transcript, September 6, 1894: 2.

23 “Renfrew,” North Adams Transcript, September 13, 1894: 2.

24 The Purple, Vol. 1, Issue 6 (1895), Art. 1, 109.

25 The Purple, Vol. 1, No. 10 (1895), Art 1, 191 – 192, Archives and Distinctive Collections at the College of the Holy Cross.

26 Uncaptioned article, North Adams Transcript, July 3, 1895: 2.

27 The Purple, Vol. 2, No. 1 (1895), Art. 1, 15, Archives and Distinctive Collections at the College of the Holy Cross; “In the World of Sports,” Bangor (Maine) Daily News, October 18, 1895: 8.

28 The Purple, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1896) Art.1, 164, Archives and Distinctive Collections at the College of the Holy Cross.

29 The listings in Powers’s Baseball-Reference entry which show him playing for teams in Ontario and Virginia in 1896 are erroneous. In 1896, Michael played in London and Galt, Ontario, Canada, while also playing one game In Virginia on April 18, 1896. No information was found showing he played in any of these locations. The Holy Cross class schedule went until the end of June. There is a single box score of Powers playing for Bristol Vermont on July 2, 1896, then playing a game for Plattsburgh (against Bristol) on July 7, 1896. His final game for Plattsburgh was on September 7, 1896, while Holy Cross classes appear to have started on September 10, 1896 (College of the Holy Cross, CrossWorks, Course Catalogs, 1895-1896 Catalog). The game for the Petersburgh Farmers/Hampton Clamdiggers in Virginia appears to be incorrect as on that same date, Michael played a game for Holy Cross against Pawtucket where they won 23-5 and he was praised in the article for his fielding. See The Purple, Vol. 2, No. 8 (1896), 160.

30 The Purple, Vol. 3, No. (1896) Art. 1, Archives and Distinctive Collections at the College of the Holy Cross.

31 “Holy Cross’s Loss,” New Bedford (Massachusetts) Standard-Times, December 18, 1896: 9.

32 “Won the First Game,” South Bend (Indiana) Tribune, April 22, 1897, 1.

33 The Notre Dame Scholastic, Vol. XXX, Notre Dame, Indiana, April 24, 1897, No. 28, 467-468.

34 The Notre Dame Scholastic, Vol. XXX, June 12, 1897, No. 35, 588.

35 “Base Ball Notes,” Berkshire Evening Eagle, May 10, 1897: 5.

36 The Notre Dame Scholastic, Vol. XXXI, February 26, 1898, No. 21, 373.

37 The Notre Dame Scholastic, Vol. XXXI, April 23, 1898, No. 28, 491.

38 The Notre Dame Scholastic, Vol. XXXI, July 2, 1898, No. 36, 629. Other sources inaccurately state that Powers graduated with a medical degree or a Bachelor of Arts degree.

39 The Notre Dame Scholastic, Vol. I, June 13, 1898, No. 1, 1.

40 Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org report that Powers was sold to Washington. Several contemporary newspapers reported that he was released by Louisville and thereafter signed by Washington.

41 “The Louisville Medical College (LMC) was organized in 1869. In 1907 the LMC merged with the Hospital College of Medicine to become the Louisville and Hospital College of Medicine (L&HCM), lasting one year. The school originally occupied a building at the corner of Fifth and Liberty Streets, moving to a new, purpose-built building at the corner of First and Chestnut Streets, which opened in 1893. This building still stands and is home to the Louisville Ronald McDonald House. LMC remained in that building until being absorbed by the University of Louisville Medical Department in 1908, and UL took over the building, remaining there until 1970 when they relocated to the current Health Sciences Center a few blocks away” – Correspondence from Mary K. Marlatt, Archivist, Kornhauser Health Sciences Library, 11/24/2025.

42 Ancestry.com. Indiana, U.S., Select Marriages Index, 1748-1993 [database on-line], Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

43 Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives; Frankfort, Kentucky; Vital Statistics Original Death Certificates-Microfilm, 1911-1965, obtained through Ancestry.com. Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1862-1965.

44 The Birth of the American League; https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-birth-of-the-american-league/.

45 Catching Hall of Fame Pitchers: Eddie Plank’s Battery Mates: http://batteries.sabr.org/11308.htm.

46 It is uncertain precisely when Mike Powers became Doc Powers, but emergence of the new nickname likely coincided with his medical school days.

47 The Boston Americans became the Boston Red Sox in 1908.

48 Thirty-fourth Annual Announcement of the Louisville Medical College, Session 1902-1903, 22.

49 Ancestry.com. Kentucky, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1783-1965 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

50 “Doc Powers’ Condition is Serious After Operation,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 15, 1909: 10.

51 “Rain Puts a Stop to Double-Header,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 18, 1903: 6.

52 The New York Highlanders became the New York Yankees in 1913.

53 “Detroit’s Ball Field Not Working,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 15, 1905, 13.

54 “The Old Sports Musings,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 24, 1905, 13.

55“New York Wants Powers,” Berkshire Evening Eagle, July 31, 1905, 7.

56 Several catchers tied Doc Powers’s 24-inning marathon before Carlton Fisk broke the record.

57 Ancestry.com – Pennsylvania, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1906-1917 for Katharine Florence Powers. 2,380.  Note: The name had different spellings in various documents. The name listed here is on the official birth certificate. (Obtained via Ancestry.com – Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.).

58“Fully 35,000 Fans See Athletics Beat Boston in First Game of Season,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 13, 1909: 10.

59 There are reports that Powers ran into a concrete wall while catching a fly ball, which may have exacerbated the intussusception. No proof was found of him hitting the wall or that it worsened the condition was uncovered by the author.

60 “Doc Powers’ Condition Is Serious After Operation,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 15, 1909: 10.

61 Intussusception – https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/intussusception/symptoms-causes/syc-20351452.

62 “Doc Powers Near Doors of Death,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 26, 1909: 10.

63  Readers seeking additional information on the opening of Shibe Park, the misconceptions associated with the death of Doc Powers, and a comprehensive synopsis of Doc Powers Day are encouraged to read the following SABR article: https://sabr.org/journal/article/a-ballpark-opens-and-a-ballplayer-dies-the-converging-fates-of-shibe-park-and-doc-powers/.

64 “Doc Powers’ Memory Revered by Baseball Fraternity,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 1, 1910: 10.