Schofield Jumps Back Into Fray : Veteran Shortstop Pleased to Fill In for Injured DiSarcina in Stretch Drive

It wasn’t the first day of the rest of his life, but Dick Schofield could surely spot it on his calendar as he stood amid the moving boxes one day last month.

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After more than 10 years in the major leagues, Schofield was preparing to settle down and begin a new life. Goodby North Carolina, hello St. Louis. Goodby baseball, hello . . . well, whatever was to come next, Schofield, 32, figured he was ready to enjoy it.

Little did he know what would come next.

He had just returned from the travel agent, plane tickets to St. Louis in hand, when the call came. Tim Mead, the Angels’ assistant general manager, was on the phone with a proposition.

Drop everything, the club needs you. Shortstop Gary DiSarcina was hurt and it looked bad.

The Angels thought about calling Schofield when the Dodgers released him May 16. But what was the point? DiSarcina was on his way to an All-Star season and the club was happily, unexpectedly rolling along in first place.

Now it was early August and it looked as if DiSarcina might miss the rest of the season because of a torn ligament in his left thumb. The Angels were desperate.

Schofield, an Angel from 1983 until he was traded to the New York Mets in 1992, told Mead a hasty, “Yes.”

Then, he tried his best to explain to his wife and two children that his three-month vacation was over, that he would be home soon. He signed Aug. 4 with triple-A Vancouver, spent a month getting in shape and inherited the starting job at short for the Angels last Friday.

“I’m just filling in,” he said.

True, but he has given the Angels a lift when it seemed the pressure of the title chase and the loss of perhaps their best infielder might overwhelm them.

Plus, he provides a link to the past, to 1986 when the Angels last won a division championship. Schofield and left-hander Chuck Finley are the only ones left from the ’86 club.

Schofield made all the plays in the field appear easy that season. Only a .230 career hitter, he also delivered a memorable, late-season grand slam off Detroit’s Willie Hernandez, helping the Angels overcome a 12-5 ninth-inning deficit en route to a 13-12 victory.

It was certainly worth a phone call.

“Tim brought up his name and we signed him,” General Manager Bill Bavasi said. “He’s just what we needed. He just needed time to get in shape.”

And now that Schofield appears to be in midseason form?

“He’s a natural defensively,” Bavasi said. “He’s put the ball in play in some key situations. Offensively, he’s been a bonus and defensively he’s done just what we’d expect.

“We wanted to be as close to the original makeup with DiSarcina and [second baseman Damion] Easley as possible.”

Manager Marcel Lachemann said it looked as if Schofield had never left.

“I thought he was better than anybody as far as charging the ball,” Lachemann said. “He’s adept at getting rid of the ball. He was one of the better fielding shortstops. He’s probably got a little less range now, but he’s fundamentally very sound and he still has great hands.”

So far, it hasn’t seemed to matter that Schofield isn’t forming a double-play combination with Bobby Grich. Nor has it mattered that Rex Hudler has played second base while Easley recovers from a strained left knee.

“I followed him and Bobby Grich turning those double plays when I was just a kid,” said Hudler, 35, in jest. “So far, he’s been unbelievable, just outstanding. He seems right at home. He’s been a big lift for us on this home stand.”

The Angels, losers of 17 of 21 before promoting Schofield, have won four of six since he has taken over at shortstop. They go into tonight’s game against Kansas City at Anaheim Stadium with a five-game lead over Seattle in the American League West.

Rest assured, these are exciting times for Schofield. But they might mean more to him if he had played with the Angels for the whole season.

“It’s lots more exciting for these guys,” he said, motioning at his new teammates. “They’ve been through the grind the whole summer. I’ve only been here six days.”

Six error-free games, that is.

It comes as no surprise to first base coach Joe Maddon, who was Schofield’s first professional manager at Class-A Idaho Falls, Ida., in 1981.

“He’s the same guy, except I think his wit has gotten sharper,” Maddon said. “He’s got a great self-deprecating sense of humor. I’ve always liked that person and I always will like that person.

“He can still play. He was the finest young hitter I’d seen in our organization. Surprisingly, it’s the only thing he hasn’t been able to do at the major league level.

“He makes the routine [defensive] play routinely.”

And that’s all the Angels really needed while waiting for DiSarcina’s thumb to mend. They knew they could count on others to provide the power and knock in the runs. What they needed was consistent, reliable play at shortstop.

“If we can’t have DiSarcina out there, it’s nice to have Schofield,” Maddon said.