Palacios began his professional career in the
Mexican League in 1983 for the
Rojos del Águila de Veracruz. In 1984, he was purchased from Veracruz by the
Chicago White Sox, but after two seasons with their double-A farm team, the
Glens Falls White Sox, he was released. He was then signed by the Pirates, making his debut with them in September 1987. He was a member of the Pirates
National League East division champions for three straight seasons, from 1990 to 1992. After being released by the Pirates following the 1992 season, Palacios was signed by the Cardinals. After spending
spring training with the Padres, he returned to Mexico for a season before signing with the Cardinals. He spent two seasons with St. Louis before being released after the 1995 season. After returning to Mexico once more for three years, he was picked up by the
New York Mets in July 1999, appearing in seven games for their
Norfolk Tides affiliate. He became a free agent after the season, signing with the Padres. He made his final major league appearance in May 2000, and was released that August. He was picked up by the
Chicago Cubs, finishing the year with the triple-A
Iowa Cubs. He returned to Mexico once more in 2001, playing for the
Saraperos de Saltillo, the
Piratas de Campeche, and finally the
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in 2003 before retiring at age 40. In 8
Major League Baseball seasons, Palacios had a 17–20 win–loss record. He appeared in 134 games, including 44
games started, 2 of which were
complete games, both
shutouts. In his 90 relief appearances, he
finished 26 games, including 7
saves. In 372
innings pitched, Palacios allowed 348
hits, including 44
home runs. He gave 190 runs, 183 of them
earned runs for an
earned run average of 4.43. He
walked 158 batters while
striking out 270. ==Coaching career==