It was May 28, 1989, 20 years ago next week.
"Mentally, I had sort of been thinking about it," Schmidt recalled during a recent phone conversation. " 'Might this be the end? What other sign do I need?' I was looking for a jumping-off point."
Then, just like in the movies, it happened.
The score was tied at three in the bottom of the fourth. The Giants had runners on first and second with two outs when Robby Thompson hit a grounder right at third, the kind of play Schmidt had made countless times on his way to winning 10 Gold Gloves.
Except this time, the ball went through his legs for an error to load the bases. Mike Maddux relieved starter Ken Howell. And the next batter, Will Clark, hit a grand slam.
"And I'm thinking, 'I'm really getting nothing out of this. We're not a very good team. I'm not playing near to the level that I'm comfortable with. What do I do now?' " Schmidt said.
What he did was almost unthinkable. Three-time MVPs, future Hall of Famers don't just walk away, thousands of miles away from home, in the middle of a season, without dropping a hint or bouncing the idea off a few confidants.
But that's just what Schmidt did.
"After the game, I walked into the clubhouse and it was like I was in a fog," he said. "I showered real fast, paid the clubhouse guy and went out and sat on the bus all by myself for 30 or 40 minutes to contemplate my next move."
He called his wife, Donna, and his agent. Before the chartered plane to San Diego took off, he informed manager Nick Leyva of his decision. During the flight he made his announcement to the traveling party. There was a small news conference at Jack Murphy Stadium the next day, then a larger one at Veterans Stadium when he returned to Philadelphia.
