Eddie Waitkus returned to the baseball diamond that same year, on August 19, 1949, and finished the season with a .306 batting average. He was the leadoff hitter for the Phillies' "Whiz Kids" that won the 1950 National league Pennant. He led the team with 102 runs scored.
Author Bernard Malamud was not a big baseball fan, but he used basic elements of Waitkus' story and other baseball legends (notably Chicago White Sox's Shoeless Joe Jackson for his 1952 book "The Natural." In 1984, it was made into a movie starring Robert Redford and Glenn Close.
--Cooter
Showing posts with label "The Natural". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "The Natural". Show all posts
Friday, July 14, 2017
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Eddie Waitkus, Former Cubs Player Shot in 1949-- Part 1: "The Natural"
From Wikipedia.
In the last post, I mentioned that along with Billy Jurges being shot by a jilted lover in 1932, another former Cub by the name of Eddie Waitkus, was shot by a woman in 1949 while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Born September 4, 1919 in Massachusetts. Died September 16, 1972 in Massachusetts.
Played first base for eleven years: Cubs and Phillies in the National League and the Orioles in the American League. He was a member of the National League All Star team in 1948 and 1949.
As a rookie, he was known as "The Natural" for his baseball abilities. (Sound familiar?) He played a few games with the Cubs at the end of the 1941 season, but then served in the military during World War II, taking part in the battles in the Philippines. During that time he was awarded four Bronze Stars.
Returning to baseball in 1946, he quickly became a star for the Chicago Cubs.
--CootCub
In the last post, I mentioned that along with Billy Jurges being shot by a jilted lover in 1932, another former Cub by the name of Eddie Waitkus, was shot by a woman in 1949 while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Born September 4, 1919 in Massachusetts. Died September 16, 1972 in Massachusetts.
Played first base for eleven years: Cubs and Phillies in the National League and the Orioles in the American League. He was a member of the National League All Star team in 1948 and 1949.
As a rookie, he was known as "The Natural" for his baseball abilities. (Sound familiar?) He played a few games with the Cubs at the end of the 1941 season, but then served in the military during World War II, taking part in the battles in the Philippines. During that time he was awarded four Bronze Stars.
Returning to baseball in 1946, he quickly became a star for the Chicago Cubs.
--CootCub
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