Carl W. Mays was a pitcher for the Red Sox, Yankees, Reds, and New York Giants during the 1910s and 1920s. Even though Mays won 207 games, he is best known for throwing the pitch the pitch that killed Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman in 1920 while a member or the New York Yankees. To this day, Chapman is the only MLB player to have died as a result of an on-field injury. Mays recovered from that traumatic incident and ended up pitching nine more seasons. He finished his career with over 200 wins and a 2.92 ERA. Offered here is a New York Yankees payroll check signed by Carl Mays. Mays signed his name “Carl W. Mays” on the back in black pen. The back of the check lists the $250.00 as an “Advance account salary”. The date of this check is “July 21st” 1922 from “The American League Base Ball Club of New York, Inc.” The check number is 5519 and there are holes from when it cleared, some are through Mays’ signature. This check has been authenticated and encapsulated by PSA/DNA (84138220).

Auction Notepad