Eddie Waitkus – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Eddie Waitkus grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of Lithuanian immigrants. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1941 and 1955, though he had to pause his career for World War II.

He carved out a solid career with the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, batting .285 over his professional tenure. Honestly, his baseball achievements might have faded into the background if not for a shocking event that changed everything.

On June 14, 1949, an obsessed female fan shot Waitkus in the chest in a Chicago hotel room, an event that nearly killed him and inspired Bernard Malamud’s novel “The Natural.” The shooting happened just 54 games into what looked like another productive season for the Phillies’ first baseman.

Doctors performed four operations and, after 17 months of recovery, Waitkus returned to help the Phillies win the 1950 National League pennant as part of the famous “Whiz Kids” team.

Waitkus’s story stretches way beyond that awful night in Chicago. He went from a Lithuanian-American kid playing bare-handed baseball in East Cambridge to one of the league’s most reliable first basemen.

His journey included wartime heroism, personal struggles, and a legacy that’s tangled up with both sports achievement and American pop culture. When he retired in 1955, he closed the book on a career that showed off both athletic skill and a kind of resilience most people never have to find.

Eddie Waitkus’ Baseball Career Overview

Eddie Waitkus played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1941 to 1955. He had to step away from baseball for a few years to serve in World War II.

He played for three teams: the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles.

Major League Baseball Debut and Early Years

Waitkus made his big league debut on April 15, 1941, with the Chicago Cubs at just 21 years old. Born on September 4, 1919, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Waitkus was a natural left-handed first baseman.

He attended Boston College for a short time before going pro. His early career didn’t last long before he left for military service in World War II.

He served in combat between 1942 and 1945, which stalled his baseball development for a while.

When he got back in 1946, Waitkus quickly established himself as a solid player for the Cubs. He became known as a top defensive first baseman and a steady left-handed hitter.

His best season with Chicago came in 1948, when he earned All-Star honors. That performance got other National League teams interested and led to his trade to Philadelphia.

Key Teams and Positions

Waitkus played first base almost exclusively during his career, though he sometimes filled in as an outfielder. After his All-Star 1948 season, the Cubs traded him to the Phillies.

With Philadelphia, Waitkus became a key part of the lineup. He led off for the Phillies and helped them win the National League pennant in 1950.

That year, he batted .284, scored 102 runs, and played in 154 games. His career took a wild turn in June 1949, though, when an obsessed fan shot him in a Chicago hotel.

The incident nearly killed him and inspired Malamud’s novel “The Natural.” Even so, Waitkus managed a comeback that still feels a little unbelievable.

He won Comeback Player of the Year from the Associated Press in 1950, just 17 months after the shooting.

Retirement in 1955

Waitkus spent his final years in baseball bouncing between teams. During spring training of 1954, the Phillies sold him to the Baltimore Orioles, where he played most of that season.

He returned to Philadelphia for a short final stint in 1955. Over his career, he hit .285 with 24 home runs and 373 RBIs in 1,140 games.

He retired in the fall of 1955 at age 36. His career spanned from 1941 to 1955, including military service and a comeback from a near-fatal shooting.

Waitkus put up respectable stats, despite all the interruptions. He kept his reputation as one of the better defensive first basemen of his time.

Statistical Achievements and Awards

Eddie Waitkus finished with a .285 career batting average and 1,214 hits over 11 seasons. People recognized him as a dependable defensive first baseman.

His advanced stats show he consistently contributed value, and he earned several All-Star selections during his career.

Batting Average, Home Runs, and Hits

Waitkus kept a .285 batting average for his 11-year career between 1941 and 1955. He racked up 1,214 hits in 4,254 at-bats, showing he could make contact.

He wasn’t known for power, hitting just 24 home runs in his career. That’s about 2.2 homers per season, so he definitely played more as a contact hitter.

His best year offensively came in 1948 with the Cubs. He hit .295, collected 166 hits, and posted a .764 OPS.

He also hit 10 triples that year, his highest single-season total. After the shooting in 1949, Waitkus came back to hit .306 in 54 games, and then .284 in 1950 over 154 games.

He smacked 215 doubles and 44 triples during his career, showing he could hit for extra bases. He drove in 373 runs and scored 528 times.

WAR and rOBA Analysis

Baseball Reference gives Waitkus 14.5 career WAR (Wins Above Replacement). His best season was 1948, when he put up 3.8 WAR for the Cubs.

His rOBA (runs created On Base Average) for his career was .334, so he was an above-average offensive player. He even topped .350 in three seasons.

Waitkus posted positive WAR in eight of his 11 seasons. As a rookie in 1941, he finished at -0.4 WAR, but after that, he almost always contributed.

From 1946 to 1952, his prime years, he averaged 2.3 WAR per season. That stretch included his return from the 1949 shooting.

Notable Awards and All-Star Selections

Waitkus made two All-Star teams—in 1948 and 1949. His 1948 selection came right after his best offensive season.

He got MVP consideration in a few seasons, finishing 13th in MVP voting in 1946 and 24th in 1950.

The Associated Press named him Comeback Player of the Year after 1950. That award recognized his return after the shooting.

People respected his defensive skills at first base. He regularly ranked among the league’s best fielders, though there were no Gold Gloves back then.

The 1949 Shooting Incident and Its Impact

On June 14, 1949, an obsessed 19-year-old named Ruth Ann Steinhagen shot Eddie Waitkus at Chicago’s Edgewater Beach Hotel. The attack became one of the first recognized criminal stalking cases in American sports history.

The shooting changed both his career and his personal life, though Waitkus somehow returned to play professional baseball the next season.

Edgewater Beach Hotel Shooting

The Phillies stayed at the Edgewater Beach Hotel during their series against the Cubs in June 1949. Waitkus had chipped in with a solid hit that afternoon, helping the Phillies beat the Cubs 9-2.

That night, Steinhagen gave a bellhop $5 to deliver a note to Waitkus. The note asked him to come up to her room about “something of importance.”

When Waitkus showed up, Steinhagen reportedly said, “For two years you’ve been bothering me and now you’re going to die.” She shot him with a .22-caliber rifle.

The bullet missed his heart but punctured his lung. Steinhagen then called the front desk herself to report what she’d done.

Waitkus got rushed to Illinois Masonic Hospital in an ambulance. Surgeons performed several operations to remove the bullet from his chest.

Ruth Ann Steinhagen and Criminal Stalking

Steinhagen was born in 1929 and became obsessed with Waitkus in 1946, at just 16. She went to Cubs games constantly and talked about him all the time at home.

Her obsession didn’t stop after Waitkus got traded to the Phillies. In court, she said, “I kept thinking I will never get him and if I can’t have him nobody else can.”

Some of her stalking behavior included:

• Attending lots of Cubs games to watch Waitkus
• Keeping up her obsession for three years
• Booking a hotel room for three days at the same hotel as the Phillies

This case stands out as one of the first examples of criminal stalking in sports. The judge ruled Steinhagen insane and committed her to Kankakee State Hospital for almost three years.

Aftermath and Return to Baseball

Waitkus made a remarkable recovery and returned to the Phillies in 1950. He led off for the National League pennant winners that year, showing real grit.

He kept playing through the 1955 season, splitting his last years between Philadelphia and Baltimore. The emotional impact of the shooting stayed with him for the rest of his life.

Career impact:

• Missed the rest of the 1949 season
• Returned successfully in 1950
• Played five more seasons, retiring at 36

Waitkus decided not to press charges against Steinhagen. She lived quietly in Chicago’s Northwest Side until she died in 2012 at age 83.

The incident inspired Bernard Malamud’s 1952 novel “The Natural,” which later became the 1984 film starring Robert Redford.

Influence on Popular Culture

Eddie Waitkus’s shooting in 1949 stands as one of the most famous events in baseball history. It inspired a classic American novel and a memorable Hollywood film.

The tragedy turned Waitkus from a skilled first baseman into a cultural icon. His story reached far outside the ballpark.

Inspiration for The Natural

The shooting of Eddie Waitkus on June 14, 1949, at Chicago’s Edgewater Beach Hotel grabbed national headlines. Ruth Steinhagen, an obsessed fan, lured Waitkus to her room with a mysterious note and then shot him in the chest.

This wild event became the basis for one of literature’s most famous baseball stories. The details fascinated both writers and the public.

A promising athlete’s career, nearly ended by an unstable fan, makes for a story that almost sounds made up. The shooting happened during Waitkus’s first season with the Phillies.

He was hitting well and helping the team improve when the attack stopped everything. The suddenness and violence of it all shocked the baseball world.

Bernard Malamud’s Novel

Bernard Malamud found inspiration in Waitkus’s story and wrote “The Natural” in 1952.

The novel follows Roy Hobbs, a gifted baseball player whose career takes a tragic turn when an obsessed woman shoots him.

Malamud took the real-life incident and shaped it into a layered literary work, digging into themes like talent, ambition, and redemption.

He started with Waitkus’s experience but spun a fictional narrative that stretched far beyond the facts.

The novel quickly became a classic of American literature.

It helped establish Malamud as a major voice and pushed baseball fiction into new territory.

Thanks to the book’s success, Waitkus’s story became part of American cultural history.

Malamud didn’t just retell Waitkus’s story—he used the shooting as a jumping-off point and built his own mythology around Roy Hobbs.

Robert Redford and the Film Adaptation

Hollywood brought Malamud’s novel to the big screen in 1984.

Robert Redford played Roy Hobbs in the Barry Levinson-directed film.

The movie turned into a beloved sports classic and introduced Waitkus’s story to a whole new crowd.

The film took big liberties with both Malamud’s novel and Waitkus’s real-life ordeal.

It gave the story a more hopeful ending and leaned into the mythic side of things.

Redford’s take on Hobbs became iconic in film history.

The movie’s popularity put Waitkus’s story back in the spotlight.

A lot of viewers first heard about the real-life shooting because of the film.

This Hollywood version made the story more romantic and accessible, even if it moved further from what actually happened.

The real Waitkus didn’t get the neat redemption arc the movie showed, but the film’s treatment made the story more appealing to a mass audience.

Early Life, Education, and Military Service

Eddie Waitkus grew up in a Lithuanian-American family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He showed impressive academic skills along with his natural baseball talent.

World War II interrupted his baseball career, but his military service earned him high honors for bravery in the Pacific Theater.

Family and Childhood in Boston

Edward Stephen Waitkus was born on September 4, 1919, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

His parents were Lithuanian immigrants, and his family background gave him a strong start in several languages.

Growing up in Boston, Waitkus stood out as an excellent student.

He became fluent in four languages—Lithuanian, Polish, German, and French.

This talent reflected both his family’s roots and his own intellectual drive.

Waitkus went to Cambridge Latin High School.

He managed to balance top grades with his growing baseball abilities.

As a left-handed first baseman, he started getting noticed for his athleticism while keeping up his academics.

Boston College and Language Skills

After finishing high school, Waitkus briefly attended Boston College.

His time there didn’t last long, since professional teams quickly noticed his baseball skills.

While at Boston College, he kept honing his game.

He played for Lisbon Falls, Maine, in the National Semi-Pro baseball tournament in Wichita, Kansas, which gave him a taste of tougher competition.

His fluency in Lithuanian, Polish, German, and French really set him apart from most of his peers.

Those language skills later came in handy during his military service.

In 1939, the Chicago Cubs signed Waitkus, ending his short college stint.

At just 20, he was ready to jump into professional baseball.

Service in World War II and Bronze Stars

The U.S. Army drafted Waitkus in February 1943, putting his baseball career on hold.

He served as a Sergeant with the 544th Engineer Boat & Shore Regiment, 4th Engineer Special Brigade in the Pacific.

Waitkus took part in several dangerous amphibious operations.

In March 1944, he was stationed at Bougainville, New Guinea.

Later that year, he joined the landings at Marotai in the Dutch East Indies.

In January 1945, he participated in the landings at Lingayen in the Philippines.

He wrote letters to National League president Ford Frick, comparing military tactics to baseball strategy.

Waitkus earned four Bronze Stars for his distinguished combat service.

These medals recognized his courage during some of the toughest battles in the Pacific.

He came home in 1945 after nearly three years of service.

Personal Life, Legacy, and Death

Eddie Waitkus struggled with personal challenges after baseball, including mental health issues and alcoholism.

Esophageal cancer eventually took his life in 1972, but his defensive skills and the dramatic story of his shooting left a lasting mark on baseball history.

Life After Baseball

Waitkus had trouble finding his footing after retiring from baseball in 1955.

He fought depression and alcoholism, much of it tied to the emotional trauma of being shot by Ruth Steinhagen in 1949.

That incident left deep psychological scars that affected the rest of his life.

He married Carol Webel, and they had two children, Veronica and Edward Waitkus Jr.

Even with a family, Waitkus struggled to adjust to life after baseball.

His emotional struggles only grew as the years went by.

He suffered a nervous breakdown during his post-baseball years.

Waitkus never really recovered from the trauma of the shooting, and it haunted him for the rest of his life.

Battle with Esophageal Cancer

Doctors diagnosed Waitkus with esophageal cancer in his early 50s.

The disease moved quickly, and he faced a tough fight as it spread.

His health went downhill fast.

He died on September 16, 1972, just 12 days after his 53rd birthday.

Cancer claimed his life at Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.

Waitkus was buried at Cambridge Cemetery, not far from where he grew up.

His death closed the chapter on a life marked by both big wins and heartbreak.

Waitkus, a war veteran and baseball star, faced plenty of challenges, but in the end, cancer was the opponent he couldn’t beat.

Contribution to Baseball and Sports History

Waitkus made a real impact on sports history with his standout defensive skills at first base. In his 1946 rookie season, he posted a .996 fielding average, and honestly, people back then saw him as one of the best defensive first basemen around.

Bernard Malamud drew inspiration from Waitkus’s shooting incident for his novel The Natural. That story later turned into the 1984 Robert Redford film, so Waitkus’s legacy stretched far beyond baseball fans.

The Associated Press named him Comeback Player of the Year in 1950 after he bounced back from his injury. He helped drive the Philadelphia Phillies to the 1950 National League pennant as their leadoff hitter, hitting .284 and racking up 102 runs that season.

Over 11 seasons, Waitkus managed a .285 batting average. He struck out just 204 times in 4,681 plate appearances, which is pretty impressive if you ask me.