Duane Charles Josephson (June 3, 1942 – January 30, 1997) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

in parts of eight seasons spanning 1965–1972. Listed at 6' 0", 190 lb., he batted and threw right-handed. Josephson was born in

New Hampton, Iowa New Hampton is a city in and the county seat of Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,494 at the time of the 2020 census. History New Hampton was founded 1855. It is named after New Hampton, New Hampshire, the native t ...

, where he attended

New Hampton High School New Hampton High School is a public secondary school located in New Hampton, Iowa, United States. The school is part of the New Hampton Community School District and educates approximately 340 students from grades 9 to 12. The school's mascot ...

. Josephson then attended

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 90 majors across five colleges. The fall 2024 total enrollment was 9,283 students. The university was initially founded in 1 ...

. His most productive season came in 1968, when he posted career-highs in

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

(107), doubles (16),

triples TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...

(six), RBI (45), games (128), and was selected to the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

. In an eight-season career, Josephson posted a .258

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 23

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 164 RBI in 470

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

. In between, Josephson appeared in four

Minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

seasons from 1964–1967, and also played winter ball with the

Navegantes del Magallanes Navegantes del Magallanes B.B.C., commonly known as Navegantes del Magallanes (; ''Strait of Magellan, Magellan Navigators''), or simply Magallanes, are a professional baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP), based in ...

club of the Venezuelan League during the 1966-67 tournament. Additionally, he earned the Pacific Coast League MVP Award in 1966, after hitting a

slash line This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

of .324/.369/.446 with 237

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hit (baseball), hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single (baseball), single, 2 for a double (baseball), double, 3 for a triple (baseball), triple and 4 ...

and 77 RBI in 146 games for the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

. Josephson was forced to retire from baseball at the age of 30 due to

pericarditis Pericarditis () is inflammation of the pericardium, the fibrous sac surrounding the heart. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp chest pain, which may also be felt in the shoulders, neck, or back. The pain is typically less severe whe ...

.Nowlin, Bill

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and statistical record of baseball. The organization was founded in Cooperstown, New York, on Au ...

Biography project He died in 1997 in his hometown of New Hampton, Iowa, at the age of 54.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
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Baseball Almanac
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SABR Biography Project
1942 births 1997 deaths American League All-Stars Baseball players from Iowa Boston Red Sox players Chicago White Sox players Clinton C-Sox players Florida Instructional League White Sox players Indianapolis Indians players Lynchburg White Sox players Major League Baseball catchers Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Northern Iowa Panthers baseball players Northern Iowa Panthers football players Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball players Pacific Coast League MVP award winners People from New Hampton, Iowa 20th-century American sportsmen {{baseball-catcher-stub