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Strange Incident August 17th 1957

Alfonz24Alfonz24 Posts: 3,057 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Sports Talk

Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn hit a foul ball that struck “Alice Roth squarely in the face, breaking her nose,” writes Daven Hiskey. “The game was then paused as medics came in to tend to Roth. As they were carrying her away on a stretcher, play was resumed and Ashburn fouled off the first pitch thrown to him.[emphasis mine.] This foul subsequently struck Roth as she was being carried off by the medics.”

The second foul ball broke a bone in her knee. “The fan, Alice Roth, was the wife of the sports editor for The Philadelphia Bulletin who was there with her two grandsons,” Bill Chuck notes. “There was blood everywhere.”

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. “The Phils treated the family royally after the event and the kids were invited into the clubhouse and given free tickets and an autographed baseball,” Chuck adds. “After that, the kids visited Roth in the hospital and one reportedly asked, ‘Grandma, do you think you could go to an Eagles game and get hit in the face with a football?””

The next day Ashburn visited Roth in the hospital and they became friends. Henceforth, Roth chose to sit in the left field bleachers, well out of harm’s way. On top of that, Roth’s son eventually became the Phillies’ batboy

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    perkdogperkdog Posts: 29,542 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Actually pretty interesting

    Thanks for posting

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    MaywoodMaywood Posts: 1,903 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Once is an accident, twice like that seems to be destiny of some kind for some reason.

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    stevekstevek Posts: 27,775 ✭✭✭✭✭

    For some who may not know, Ashburn after his playing career was over, became a broadcaster for the Phillies.

    i realize I'm a homer, but Richie in my view did the finest color commentary I've ever heard. His insights into the game, and the way he would cleverly state it, were extraordinarily unique. He held the job until the day he died, and without question could have done it for a long time still if he hadn't passed.

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    stevekstevek Posts: 27,775 ✭✭✭✭✭

    https://www.philliesnation.com/2022/12/richie-ashburns-foul-balls-live-on-in-roth-family/

    Richie Ashburn’s foul balls live on in Roth family

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    MCMLVToppsMCMLVTopps Posts: 4,619 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Pretty amazing stuff !!

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    DarinDarin Posts: 6,336 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @stevek said:
    For some who may not know, Ashburn after his playing career was over, became a broadcaster for the Phillies.

    i realize I'm a homer, but Richie in my view did the finest color commentary I've ever heard. His insights into the game, and the way he would cleverly state it, were extraordinarily unique. He held the job until the day he died, and without question could have done it for a long time still if he hadn't passed.

    On the other end of the spectrum,
    Royals commentator Rex Hudler thought the moon was a planet.

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    craig44craig44 Posts: 10,558 ✭✭✭✭✭

    what a great story. I had never heard it before. thanks for sharing!

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

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    stevekstevek Posts: 27,775 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @craig44 said:
    what a great story. I had never heard it before. thanks for sharing!

    I hadn't either. I emailed my friends about the story, and neither did they.

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