Ben Chapman (baseball)

William Benjamin Chapman (December 25, 1908 – July 7, 1993) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1930 to 1946, most prominently as a member of the New York Yankees, where he was a four-time All-Star player and was a member of the 1932 World Series winning team. During the period from 1926 to 1943, Chapman had more stolen bases than any other player, leading the American League (AL) four times. After 12 seasons, during which he batted .302 and led the AL in assists and double plays twice each, he spent two years in the minor leagues and returned to the majors as a National League pitcher for three seasons, becoming player-manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, his final team. Chapman's accomplishments as a player were overshadowed by the role he played in 1947 as manager of the Phillies, antagonizing Jackie Robinson by shouting racist epithets and opposing his presence on a major league team on the basis of Robinson's race with unsportsmanlike conduct that was an embarrassment for his team. Chapman was fired the following season and never managed in the majors again.