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Don Richard "Richie" Ashburn (March 19, 1927 - September 9, 1997) was an American player in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska. From his youth on a farm, he grew up to become a professional outfielder and veteran broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies, and one of the most beloved sports figures in Philadelphia history.

Ashburn spent 12 of his 15 major league seasons as the Phillies' center fielder (from 1948 through 1959), during which he led the National League twice in batting average (Ashburn had a .308 lifetime batting average) and routinely led the league in fielding percentage. He played for the Chicago Cubs in 1960 and 1961. Upon his retirement from the infamous 1962 New York Mets, he became a radio/TV announcer for the Phillies starting in 1963, where he was paired for 27 seasons with the 2002 Ford C. Frick Award-winning broadcaster Harry Kalas, who joined the Phillies in 1971. During that time, Ashburn and Kalas became best friends. Ashburn also regularly wrote for The Philadelphia Bulletin and, later, The Philadelphia Daily News.

Ashburn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Hall's Veterans Committee in 1995, and was inducted with Phillies great Mike Schmidt. Over 25,000 fans, mostly from Philadelphia, traveled to Cooperstown for the ceremony.

Ashburn died unexpectedly in his sleep of a heart attack in New York City at age of 70, after broadcasting a Phillies/Mets game at Shea Stadium. A large crowd of fans paid tribute to him, passing by his coffin in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. He is interred in the Gladwyne Methodist Church Cemetery, at Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.

Trivia

• During an August 17, 1957 game, Ashburn hit a foul ball into the stands and struck spectator Alice Roth, wife of Philadelphia Bulletin sports editor Earl Roth, breaking her nose. After play was resumed, Ashburn hit another ball which struck Roth again while she was being carried away in a stretcher.

• The band Yo La Tengo is named after a Richie Ashburn baseball anecdote.

Whiz Kids team

• Richie Ashburn (CF)
• Bubba Church (SP)
• Del Ennis (LF)
• Mike Goliat (2B)
• Granny Hamner (SS)
• Willie Jones (3B)
• Jim Konstanty (RP)
• Russ Meyer (SP)
• Bob Miller (SP)
• Robin Roberts (SP)
• Andy Seminick (C)
• Curt Simmons (SP)
• Dick Sisler (RF)
• Eddie Waitkus (1B)

External links

• Richie Ashburn at:
  • Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Baseball Library
  • Baseball Reference

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