Edward Nicholas Crane (May 27, 1862 – September 20, 1896), nicknamed Cannonball, was an American right-handed pitcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball for eight seasons.

In 1885, Crane played in the National League for the Providence Grays and Buffalo Bisons but appeared in only 14 games, all as an outfielder.

In a seven-inning game that was called due to darkness, Cannonball Crane held the Senators hitless in a 3–0 victory at the Polo Grounds.

[4] The following week, on October 4, 1888, Crane became the first pitcher in major league history to strike out four batters in one inning.

[5] In the 1889 season, Crane pitched in 29 games (25 as a starter) and had a much improved record of 14–10 and earned run average of 2.43 in 230 innings.

An October 1889 newspaper account in The World described Crane's World Series performance as follows: "Ed Crane, fat and jolly, went into the pitcher's box for New York... Ed shot them in with terrific speed and brought joy to the New Yorkers, who saw the Grooms [i.e., Brooklyn Bridegrooms] succumb, one after another, to his invincible 'curves' and 'shoots'.

(Lee Allen, "The Cincinnati Reds (1948)", p. 43)[7] After reaching the high point of his career in the 1889 World Series, Crane's life began a downhill spiral that fall.

After the 1889 season, Crane traveled on the famous Spalding World Tour where he developed a taste for alcohol.

"[1] The world tour was reportedly the "turning point" in Crane's life, as drinking eventually left him "without employment and incapacitated for work.

In 1891, Crane played for Kelly's Killers and led the American Association with a 2.45 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 169) and 25 complete games in 250 innings.

His major league career ended in 1893 as the 31-year-old Crane split the season between the Giants and the Brooklyn Grooms.

A coroner's inquest was conducted, and the official verdict was an "accidental death from taking a chloral prescription for nervousness.

In 1996, Canadian poet Bruce Meyer published a book "Goodbye Mr. Spalding", which includes a story titled "Sunlight Park."

Unable to confront the death of his teenage son, the father chooses, instead, to unravel the secret of Crane's final days.

Their "interview" resolves the mystery of Crane's apparent suicide and helps the father accept the death of his son.