Born in Chicago, he was the son of a major league baseball player—Joe Schultz, an outfielder who played for seven of the eight National League clubs and who later became a manager in the St. Louis Cardinals' extensive farm system. In 1932, at age 13, Joe Jr. appeared in his first professional game, as a pinch hitter for the Houston Buffaloes of the Class ATexas League; the elder Schultz was managing Houston and Joe Jr. was serving as the Buffaloes' batboy that season. Joe Jr. batted left-handed and threw right-handed; he was listed as tall and. He had a distinguished prep career at St. Louis University High School and signed his first contract with the Cardinals in 1936, but was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, where his father had become minor league director, after the 1939 season. After appearing in only 22 games for Pittsburgh between 1939 and 1941, Schultz made his way back to St. Louis with the Browns of the American League, where he spent six seasons as a backup catcher and pinch hitter. In 328 major-league at bats over all or parts of nine MLB seasons, Schultz batted.259 with 85 hits, 13 doubles and one home run, struck as a pinch hitter against Pete Gebrian of the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park on August 11, 1947.
Coach for Browns and Cardinals
In 1949, Schultz served as a coach with the Browns, and then he managed in the minor leagues from 1950–62, returning to the Cardinals' organization in 1958. He became a Cardinals coach in 1963 and worked with three National League pennant winners, and two world championship clubs through 1968.
Seattle Pilots
The success of the Cardinals led to Schultz's 1969 opportunity with the Pilots. Although they were badly outdrafted by their fellow expansion team, the Kansas City Royals, during the player selection lottery, Schultz and general managerMarvin Milkes actually thought the Pilots would finish third in the newly formed American League West. Indeed, Schultz managed to keep his patchwork team within striking distance of.500 for most of the early part of the season. However, a 9–20 July effectively ended any chance at respectability, and the Pilots finished last in the new West, with a mark of However, it can be argued that Schultz's efforts were hamstrung by the Pilots' off-the-field problems. They played at Sick's Stadium, an aging minor league park that was clearly inadequate even as a temporary facility. The Pilots were also plagued by an unstable, undercapitalized ownership; they were nearly broke by the end of the season. Schultz was relieved of his duties as manager in mid-November, and was replaced by Dave Bristol as the team struggled in limbo during the 1969–70 offseason. Only weeks before the 1970 season opener, the Pilots were purchased by a group headed by Bud Selig and transferred to Milwaukee, where they have remained since. He coached with the Royals and the Detroit Tigers before leaving baseball. After Billy Martin was fired with 28 games left in the 1973 season, Schultz took over as interim manager for the rest of the way, compiling a mark of 14–14. Counting his interim stint with the Tigers, he had a career record of 78–112 as a major league skipper. Apart from that assignment, Schultz never managed in the majors again after the Pilots collapsed.
Portrayal in ''Ball Four''
His career may not have been helped by an unflattering portrayal of him in Ball Four, the controversial memoir of the 1969 season by Seattle pitcherJim Bouton that was released in 1970. Bouton tells humorous anecdotes about Schultz and some of the motivational speeches he gave to the Pilots. According to Bouton, Schultz's speeches were heavily laced with profanity, even with some original curses. The author claims that Schultz was well liked by his team, but some of his choices were questioned by the players. In a later anthology on managers Bouton edited, I Managed Good, But Boy Did They Play Bad, however, Bouton noted Schultz's sense of humor and added that, given the circumstances of the last-place team, "I couldn't have had a better manager than Joe Schultz."
