The Day Al Capone Got Baseball Legend Gabby Hartnett in Trouble
The MLB commissioner did not like seeing one of his star players associating with the notorious gangster
Hall-of-Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett is one of the best to ever play the position. He was a superb defender and a premium weapon with his bat. His star status was such that he attracted a large following of fans, including infamous gangster Al Capone, whose affection got the receiver in trouble with commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis.
Hartnett spent all but the final year of a 20-year big-league career with the Chicago Cubs. He hit .297 with 236 home runs and 1,179 RBIs. Additionally, he threw out a whopping 56 percent of would-be base stealers and was the 1935 National League MVP — also earning votes in nine other seasons.
A player of his caliber was obviously popular with fans. He even drew the admiration of the most famous person in Chicago at the time — feared gangster Al Capone, who was also a big baseball fan.
During a September 9, 1931 exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox in Comiskey Park, Hartnett was chatting with fans in the first row; one of whom was Capone, who was in attendance with his 12-year-old son Sonny and a regiment of his body guards.
