Eddie Waitkus was a solid player for both the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs. However, an off field incident overshadowed anything he accomplished as a player.
After a brief stint in the majors in 1941, Eddie Waitkus became a regular with the Chicago Cubs in 1946. He had lost three seasons due to military service, becoming a starter at 26 years old. Although he did not have the typical power one would expect from a first baseman, Waitkus was adept at putting the bat on the ball, posting a solid .304/.340/.408 batting line, striking out only 14 times in 472 plate appearances.
He continued his excellent play with the Cubs, remaining as their starting first baseman through 1948. That year, he made the All Star Game, producing the best season of his career. He hit at a .295/.348/.416 clip, with a career best seven homers and 11 steals.
Following the season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Waitkus again started off hot, producing a .306/.403/.426 batting line in his first 54 games. However, when the Phillies returned to Chicago for a series against the Cubs, his life changed.
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Waiting for Waitkus in Chicago was a woman named Ruth Ann Steinhagen was waiting. She had become infatuated with Waitkus during his time in Chicago, the infatuation turning to obsession. Although she never met him, she would have an empty place setting across from her at dinner, waiting for the first baseman. Her bedroom was papered with hundreds of photographs of Waitkus, with a shrine dedicated to him. She even studied Lithuanian after learning of his ancestry, in an attempt to get closer.
On June 14, she got a room on the 12th floor at the hotel that the Phillies were staying at. She left a note on Waitkus’ door saying that she needed to speak with him on an urgent matter, signing the note “Ruth Ann Burns,” who Waitkus was dating at the time. He called her room, but she refused to say what the important matter was, just that he needed to go upstairs and speak with her.
When Waitkus entered the room, she told him that she had a surprise. Steinhagen then pulled out a shotgun, and shot the first baseman in the chest. Presumably, she intended on killing herself after shooting him, but could not find another bullet. She called down to the front desk, telling them that she had shot a man. The bullet had lodged in his lung, and he almost died several times in surgery. Finally, the bullet was removed, and although he missed the rest of the season, he was back in time for Opening Day in 1950, the leadoff hitter for the Whiz Kids.
Unfortunately, Waitkus was never quite the same. Although he was still able to put the bat on the ball, and play solid defense at first, he never reached his previous levels of performance. He spent four more years in Philadelphia before being sent to the Orioles. After a year and a half in Baltimore, he returned, ending his career in 1955 with the Phillies.
As for Steinhagen, she never stood trial for the shooting. Declared to be insane, she was committed to an asylum, and was eventually released in 1952. She lived with her family in seclusion, and reportedly never married. Little is known about her life after the incident, and she passed away on December 29, 2012.
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Born on this day in 1919, Eddie Waitkus had a solid career. However, his accomplishments on the field were overshadowed when he became the victim of one of the first recorded cases of criminal stalking.