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Waitkus was a top defensive first baseman and a lefthanded line-drive hitter. After his All-Star 1948 season, he was traded by the Cubs to the Phillies. He was hitting more than .300 in mid-June 1949 when, in a bizarre incident in a Chicago hotel, he was shot in the chest and almost killed by a young woman he did not know - the real-life inspiration for Bernard Malamud's The Natural. Waitkus worked hard to come back in 1950 and, as the Phillies ' leadoff hitter, helped them to win the NL pennant; he batted .284 and scored 102 runs, playing in 154 games. After being sold to the Orioles during spring training of 1954, he returned to Philadelphia in late 1955 and retired that fall. (AL)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » June 23, 1946: Eddie Waitkus and Marv Rickert of the Chicago Cubs hit back-to-back, inside-the-park HRs in the fourth inning, but the team loses 15-10 to the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. » August 2, 1947: At Wrigley, the Cubs pummel seven Dodgers hurlers to win a second straight from the Dodgers, 12–7. Peanuts Lowrey and Eddie Waitkus, the 1st 10 hitters for Chicago, have five hits apiece. » August 8, 1947: At Wrigley Field, Bill Nicholson breaks up a pitching duel between Johnny Schmitz and Ewell Blackwell with an 11th inning solo homer. The Cubs whip the Reds, 2–1. Nicholson also scores the Cubs first run, an unearned tally. Chicago helps Schmitz out with a 7th inning triple play when Len Merullo snags a liner, steps on 2B, and fires to Eddie Waitkus. » August 24, 1947: The Giants break the National League record for homers in a season, held by the Cubs, with their 172nd in a 4–0 shutout by Larry Jansen. Chicago's Hank Borowy takes the loss. The Cubs take the nitecap, 8–3, led by Eddie Waitkus' inside-the-park grand slam. This is the 3rd IPH slam this season and that won't be matched till 1990. » August 11, 1948: At Brooklyn, Chicago's Johnny Schmitz goes 11 innings to beat the Dodgers, 4–2. Schmitz scores the winning run, coming home on an Eddie Waitkus double. » December 14, 1948: The Cubs send Eddie Waitkus and Hank Borowy to the Phillies in exchange for pitcher Monk Dubiel and Dutch Leonard. Leonard, the veteran knuckleballer, led the National League in losses this past season with 18. » June 15, 1949: Eddie Waitkus of the Phillies is shot by 19-year-old Ruth Steinhagen at Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel. She will later be placed in a mental hospital. Waitkus battles for his life and will come back to play the following season. » September 15, 1950: In game two, Eddie Waitkus of the Phils gets five hits for the third time this season, as the Phillies beat the Reds 8–7 in 19 innings. Teammate Del Ennis goes 5-for-10. The Reds lead 5–0 after five innings, but the Phils tie it up in regulation. Both teams score twice in the 18th, and the Phils score in the 19th on a bases-loaded hit by Del Ennis. The Phils win the lid lifter, 2–1. » September 30, 1951: Jackie Robinson hits an upper deck home run in the 14th inning off Robin Roberts, who came on in the 8th, to give the Dodgers a critical 9–8 win over the Phils. Robbie saves the game in the 13th by making a great catch of an Eddie Waitkus line drive and throwing to 2B for a DP. In the process, he injures his elbow. Reliever Bud Podbielan is the winner, the victory keeping Brooklyn in a first place tie with the Giants. Catcher Andy Seminick of the Phils walks five times, the first Phillie to do so in a game. The Dodgers overcome a 6–1 deficit to win and set the stage for a playoff with the Giants. » March 16, 1954: The O's purchase 1B Eddie Waitkus from the Phillies.