Paul Lo Duca’s marriage to ex-wife Sonia Lo Duca fell apart amid scandal in 2006.
Highlights
- Paul Lo Duca’s marriage to his ex-wife, Sonia Lo Duca, ended publicly in 2006 after she filed for divorce, citing adultery, amid allegations of his involvement with multiple younger women.
- Alongside infidelity claims, Lo Duca faced media scrutiny for his gambling habits, though he denied having a gambling problem despite his known passion for horse racing.
- Despite the personal scandal, Lo Duca’s on-field performance improved, with him batting .413 after his ex-wife filed for divorce, showing resilience amid the controversy.
Paul Anthony Lo Duca built an impressive Major League Baseball career spanning a decade.
Born on April 12, 1972, Lo Duca worked his way up from being a walk-on at Glendale Community College to becoming a four-time MLB All-Star catcher.
His college career peaked at Arizona State University, where he set school records with a .446 batting average and 129 hits.
This outstanding performance earned him The Sporting News Player of the Year award in 1993.
Despite being selected in the 25th round of the 1993 MLB Draft, Lo Duca spent years developing in the minor leagues.
His breakthrough came in 2001 with the Los Angeles Dodgers at age 29, when he hit 25 home runs, drove in 90 RBIs, and maintained a .320 batting average.
Lo Duca earned a reputation as an excellent contact hitter.
In 2002, only Jason Kendall struck out less frequently. His 25-game hitting streak in 2003 ranks as the second-longest in Dodgers history.
His MLB journey took him to the Florida Marlins in 2004, the New York Mets in 2006, and briefly to the Washington Nationals.
With the Mets, Lo Duca reached the playoffs for the first time and hit .318, his highest average since 2001.
After retirement, Lo Duca transitioned to broadcasting, becoming a horse racing analyst for TVG Network and later joining Barstool Sports as a gambling analyst in 2019.
Paul Lo Duca’s Ex-Wife Sonia Filed For Divorce After Allegations Of Infidelity Surfaced
Paul Lo Duca’s personal life became tabloid fodder in 2006 when his marriage to former Playboy model Sonia Lo Duca unraveled publicly.
The couple had married in 2000 and shared a daughter who was just 20 months old when their relationship collapsed.
Sonia filed for divorce in June 2006, specifically citing adultery as the grounds.
According to court documents, the couple had stopped living together as husband and wife around April 19 of that year.
The divorce filing coincided with serious allegations about Lo Duca’s personal conduct.
A 19-year-old college student named Krista Guterman came forward, claiming she had been dating Lo Duca since April.
Guterman told the New York Post that she met the baseball star at a Long Island club during an “18 and over” night. Guterman stated in her interview,
“He’s fun – for an older man. I didn’t know he was married. If I knew he was married, I wouldn’t have dated him.”
Sportskeeda
She claimed Lo Duca had told her he was already divorced when they began their relationship.
The situation became more complicated when another young woman, Christina Alisio, also 19, alleged she had been involved with Lo Duca since the previous year.
Alisio said she met Lo Duca at a horse-racing betting parlor where she worked as a teller.
Lo Duca attempted to manage the public relations crisis. Talking about his relationship with Sonia, he said,
“We’re great friends, and the issue here is my daughter. I love my daughter more than anything in the world, and I love my wife. We just decided we’re parting ways, bottom line.”
ABCNews
The media scrutiny intensified when gambling allegations surfaced alongside the infidelity claims.
Lo Duca acknowledged betting on horse races but denied having a gambling problem. Talking to reporters at Shea Stadium, he said,
“I like horses. I own thoroughbreds. I breed them. It’s something I want to do. It’s my love.”
NYPost
The Mets organization stood by their player during this turbulent time. The team stated,
“We urge Paul to focus on baseball, and we support him through this difficult period in his life.”
augustachronicle
Interestingly, Lo Duca’s on-field performance actually improved amid the personal turmoil.
He batted an exceptional .413 after July 1, 2006 – the day after Sonia filed for divorce.
Years later, Lo Duca expressed remorse for his actions. He acknowledged breaking his wife’s trust and the damage his behavior caused to his family.
The divorce was finalized, and both parties moved forward with their lives separately.
Additional Information
- Lo Duca played in the Australian Baseball League with the Adelaide Giants during the 1995-96 off-season as part of his development in the Dodgers organization.
- In 2019, MLB umpire Joe West successfully sued Lo Duca for defamation over comments made on a podcast about allegedly receiving favorable strike zones, resulting in a $500,000 judgment against Lo Duca.
- Lo Duca was named in the Mitchell Report (2007) regarding steroid use in baseball, with evidence suggesting he received human growth hormone from a Mets clubhouse attendant and later acknowledged his PED use in a 2013 tweet.
