Duane Josephson
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1972)
Duane Josephson was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1972 for the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 8 seasons. In 470 career games, he hit .258 with 388 hits, 23 home runs, and 164 RBI. Duane Josephson was an All-Star.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 190 lb
- Died
- 1/30/1997 in New Hampton, IA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1965-09-15
- Last Game
- 1972-07-02
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Duane Charles Josephson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 470 | 1,505 | 147 | 388 | 58 | 12 | 23 | 164 | 4 | 92 | 174 | .258 | .303 | .358 | .661 | -392 |
Career AVG .258 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .303 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .358 vs. league average .365 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .661 vs. league average .678 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | CHA | AL | 4 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | CHA | AL | 11 | 38 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .237 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | CHA | AL | 62 | 189 | 11 | 45 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 24 | .238 | .242 (-2%) | .306 (-15%) | .357 (-19%) | .663 (-17%) | -485.7 |
| 1968 | CHA | AL | 128 | 434 | 35 | 107 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 45 | 2 | 18 | 52 | .247 | .236 (+4%) | .298 (-5%) | .340 (+4%) | .638 (avg) | -140.1 |
| 1969 | CHA | AL | 52 | 162 | 19 | 39 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 13 | 17 | .241 | .248 (-3%) | .320 (-7%) | .369 (-13%) | .689 (-10%) | -290.1 |
| 1970 | CHA | AL | 96 | 285 | 28 | 90 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 0 | 24 | 28 | .316 | .253 (+24%) | .325 (+14%) | .385 (+6%) | .711 (+9%) | 519.0 |
| 1971 | BOS | AL | 91 | 306 | 38 | 75 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 39 | 2 | 22 | 35 | .245 | .249 (-2%) | .316 (-7%) | .365 (+8%) | .682 (+1%) | -25.1 |
| 1972 | BOS | AL | 26 | 82 | 11 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11 | .268 | .243 (+10%) | .310 (avg) | .353 (+7%) | .664 (+4%) | 30.2 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 470 | 1,505 | 147 | 388 | 58 | 12 | 23 | 164 | 4 | 92 | 174 | .258 | — | — | — | — | -392 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (470 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 234 | 717 | 73 | 178 | 10 | 81 | .248 |
| Away | 236 | 788 | 75 | 210 | 13 | 83 | .266 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-07-02 | BOS | MIL | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-06-25 | BOS | MIL | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-06-23 | BOS | MIL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972-06-20 | BOS | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-06-17 | BOS | CHW | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-06-04 | BOS | KCR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-06-03 | BOS | KCR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-05-26 | BOS | MIL | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-05-25 | BOS | BAL | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-05-24 | BOS | BAL | L | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 16 | 15 | 137 | 9 | 3 | 8 |
| C | 420 | 386 | 2109 | 216 | 25 | 32 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | CHA | C | 4 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | CHA | C | 11 | 11 | 66 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 1967 | CHA | C | 59 | 53 | 292 | 24 | 0 | 3 |
| 1968 | CHA | C | 122 | 113 | 641 | 86 | 7 | 15 |
| 1969 | CHA | C | 47 | 41 | 227 | 27 | 4 | 1 |
| 1970 | CHA | C | 84 | 73 | 353 | 38 | 6 | 7 |
| 1971 | BOS | C | 87 | 86 | 491 | 32 | 6 | 5 |
| 1972 | BOS | 1B | 16 | 15 | 137 | 9 | 3 | 8 |
| 1972 | BOS | C | 6 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 418 |
| First Base | 16 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls | IA | 1962, 1963, 1964 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Duane Josephson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Duane Josephson: the record in brief
Duane Josephson played a first major league game on September 15, 1965 and a last one on July 2, 1972. The team column moves through the Chicago White Sox (1965 through 1970) and the Boston Red Sox (1971 to 1972). Listed as a catcher, Josephson both batted and threw right-handed. Josephson is listed at 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds. The birth record reads June 3, 1942, in New Hampton, IA, USA. The bio records the death on January 30, 1997, in New Hampton, IA, USA. On the record, Duane Josephson was born Duane Charles Josephson.
Josephson finished with 388 hits from 1,505 at bats in 470 games, which works out to .258, along with 23 homers and 164 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .303 and .358 give Josephson a career OPS of .661. Josephson hit .258 while the league hit .246 over the same span, a figure close to average. No season beat the 10 home runs Josephson hit in 1971. The highest hit total in a season was 107, in 1968. 1968 brought the most runs batted in, 45.
Frequently Asked Questions about Duane Josephson
- What years did Duane Josephson play?
- Duane Josephson played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1972.
- Was Duane Josephson a pitcher?
- No. Duane Josephson was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Duane Josephson hit?
- Duane Josephson hit 23 career home runs with 388 hits.
- What was Duane Josephson's career batting average?
- Duane Josephson batted .258 over his career, with 388 hits in 1,505 at bats.
- How many RBI did Duane Josephson have?
- Duane Josephson drove in 164 runs in his career.
- Is Duane Josephson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Duane Josephson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.