Duchscherer (nickname: "The Duke of Hurl") was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 8th round (241st overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft out of Coronado High School in Lubbock, Texas.

As Duchscherer continued to struggle in the low levels of the minor leagues, he was beginning to look more like a roster filler than a big-league prospect.

He finished the year pitching well with the Texas organization, going 4-0 for Double-A Tulsa and sporting a 2.84 ERA after his call-up to Triple-A Oklahoma.

On September 9, 2003, he made a start for the A's in place of ace Mark Mulder against the Anaheim Angels in the heat of a tight division race.

He finished the year with 7 wins out of the bullpen and a 2.21 ERA as the top setup man for rookie closer Huston Street.

[1] On December 30, 2009, Duchscherer signed a one-year contract with a base salary of $2 million, with another $3.5 million with incentives with the Oakland Athletics[2] Duchscherer made 5 starts for Oakland in the first month of the 2010 season, posting a 2–1 record with a 2.89 ERA, but went on the disabled list in May and missed the remainder of the season.