Chris Hartje

{{short description|American baseball player (1915-1946)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2015}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Chris Hartje

| image =

| caption =

| position = Catcher

| birth_date = {{birth-date|March 25, 1915}}

| birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1946|6|26|1915|3|25}}

| death_place = Seattle, Washington, U.S.

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

|debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = September 9

| debutyear = 1939

| debutteam = Brooklyn Dodgers

|finalleague = MLB

| finaldate = September 23

| finalyear = 1939

| finalteam = Brooklyn Dodgers

|statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Batting average

| stat1value = .313

| stat2label = Home runs

| stat2value = 0

| stat3label = Runs batted in

| stat3value = 5

| teams =

• Brooklyn Dodgers ({{mlby|1939}})

}}

Christian Henry Hartje (March 25, 1915 – June 26, 1946) was an American professional baseball player, primarily in the minor leagues. Born in San Francisco, he was a catcher and played in nine games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the major leagues in September during the 1939 baseball season.

After signing with the Spokane Indians of the Western International League in June 1946,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8dpXAAAAIBAJ&pg=4793,3942877 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Former big leaguer signed to catch for Spokane club |date=June 19, 1946 |page=13}}

Hartje died less than a week later when the team's bus crashed en route to a game. With nine team members killed and six injured, it was the worst accident in U.S. sports history at the time.{{cite web |url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7959 |publisher=HistoryLink.org |title=Spokane Indians baseball team bus crash kills nine on Snoqualmie Pass on June 24, 1946 |last=Colford |first=Ann M. |date=September 23, 2006 |access-date=February 28, 2013}} Seriously injured and badly burned,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=99pXAAAAIBAJ&pg=7161%2C5239442 |newspaper=Seattle Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |title=Seriously injured |date=June 26, 1946 |page=2}} Hartje was taken to Harborview Hospital in Seattle and died the following day, the ninth fatality.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=99pXAAAAIBAJ&pg=4516,5245121 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Hartje, driver still in danger |date=June 26, 1946 |page=1}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RIIRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4827%2C5572135 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |title=WIL resumes play, Tigers move up |date=June 27, 1946 |page=12}}

Hartje served with the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II, and was buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.