War On The Diamond

Based on the award-winning book The Pitch That Killed by Mike Sowell, WAR ON THE DIAMOND tells the story of Ray Chapman – the only Major League Baseball player killed by a pitch – and the 100-year rivalry between the baseball teams in two cities Cleveland and New York. Throughout Major Baseball League history, there have always been legendary rivalries: Yankees and Red Sox, Cubs and Cardinals, Dodgers and Giants. However, with over 50 million pitches thrown in the League’s history, only one pitch has killed an opposing batter. A deep and longlasting rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians began with that fatal pitch in 1920. Cleveland star shortstop Ray Chapman was beaned by Yankee pitcher Carl Mays. That deadly pitch launched the Indians to their first ever World Series win and into a seemingly endless rivalry with the Yankees. The battle between the teams featured an attempted baseball ban, on-field fights, tension-filled fans, exciting pennant races, championship glory, and Hall of Famers. In the seventies, the feud even reached the ownership level, as prominent Clevelander George Steinbrenner was denied the chance to own his hometown team. Instead, he purchased the New York Yankees and helped turn them into baseball’s most successful team. Using never-beforeheard audio interviews with Carl Mays, exclusive interviews with baseball insiders, and reenactments of that fatal submarine pitch, WAR ON THE DIAMOND explores the deep-seated emotional rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians that has lasted over 100 years.

Director: Andy Billman

Producer: Art Horan, Danielle Alberico, Pamela Lynn Sullivan

Cast: Jim Abbott, Sandy Alomar Jr, Kenny Lofton, Chris Russo, Lesley Visser