Willie Ross, the father of MLB pitchers Joe Ross and Tyson Ross, saved a choking woman with the Heimlich maneuver at Saturday afternoon's game between the Nationals and Giants at Oracle Park (SF 10, WAS 4). He was in attendance to see Joe's team even though he was not the day's scheduled starter.
Ross is a pediatrician at nearby Stanford Hospital. Here are the details on his heroics, via the Associated Press:
Willie Ross was watching the game in a lower box when he noticed the female fan choking. Relying on his training in ER medicine, Ross hustled over to check on the fan, who was unable to talk. He helped dislodge the food that was trapped in the woman's throat and was cheered by fans sitting nearby.
"I went over to check and she couldn't talk. She had three pieces of hot dog lodged in there," Ross told reporters, including Mark W. Sanchez of KNBR. "The third piece came out the size of my thumb -- like the first knuckle -- and then she said, 'I can talk.'"
Here is Ross, wearing a Nationals cap, and the woman speaking after the incident:
Father of National’s pitcher Joe Ross, who happened to be a doctor, performed the Heimlich Maneuver on a choking Giants fan today and saved her life.
— Ryan McGeary (@RM_Geary) July 10, 2021
⁰⁰EMTs and other ballpark staff checked on her shortly after. ⁰⁰
This is them talking after the incident. pic.twitter.com/XxSgqlKKkY
Paramedics checked on the woman, a recently retired nurse, and she was well enough to stay for the remainder of the game.
Joe Ross is 5-8 with a 4.02 ERA as Washington's No. 5 starter this season. The 2011 first round pick has played in parts of six MLB seasons and was part of the Nationals' 2019 World Series team. Tyson Ross went 44-70 with a 4.04 ERA in parts of nine MLB seasons. He last appeared in a big league game in 2019.
