Later Life
Prior to the 1954 season, the Baltimore Orioles purchased Waitkus from the Philadelphia Phillies for $40,000 ($346,171 in current dollar terms). Released by the Orioles in 1955, he returned to the Phillies for the remainder of the season, retiring at the end of the year.
Waitkus suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his shooting, which ultimately affected both his career and his marriage. He went through some rough times and died at a relatively young age from esophageal cancer. But his final years were satisfying to him, as he became an instructor for Ted Williams' baseball camp, an activity he enjoyed and which he continued almost to the end of his life.
Read more about this topic: Eddie Waitkus
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