August 17, 1957 – They were accidental but talk about hitting someone when they are down. Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame Baseball player Richie Ashburn fouls and hits fan Alice Roth twice in the same game at bat against the New York Giants. The first foul hit ball ended up hitting her in the face breaking her nose.
The game was paused while attendants rushed to administer first aid. A few minutes later as medical personnel was attending to her to get her to triage, a second foul ball from Ashburn’s bat hit her again while she was laying on the stretcher being transported out of the stadium. We don’t make this stuff up.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network

Selling Baseball: How Superstars George Wright and Albert Spalding Impacted Sports In America
George Wright and Al Spalding are two of the most important figures in 19th

The Los Angeles Rams in the 1970s: A Trip Down Memory Lane
The 1970 Rams were 8–3–1 going into week thirteen, but they needed to win

The Washington Redskins in the 1970s: A Trip Down Memory Lane
Right around this time last year, I wrote an article on the top eight

NFL’s Youngest Ever Player Might Surprise You!
From a personal standpoint, I truly love the game of football…and to write about

The History of the Preakness Stakes: Where It All Began
This May 17, 2025, the Preakness Stakes will draw horse racing fans worldwide for

How Ohio Shaped The NFL: From The Birthplace To Rich Pro Football History
While today the great state of Ohio’s professional football teams are seen as something

NBA Player Heated Rivalries: Kevin Garnett vs. Tim Duncan
Some heated rivalries between players can simply be a case of bad blood that

Looking Back at the First Great Play of the 1970s: Tom Dempsey’s Epic Field Goal
The decade of the 1970s had numerous great plays in the NFL. Now this