Ducky Schofield obit

Former Springfield major leaguer Dick Schofield dies at 87

 

He was not on the list.

John Richard "Dick" Schofield has died, according to social media posts. He spent 19 years playing major league baseball. In that time, he suited up for seven teams and won a World Series.

Schofield was born January 7, 1935 in Springfield. His father, John “Ducky” Schofield, played ten minor-league seasons, also with seven different teams.

The elder Schofield wrapped up his career in 1938 with Springfield of the Three-I League. The family went into farming.

“Everyone here were farmers,” said Dick, quoted in a Society of American baseball Research biography. “We weren’t very good ones I suppose, but that’s what everyone in Springfield did.”

He was coached by his father and soon turned heads as one of the top players in the area.

“One night after a game, a couple of Dodgers scouts asked me if I was intending to sign after what they thought was my senior year,” said Schofield. “I informed them that I was just a freshman. I thought I was kind of hot stuff.”

He ended up signing with the St. Louis Cardinals. SABR reported scouts Joe Monahan and Walter Shannon made the 18-year-old shortstop the Cardinals’ first bonus baby when they signed him to a $40,000 bonus contract in June 1953. He arrived with the team just weeks after graduated from Springfield High School.

He debuted on July 3, 1953, the start of a career that would last until 1971. Nicknamed Ducky, same as his father, he played on the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series championship team. He took over in the last month for National League MVP Dick Groat, who suffered a broken wrist.

Known for his glove more than his bat, Schofield hit .403 the rest of the way as the Pirates won the pennant.

He stayed with Pittsburgh through 1965, then was a journeyman the rest of his career, which included two more stops with St. Louis.

He got into sales after his playing career and also served on Springfield's Metropolitan Exposition Authority. He resigned that position in 2003 to spend more time with his wife, Donna, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

The family's sports legacy continued as his son, Dick, played 14 years in the majors. He had two daughters. Tami, who died in 2021, was an excellent golfer. Kim was a track star at the University of Florida and competed in the 1976 Olympic trials.

Schofield's grandson, Jayson Werth, was a star outfielder for 15 major league seasons.

Schofield made his MLB debut for the Cardinals on July 3, 1953, at the age of 18, entering as a pinch runner in a 10–3 loss to the Chicago Cubs. He later collected his first hit on July 17 that year and hit his first home run on August 16. During his first season in the majors, he recorded a .179 batting average with two home runs and four runs batted in (RBI). He did not hit another home run until 1958, when he finally qualified as a rookie. He studied at Springfield Junior College during the offseason.

 

Schofield was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 15, 1958, in exchange for Gene Freese and Johnny O'Brien. In September 1960, he batted .403 and collected two or more hits in a game on eight occasions. However, he was only utilized as a pinch hitter during the 1960 World Series, making four plate appearances in blowouts for the New York Yankees in Games 2, 3, and 6. During the 1963 season, he finished fifth in the National League (NL) in walks (69) and assists (422). Schofield became the first player to bat at Shea Stadium on April 17, 1964, popping out to Larry Burright. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants on May 22, 1965, in exchange for José Pagán. He then led the league in fielding percentage as a shortstop (.981) that year.

Schofield began the 1966 season as a utility player, having been displaced from the starting role by Tito Fuentes. His contract was purchased by the New York Yankees on May 11 that year, but was limited to just 25 games with the franchise due to arm swelling. He was later traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 10, 1966, for Thad Tillotson; because this was after the trade deadline, Schofield was ineligible to play in the 1966 World Series. 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.

During his later years, Schofield returned to the Cardinals in 1968 and 1971, sandwiched in-between a stint with the Boston Red Sox. He played his final major league game for the Milwaukee Brewers on September 30, 1971, at the age of 36.

Arrangements are pending through Boardman-Smith Funeral Home.

Teams

 

    St. Louis Cardinals (1953–1958)

    Pittsburgh Pirates (1958–1965)

    San Francisco Giants (1965–1966)

    New York Yankees (1966)

    Los Angeles Dodgers (1966–1967)

    St. Louis Cardinals (1968)

    Boston Red Sox (1969–1970)

    St. Louis Cardinals (1971)

    Milwaukee Brewers (1971)