A first baseman, Chance played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees from 1898 through 1914.

With Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers, Chance formed a strong double play combination, which was immortalized as "Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance" in "Baseball's Sad Lexicon".

Chance was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 1946 balloting by the Veterans Committee, along with Tinker and Evers.

Due in part to finger injuries suffered while catching, Chance played in no more than 75 games in a season through 1902.

As Bill Hanlon, the Cubs' first baseman, left the team, manager Frank Selee moved Chance to first base.

[3] Chance enjoyed a breakout season in 1903, recording a .327 batting average and 67 stolen bases; the latter mark led the National League (NL).

His .439 on-base percentage was third-best in the league, behind Roy Thomas and Roger Bresnahan, and his 81 runs batted in (RBIs) tied Jake Beckley for sixth-best.

[7] When Chance stole home from second base in a tie game against the Cincinnati Reds, team owner Charles W. Murphy granted him a ten-percent ownership stake in the club to show his gratitude.

[16] He rebuilt the team in 1911 after Evers's nervous breakdown and the departure of Harry Steinfeldt, replacing them with Heinie Zimmerman and Jim Doyle respectively.

[3] In 1912, Chance endured surgeries to correct blood clots in his brain that were caused by being hit by pitches in his head.

Meanwhile, Chance argued with Murphy, who had been releasing expensive players from the Cubs in an effort to save the team money.

[23] After struggling during the 1914 season, Chance criticized the talent brought to him by Yankees scout Arthur Irwin.

After repeatedly seeking to have Irwin fired, he offered his resignation from the team late in the season on the condition that he still was to receive his 1915 salary.

[29] He then served as president of the California Winter League, continuing to instill discipline in players: he fined Ty Cobb for "abusing an umpire".

[32] But some sources noted that Chance had only agreed to a one-year contract and was not necessarily interested in returning to the Red Sox, a team described by one sportswriter as no better than a minor league club.

[38] Chance was part of the trio of infielders remembered for their double-play ability, with Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers.

The trio were immortalized as "Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance", also known as "Baseball's Sad Lexicon", written by the 28-year-old New York Evening Mail newspaper columnist Franklin Pierce Adams in July 1910.

In World Series play, Chance batted .300, recording 21 hits, scoring 11 runs, and stealing 10 bases.

[46] Chance fined his players for shaking hands with members of the opposing team and forced Solly Hofman to delay his wedding until after the baseball season, lest marriage impair his abilities on the playing field.

James J. Corbett and John L. Sullivan, among the best fighters of the era, both considered Chance "the greatest amateur brawler of all time.

"[3] Chance owned a ranch in Glendora, California, which he sold prior to becoming manager of the Red Sox.

Some sources simply said that he died after a "long illness",[53] while others attributed it to heart disease brought on by severe spasms of bronchial asthma.

His death was greatly mourned, and his funeral received widespread publicity in Los Angeles and Chicago.

[64] The City of Hope National Medical Center created the Frank L. Chance Research Fellowship Foundation in his memory.