Minor leagues DeCinces came up through the Orioles system, playing for the
Asheville Orioles under manager
Cal Ripken Sr. DeCinces famously rescued a pre-teen
Cal Ripken Jr. during a pre-game incident involving a teenager firing a rifle into the air adjacent to the stadium where the Orioles played, causing panic amongst those on the field. Ripken Jr. (who was the team's bat boy at the time) was taken away to safety by DeCinces when the gunshots began.
Baltimore Orioles He began his major league career at the age of 23 with the
Baltimore Orioles late in the
1973 season. On June 22, 1979, DeCinces hit a game-winning home run at
Memorial Stadium off
Detroit Tigers reliever
Dave Tobik. The Orioles were trailing the Tigers 5-3 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. With one out,
Ken Singleton hit a solo home run off Tobik to bring the Orioles within one.
Eddie Murray reached base on a single, and, with two outs, DeCinces hit a two-run home run to give the Orioles a 6–5 victory. The win has been called "the night Oriole Magic was born." DeCinces said years later that the game and his home run "triggered something" and that "the emotion just multiplied from there," adding that the ensuing atmosphere of excitement was in no small part due to the excited call of the home run by announcers
Bill O'Donnell and
Charley Eckman on the Orioles' radio network. The Orioles went on to win the American League pennant in
1979. DeCinces tagged out
Dan Ford who was attempting to advance to third base on a
force play that ended Game 2 of the
1979 American League Championship Series. In 1981, DeCinces got into a feud with teammate
Jim Palmer after DeCinces missed a line drive hit by
Alan Trammell in a game against the Tigers. According to DeCinces, Palmer "was cussing me out and throwing his hands in the air" after the play. "Those balls have to be caught," Palmer told a paper. "Doug is reluctant to get in front of a ball." "I'd like to know where Jim Palmer gets off criticizing others," DeCinces responded. "Ask anybody–they're all sick of it. We're a twenty-four man team–and one prima donna. He thinks it's always someone else's fault." The feud simmered until June, when manager
Earl Weaver said, "I see no cause for concern. The third baseman wants the pitcher to do a little better and the pitcher wants the third baseman to do a little better. I hope we can all do better and kiss and make up...The judge gave me custody of both of them." Palmer ultimately blamed Robinson for the dispute: "If Brooks hadn't been the best third-baseman of all time, the rest of the Orioles wouldn't have taken it for granted that any ball hit anywhere within the same county as Brooks would be judged perfectly, fielded perfectly, and thrown perfectly, nailing (perfectly) what seemed like every single opposing batter."
California Angels in 1986 Both DeCinces and Ford were exchanged for each other in a trade that also sent
Jeff Schneider from the Orioles to the Angels and was announced on January 28, 1982. The deal was delayed when Ford requested additional compensation because the Orioles were not one of six teams listed in his contract to which he could be traded without approval. The transaction became official upon his approval two days later on January 30. DeCinces' departure allowed rookie
Cal Ripken Jr. to become the Orioles' new starting
third baseman. He hit a home run in his first at-bat for the Swallows when they played the
Yomiuri Giants in the very first game of the
Tokyo Dome. His experiences in Japan led to him being hired as a consultant for the 1992 film
Mr. Baseball, about a veteran American ballplayer who is traded to a Japanese baseball club and is forced to contend with overwhelming expectations and cultural differences during the team's run at the pennant.
Career summary and statistics DeCinces played for 15 seasons (1973–1987) in the major leagues for three different teams, including nine years with the Orioles and six years with the Angels. He twice finished in the top 25 voting for the American League Most Valuable Player, finishing third in 1982 and 11th in 1986 while playing for the California Angels. In 1982 he won the Silver Slugger Award, and in 23 postseason games, including three ALCS series and one World Series, he batted .270 (24-for-89) with 13 runs, 2 home runs and 9 RBI. DeCinces was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame on August 26, 2006. ==Insider trading trial==