| Ducky Schofield | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born:(1935-01-07)January 7, 1935 Springfield, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Died: July 11, 2022(2022-07-11) (aged 87) Springfield, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 2, 1953, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1971, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .227 |
| Home runs | 21 |
| Runs batted in | 211 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Richard "Ducky"Schofield (January 7, 1935 – July 11, 2022) was an American professionalbaseballinfielder who played 19 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB). He played for theSt. Louis Cardinals,Pittsburgh Pirates,San Francisco Giants,New York Yankees,Los Angeles Dodgers,Boston Red Sox, andMilwaukee Brewers from 1953 to 1971.
Schofield was born inSpringfield, Illinois, on January 7, 1935.[1][2] He was the only child of Florence and John "Ducky" Schofield, who played 11 seasons of minor league baseball and made it toDouble-A with Kansas City before going into farming.[2][3] Schofield attendedSpringfield High School in his hometown, where he played baseball and led its team to the Illinois Junior American Legion Championship as ajunior in 1952.
He was awarded a basketball scholarship byNorthwestern University.[2] However, he signed as an amateur free agent with theSt. Louis Cardinals in June 1953,[1] becoming the franchise's firstbonus baby.[2]
Schofield made his MLB debut for the Cardinals on July 3, 1953, at the age of 18,[1] entering as apinch runner in a 10–3 loss to theChicago Cubs.[4] He later collected his firsthit on July 17 that year and hit his firsthome run on August 16.[2] During his first season in the majors, he recorded a .179batting average with two home runs and fourruns batted in (RBI).[1] He did not hit another home run until 1958, when he finally qualified as arookie.[1][2] He studied atSpringfield Junior College during the offseason.[2]
Schofield was traded to thePittsburgh Pirates on June 15, 1958, in exchange forGene Freese andJohnny O'Brien.[1] In September 1960, he batted .403 and collected two or more hits in a game on eight occasions.[2] However, he was only used as apinch hitter during the1960 World Series, making fourplate appearances inblowout losses against theNew York Yankees in Games 2, 3, and 6.[1][2]
During the 1963 season, he finished fifth in theNational League (NL) inwalks (69) andassists (422).[1] Schofield became the first player to bat atShea Stadium on April 17, 1964, popping out toLarry Burright.[2] He was traded to theSan Francisco Giants on May 22, 1965, in exchange forJosé Pagán. He then led the league infielding percentage as a shortstop (.981) that year.[1]
Schofield began the 1966 season as autility player, having been displaced from the starting role byTito Fuentes.[2] His contract was purchased by theNew York Yankees on May 11 that year, but was limited to just 25 games with the franchise due to arm swelling.[1][2]
He was later traded to theLos Angeles Dodgers on September 10, 1966, forThad Tillotson; because this was after thetrade deadline, Schofield was ineligible to play in the1966 World Series.[2] He batted .216 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 84 games the following year, before being released by the Dodgers in December 1967.[1]
During his later years, Schofield returned to the Cardinals in 1968 and 1971, sandwiched in between a stint with theBoston Red Sox.[1][2] He played his final major league game for theMilwaukee Brewers on September 30, 1971, at the age of 36.[1]
Schofield married Donna Dabney in June 1956.[2] They remained married for 56 years until her death fromAlzheimer's disease in November 2012.[5] Together, they had three children:Dick, Kim, and Tammy (who predeceased him in 2021).[2][6] Dick played in the MLB for 14 seasons. Kim excelled attrack and field and was inducted into the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, alongside her father and grandfather. His grandson,Jayson Werth, played 15 seasons in the majors.[2][3]
After retiring from professional baseball, Schofield returned to his hometown, where he served on theSpringfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority from 1983 to 2003. He also worked for 23 years as a salesman forJostens, starting in 1975.[2] Schofield died at home in Springfield, Illinois, on July 11, 2022, at age 87.[3][6]