1969-1970

Dick Schofield spent 19 years in the big leagues working for seven teams as a versatile utility player. Born on January 7, 1935, in Springfield, Illinois, to John and Florence Schofield, John Richard “Dick” Schofield was the second in a succession of four generations of professional baseball players. His father, John “Ducky” Schofield, played ten minor-league seasons, also with seven different teams.

Growing up as an only child, Dick benefited by the coaching and constant practice sessions provided by his father. By the time he was going to Springfield High School, he was the best player in the region. In his junior year, 1952, Dick led Springfield to the Illinois Junior American Legion Championship. After he graduated he had the choice of going to Northwestern University on a basketball scholarship or signing with 14 of the 16 major-league teams.

A lifelong Red Sox fan, Dick preferred to sign with Boston but the club had just signed some other expensive players, including shortstop Don Buddin. The best offer, as it turned out, came from the St. Louis Cardinals.

Just weeks out of high school, Dick reported to the Cardinals. When teammates learned his father’s nickname, Ducky, they started calling the youngster by the same name.

In Chicago, Dick finally got into his first big-league game when he pinch-ran in the seventh inning of a 10-3 loss to the Cubs in 1953. Playing time was tough to come by and, although he was in the big leagues, Dick would have rather been playing every day in the minors. Eddie Stanky did the best he could to make the season a learning experience for the rookie. n July 17th, Ducky got his chance to bat in the first game of a doubleheader in Brooklyn. After coming in defensively in the bottom of the fifth inning of a Dodgers blowout, Dick led off the sixth with a line single to left field. Nearly a month later, on August 16th in Cincinnati, Dick hit his first home run. Dick wouldn’t homer again until 1958. In September he batted only once and his final seven appearances of the season were as a pinch runner. In all, he appeared in 33 games and gathered 41 plate appearances.

In 1954 the bonus baby saw even less action. Despite being with the club all season, Dick played in only 43 games and came to the plate just seven times. Often used as a pinch runner, he scored 17 runs. During the offseasons he attended Springfield Junior College.

Freed of the bonus-baby restriction that required him to spend his first two years on the Cardinals’ bench, Dick spent the next two seasons as the starting shortstop for Omaha of the American Association, St. Louis’s top farm club. Each year he earned a September call-up to the Cardinals.

Schofield thought he was going to be the Cardinals starting shortstop in 1957, but his plans were derailed when newly acquired veteran Al Dark refused to move to third base. Dark didn’t want to play third so he stayed at short and rookie Eddie Kasko was handed the third base job. It became apparent that Dick’s future in St. Louis was limited. He spent the entire season with the Cardinals but was used mostly as a pinch runner and defensive replacement.

Early in the 1958 season Dark was traded away, Ken Boyer went back to third base, Kasko moved to shortstop and Dick was obviously expendable. Dick was shipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The prospects of becoming an everyday player weren’t any better in Pittsburgh; Dick found himself behind Dick Groat, who was entrenched as the club’s regular shortstop.

On May 26, 1959, Dick was in the starting lineup and leading off for the Pirates against the Braves in Milwaukee. Harvey Haddix was pitching for Pittsburgh. The Pirates left-hander pitched 12 perfect innings but lost when the Braves scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the 13th. Dick had a game-high three hits as the Pirates rapped out a dozen singles but still couldn’t score.

In September 1960, Schofield enjoyed the greatest month of his career. The Pirates were locked in a pennant race when on September 6th Groat’s wrist was broken when he was struck by a pitch. He was lost for the rest of the season. Little Dick Schofield filled the big shoes and then some. After the injury to Groat that day, he came into the game in an 0-for-18 slump and without a hit since May 31. He proceeded to collect three hits to lead the Pirates to a 5-3 win. He played the rest of the season, batting .403 (27-for-67) and getting at least two hits in a game eight times.

His September success in 1960 didn’t earn Dick any additional playing time. He remained a utility player and filled in at second, third, and short as well as seeing some action in the outfield. In 1961 he appeared in 60 games and the next season in 54.

After waiting ten seasons to become a big-league starter, he finally got his chance in 1963. An offseason trade sent Groat to St. Louis and Ducky was named the starting shortstop and leadoff hitter. He was in the Pirates’ Opening Day lineup for each of the next three seasons. In 1963 he set career highs in nearly every offensive category.

On April 17, 1964, he became the first batter to come to the plate at Shea Stadium. He popped out to inaugurate the Mets’ new ballpark as the Pirates won. 4-3. Dick duplicated his .246 average that season but played in 17 fewer games.

On May 22nd the Pirates traded him to the Giants. chofield provided the defense the Giants were looking for as he led the league in fielding percentage. However, he batted just .203 after coming to San Francisco and .209 for the season. This was Dick’s best chance to be the starter on a World Series team.

When the 1966 season started, he was relegated to a utility role. In May his contract was purchased by the New York Yankees. On September 10th Dick was traded to the Dodgers. It was his third team of the 1966 season. In 1967 the Dodgers were a shell of the club that had won two straight National League pennants. Dick shared the shortstop job but hit just .216. Los Angeles tumbled all the way to eighth place with a 73-89 mark. In December the Dodgers released him.

The World Series champion Cardinals invited Ducky to spring training in 1968 and he signed with the club on April 1st. In his second tour of duty with St. Louis, he settled into a utility role. He started 13 games at shortstop and 17 at second base while appearing in a total of 69 games for the pennant-winning Cardinals. In December Dick was on the move again; the Cardinals sent him to the Boston Red Sox.

Dick never felt more comfortable in a utility role than he did with the Red Sox in 1969. Playing mostly second base, he also filled in at shortstop and third base and even ended up in left field and right field a few times. He started 44 times but appeared in a total of 94, his most since 1965. Dick Williams liked it that he was a switch-hitter and he could use me in double switches because he played several positions. Dick responded by hitting .333 (11-for-33) in a pinch-hitting role. His average was third best in the American League among players with at least 30 pinch at-bats, and his nine pinch RBIs were fourth best in the league. With nine games left in the season, Dick Williams was fired as manager. Eddie Kasko became the manager in 1970 and everything changed for Schofield. He hit only .163 (7-for-43) in 1970 as a pinch batter. Only two American League hitters with at least 30 at-bats were worse. In October the Red Sox traded him back to the Cardinals.

Now 36 years old, he started the 1971 season with the Cardinals and on May 11th, he hit the last of his career 21 homers. He later accepted an assignment to Triple-A Tulsa, which lasted just 18 games. On July 29th Dick was traded again, this time to the Milwaukee Brewers. His final game in the big leagues came on September 30, 1971, as the Brewers lost to the White Sox 2-1 in Chicago.

After the season the Brewers gave Dick the choice of managing San Antonio in the Texas League or playing another season with Milwaukee. He chose playing in the big leagues but became a victim of baseball’s labor wars. With a strike looming during spring training, teams were releasing veterans and not keeping unsigned players. Players went on strike on the last day of spring training and the first ten days of the season were wiped out. The 37-year-old Schofield’s 19-year career was over. He had entered the game in 1953 as one of baseball’s youngest players. When he left baseball in the spring of 1972, he was one of the oldest.

Through the years he had opportunities to return to the game as a coach but instead decided to go home to Springfield. Dick’s grandson is Jayson Werth, who was also born in Springfield. He is the fourth generation of professional ballplayers in the family.

In 1975 he began a 23-year career as a salesman for Jostens, which makes class rings, yearbooks and awards such as championship rings. From 1983 to 2003 Dick served on the board of the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition Authority, which runs the local convention center. He resigned from the board to spend more time at home with his wife, Donna, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Dick Schofield died at the age of 87 on July 11, 2022.