Schmidt, Mike

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Mike Schmidt

1949-

American baseball player

In his eighteen-year major league baseball career, Mike Schmidt's skill helped lead his team to five division titles,

two National League (NL) pennant titles, and two World Series games. He was an essential part of the Philadelphia Phillies' 1980 World Series championship—the only one for that team. When he retired in 1989, he ranked seventh in all-time home runs, having hit 548 in major league play. He held major league, team career, and team season records that ranked in the double digits. In his first year of eligibility for baseball's Hall of Fame, Schmidt garnered one of the highest percentages of votes. He was the 26th player to be voted in his first time on the ballot.

From Unremarkable to Exceptional

Schmidt was born on September 27, 1949, in Dayton, Ohio, one of two children of Jack and Lois Schmidt. He was an athletic child who had interests ranging from tree climbing to more organized sports such as football, basketball, and baseball. He also learned how to play golf from his father. Eventually he gave up tree climbing and opted to concentrate on baseball and basketball.

Schmidt's high school and early college years in baseball were unremarkable. He attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, playing basketball and baseball. Unlike many players who look forward to a career in sports, Schmidt did not win any scholarships for his participation. A knee injury forced Schmidt to quit basketball, and it was then that he began to focus on baseball.

During the summer before his sophomore year of college, Schmidt took a more serious approach to the game. He played for the Dayton Summer League team after approaching the coach several times. His persistence paid off, and coach Ted Mills brought him in at shortstop. His fielding and hitting impressed Mills so much that he called the Ohio University baseball coach, Bob Wren, and told him about it. He also wrote the California Angels about Schmidt's abilities.

When Schmidt returned to play for Ohio University, his batting average had gone from .260 to .310. During his college career, Schmidt was twice named All-American Shortstop. He helped his team win the NCAA District 4 title, and place fourth in the College World Series in 1970. By the time he graduated, Schmidt had a batting average of .330 and had hit a total of twenty-seven home runs.

Building a Reputation

In 1971, Schmidt was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent two years in the minor leagues. He played one season with the Reading (Pennsylvania) Phillies and most of the next season with the Eugene (Oregon) Emeralds. He was called up to the major leagues in September of 1972. It wasn't until 1974 that Schmidt came into his own as a Phillies player. While he led the league in strikeouts he also led the league in home runs, and continued to do so for the next two years. That same year he hit one of the longest singles recorded in major league history. In a game against the Houston Astros at the Astrodome, Schmidt hit the ball 329 feet from home plate and 117 feet in air, smashing a speaker that hung from the ceiling. In later years, he got his swing under control and had four more seasons as the home run leader (1980-81, 1983, and 1986). In 1984, he tied for that lead.

By 1978, Schmidt was considered one of the Phillies' best players. He was reluctantly elected to the position of team captain and his game suffered many setbacks that year. He hit only twenty-one home runs and seventy-eight Runs Batted In (RBIs). He got himself back together the next season and hit a career high forty-five home runs.

Chronology

1949	Born September 27 in Dayton, Ohio
1971	Drafted in second round by Phillies, plays two seasons in minor leagues
1972	Called up to play for Phillies
1973	First full season in major league; meets Donna Wightman
1974	Hits one of the longest singles in major league history: 329 feet from home plate, 117 feet in the air; marries Wightman
1975	Despite striking out 180 times due to sprained left shoulder, he stills leads the National League in home runs; steals a career high 29 bases
1976	Hits four home runs in one game at Wrigley Field, helping team to a come-back win against the Chicago Cubs, 18-16
1977	Becomes a born-again Christian
1978	Daughter Jessica Rae born December 19; elected team captain
1979	Hits a career high 45 home runs
1980	Breaks his own career high by hitting 48 home runs; helps take Phillies to World Series
1981	Begins providing tickets to games to those who couldn't normally attend
1983	Becomes highest paid baseball player with a $2.1 million per year salary
1985	Begins raising money for the United Way by having companies donate $100 for every home run he hits
1986	Surpasses Lou Gehrig's 494 home runs
1988	Second year of his two-year contract not renewed by Phillies
1989	Announces retirement from baseball on Memorial Day; elected to play for the National League in the All-Star Game, but does not play
1995	Baseball Writers' Association of America votes Schmidt into the Hall of Fame with an overwhelming 96.52 percent of the vote; 26th player to be voted in his first time on the ballot
2002	Becomes commissioner for United States Professional Softball League

Awards and Accomplishments

1970	Ohio University wins NCAA District 4 title; fourth place, College World Series
1970-71	All-American Shortstop
1974, 1976-77, 1979-84, 1986-87, 1989	Elected to All-Star team
1974-76, 1980-81, 1983-84, 1986	Led league in home runs
1976	National League record for most homers, hitting 11 in April
1976-84, 1986	Gold Glove award winner
1980	Most Valuable Player; Phillies win World Series; voted World Series MVP; National League Player of the Year
1980-81, 1984	Led league in RBIs
1980-84, 1986	Silver Slugger award winner
1981	Most Valuable Player
1983	Phillies play in World Series; voted Greatest Phillies Player Ever
1986	Most Valuable Player; National League Player of the Year; became first Phillies player to ever play in 2,000 games, June 9, 1986
1990	Phillies hold a tribute night and retire his jersey
1995	Inducted into Hall of Fame; fifth place, Isuzu Celebrity Golf Challenge in Lake Tahoe
1996	Ninth place, Isuzu Celebrity Golf Challenge in Lake Tahoe

For the Philadelphia Phillies, 1980 was an unforget-table year. With Schmidt's excellent fielding and batting ability the team won their only World Series championship. He was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the National League (NL) that year as well as MVP for the World Series. He bested his previous career high home runs, hitting forty-eight. Schmidt related his feelings about being part of the 1980 World Series championship team to Joe O'Loughlin of Baseball Digest, "Every organization has a team that's really special, and the 1980 club is that team for the Phillies.… I'm honored to be on that team and be a central figure on it."

The 1980s continued to be excellent years for Schmidt. He became one of eleven players to be elected MVP two years in a row, when he was named MVP in 1981. In 1983, he helped the Phillies team to the World Series, but they ended up losing to the Orioles. That same year, he became the highest paid player in baseball with a $2.1 million per year contract. In 1986, he won his third MVP award.

In 1988, Schmidt encountered the first major injury of his career. A torn rotator cuff put Schmidt on the injured list. While he was undergoing surgery for the shoulder injury, the Phillies announced that they would not renew the second year of his two-year contract, which was worth $2.25 million. Schmidt elected to spend one more season with the Phillies, but ended up announcing his retirement on Memorial Day, 1989.

An Uneasy Fame

Despite the glowing statistics and broken records, Schmidt's years in baseball weren't always easy. He spent his entire career playing for the Phillies, becoming one the best players they ever had. Still, he had an uncomfortable relationship with Phillies fans that effected his personal life. Obsessed with succeeding, Schmidt was quiet, introspective, and superstitious. His focus on the game came at the expense of fun. Looking back Schmidt related to Frank Fitzpatrick, a Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service writer, "There's no question at all that I didn't enjoy my professional life like I wished I would have.… I didn't allow myself to enjoy it because of my obsession for succeeding, my obsession for wanting to be the best."

Schmidt was often criticized in Philadelphia newspapers and by fans for being too sensitive or for not trying hard enough. He was just as likely to be booed by Phillies fans as he was to be cheered. He stopped inviting his family to home games because people in the crowd would yell at them. Schmidt endured the criticism quietly by focusing on his game throughout his career. He told Fitzpatrick about the moment when he finally felt reconciled with Phillies fans, "It was a night at the end of '86, when I passed Lou Gehrig , who had 494 homers, and was getting close to 500. I got a great ovation, and there was something about that night that got me over the hump."

Career Statistics

Yr	Team	AVG	GP	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
EE: Eugene Emeralds (Pacific Coast League, Class AAA); PP: Philadelphia Phillies; RP: Reading Phillies (Eastern League, Class AA).
1971	RP	.211	74	237	27	50	8	31	27	66	3
1972	EE	.291	131	436	80	127	26	91	87	145	6
1972	PP	.206	13	34	2	7	1	3	5	15	0
1973	PP	.196	132	367	43	72	18	52	62	136	8
1974	PP	.282	162	568	108	160	36	116	106	138	23
1975	PP	.249	158	562	93	140	38	95	101	180	29
1976	PP	.262	160	584	112	153	38	107	100	149	14
1977	PP	.274	154	544	114	149	38	101	104	122	15
1978	PP	.251	145	513	93	129	21	78	91	103	19
1979	PP	.253	160	541	109	137	45	114	120	115	9
1980	PP	.286	150	548	104	157	48	121	89	119	12
1981	PP	.316	102	354	78	112	31	91	73	71	12
1982	PP	.280	148	514	108	144	35	87	107	131	14
1983	PP	.255	154	534	104	136	40	109	128	148	7
1984	PP	.277	151	528	93	146	36	106	92	116	5
1985	PP	.277	158	549	89	152	33	93	87	117	1
1986	PP	.290	160	552	97	160	37	119	89	84	1
1987	PP	.293	147	522	88	153	35	113	83	80	2
1988	PP	.251	108	390	52	97	12	62	49	42	3
1989	PP	.203	42	148	19	30	6	28	21	17	0
TOTAL		.267	2404	8352	1506	2234	548	1595	1507	1883	174

It took fourteen years playing in Philadelphia for that reconciliation to arrive. During most of his career he felt uncomfortable with the attention he received from fans. He felt his privacy was invaded, and avoided going out in public as much as possible. If he did appear in public, he would try and disguise himself with hats and sunglasses. That discomfort and fear of the fans lingered even when Schmidt was accepting his 1995 induction to the Hall of Fame. With an estimated 25,000 to 28,000 people in attendance, most of them Phillies fans, Schmidt was worried. He told Jayson Stark in the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, "I was concerned about it. Probably more than anything, I worried about catcalls or some nasty thing called out during some quiet time." Luckily for Schmidt, the fans had nothing but love and appreciation for him and fellow Phillies inductee Richie Ashburn.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Mike Schmidt, 373 Eagle Drive, Jupiter, FL 33477.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY SCHMIDT:

(With Barbara Walder) Always On the Offense, Atheneum, 1982.

Where Is He Now?

Upon retiring from major-league baseball, Schmidt sold his home in Pennsylvania and moved to Jupiter, Florida. He initially made some unsuccessful attempts to stay involved in the game, including commentating for Phillies games. He offered to coach the Phillies but was turned down. His attempt to invest in a baseball franchise in Miami fell through as well. His reclusive habits, formed in Philadelphia, were shed and he became a regular suburban dad. He eventually turned his focus towards raising his family, improving his golf game, and fishing. Although he has attempted to participate in Senior PGA tournaments, he has yet to qualify. Much of his competitive golfing is done on celebrity tours, including his own Mike Schmidt Celebrity Invitational.

In 2002, he returned to the Phillies team as spring-training instructor for eleven days in February. He even acted as coach for an exhibition game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He told Marcus Hayes of the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service that coaching the game was fun but "I don't know if I could take 162 of these." Instead, he's decided to take on the role of commissioner for the newly formed United States Professional Softball League.

(With Rob Ellis) The Mike Schmidt Study: Hitting Theory, Skills, and Technique, McGriff and Bell, 1994.