Yesterday In Phillies History: “The Natural” Shot
June 15th, 2009 by Matt |
Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the shooting of Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkus by an obsessed fan, Ruth Ann Steinhagen.
Waitkus was in Chicago with the Phillies on a road trip when he was summoned to Steinhagen’s hotel room in the Edgewater Hotel by a letter requesting to see him.
When Waitkus got to Steinhagen’s room, she shot him with a .22 caliber rifle and then called the front desk to let them know that she had shot the ballplayer.
Steinhagen was determined to be insane and committed to a state hospital.
Waitkus was lost for the remainder of the 1949 season, but returned in 1950 as a member of the Whiz Kids. Waitkus led the Phillies in 1950 with 102 runs and was second behind Del Ennis with 182 hits.
After the 1953 season, The Baltimore Orioles purchased Waitkus’ contract from the Phillies for $40,000. Waitkus would later return to the Phillies to finish up his career in 1955.
Eddie Waitkus’ shooting and subsequent return to the ballfield was one of the inspirations for Bernard Malamud’s 1952 novel, “The Natural” which was, of course, later turned into the great 1984 film, directed by Barry Levinson.
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