I Am Shocked And Saddened

Wife of D-backs' Schoeneweis found dead

by Steve Gilbert and Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com

05/20/09 6:29 PM ET

The wife of Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Scott Schoeneweis was found dead Wednesday in their Fountain Hills, Ariz., home, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's office.

Gabrielle Dawn Schoeneweis, 39, was unresponsive when sheriff's deputies came to their home at 12:11 p.m. MST on Wednesday after responding to a call made by the couple's 14-year-old daughter.

According to the release, Gabrielle Dawn Schoeneweis was found on the floor of the master bedroom. Lindsey Smith, spokesperson for the Sheriff's office, said that there were no signs of foul play and while they are not ruling anything out, they are not treating it as a homicide at this point. More will be known once the medical examiner determines the cause of death, she said.

"Words cannot describe how shocked and saddened we are this evening," D-backs team president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement issued Wednesday evening. "This is a tragedy for the Schoeneweis family, who we naturally consider members of our family. We are here to support Scott in any way during this traumatic period in his life."

The news reached Scott Schoeneweis about an hour before the D-backs were scheduled to begin a doubleheader against the Florida Marlins in Miami. Schoeneweis immediately left the team to head back to Arizona and be with his children.

Scott and Gabrielle Dawn Schoeneweis celebrated their 10th anniversary in January. They had three children together, and she already had a daughter when they were married.

"I'm at a loss for words," D-backs manager A.J. Hinch said after Game 1 of the doubleheader. "In the baseball side of things, our families are our rocks. And as much travel as we do, as much strain as it puts on them to take care of our kids, take care of our houses, take care of our lives back home, I can't imagine what that feels like to go through for him. So, as I told the team, it's time to just give him as much support as you can and really, really tell people you love them that you do, because you never can expect something like this to happen."

Game 1 starter Doug Davis had never met Gabrielle Dawn, but his mind still couldn't help but be somewhere else as he got ready to take the mound against the Marlins.

"We're all shaken, including myself -- warm-ups and everything like that," Davis said. "Just thinking about it. You have to think about your loved ones at the same time. The first thing you want to do is call your spouse and, in my case, fiancée, and make sure everything is OK. It's tough. Like I said, I feel for him, and I definitely will pray for him."

Executive vice president and general manager Josh Byrnes said Schoeneweis will be placed on the bereavement list, and the club will eventually have to make a roster move.

Byrnes offered to have Jon Garland -- a former teammate with the White Sox -- fly back with him, but Schoeneweis preferred to be alone.

"Primarily, right now, we're just trying to support Scott any way we can," Byrnes said. "It's devastating news, and I know everyone in [the clubhouse] is taking it very hard.

"He had four kids. These guys, at their age, a lot of them have young families and they're very close with the teammates, so it's very devastating."

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez found out about the tragedy moments before the game.

"It's very, very sad, and my prayers go out to his family and the kids who found her," he said. "It's a sad day, it really is."

Added right-hander Chris Volstad, who became aware right after he came out of the game after six innings: "It's devastating. I couldn't imagine anything like that. It's a horrible situation. I'll be praying for the Schoeneweis family, for sure."

Schoeneweis was acquired by the D-backs from the Mets during the past offseason. In 19 games, he has compiled a 2.53 ERA.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel said he still considers Schoeneweis part of his family. "I mentioned that to our people, that we've got to reach out and do all we can to help support him at this time," Manuel said. "And whatever he needs from us, we'll be here for him."

Francisco Rodriguez, who was a teammate of Schoeneweis with the Angels in 2002 and 2003, said he was "speechless" when he heard the news.

"I'm sad for him," Rodriguez said. "I can't imagine what he's going through right now, all the pain he's going through."

Steve Gilbert and Alden Gonzalez are reporters for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.