On April 12, 1909, Powers was injured during the first game played in Philadelphia\'s Shibe Park, crashing into a wall while chasing a foul pop-up. He sustained internal injuries from the collision and died two weeks later from complications from three intestinal surgeries, becoming possibly the first Major Leaguer to suffer an on-field injury that eventually led to his death The immediate cause of death was peritonitis arising from post-surgery infections.\n', '

Powers left behind his wife, Florence W. Ehrmann; and three daughters. He was buried in St. Louis Catholic Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.\n', '

Eleven years later, Ray Chapman became the only MLB player to be directly killed by an on-field injury when he was hit in the head by a pitch. Powers\' injury may have served as the inspiration for that suffered by "Bump" Bailey, a minor character in Bernard Malamud\'s novel The Natural, as well as its subsequent film adaptation.[original research?][citation needed]\n', '

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