| Doug DeCinces | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born: (1950-08-29)August 29, 1950 (age 75) Burbank, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: September 9, 1973, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| NPB: April 8, 1988, for the Yakult Swallows | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: October 4, 1987, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| NPB: August 23, 1988, for the Yakult Swallows | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .259 |
| Home runs | 237 |
| Runs batted in | 879 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .244 |
| Home runs | 19 |
| Runs batted in | 44 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Douglas Vernon DeCinces (/dəˈsɪn.seɪ/də-SIN-say; born August 29, 1950) is an American former professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as athird baseman from 1973 to 1987 for theBaltimore Orioles,California Angels andSt. Louis Cardinals.[1] He also played for one season in theNippon Professional Baseball league for theYakult Swallows in 1988.
In 1982, DeCinces won theSilver Slugger Award, which is awarded annually to the bestoffensive player at eachposition, and was a member of the1983 American League All-Star team. In 2006, he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.[2]
DeCinces playedPONY League Baseball and Colt League Baseball inNorthridge, California, with fellow major league playerDwight Evans. He attended and played atMonroe High School inSepulveda, California andLos Angeles Pierce College, and is in Pierce College's Athletic Hall of Fame.[3]
DeCinces came up through the Orioles system, playing for theAsheville Orioles under managerCal Ripken Sr. DeCinces famously rescued a pre-teenCal 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.[4]
He began his major league career at the age of 23 with theBaltimore Orioles late in the1973 season.[1] When the Orioles'Hall of Fame third baseman,Brooks Robinson, retired at the end of the1977 season, DeCinces was given the difficult task of replacing the legendary player.[3] Despite initial hostility from some Orioles fans as Robinson's replacement, he endured to play for the Orioles for a total of nine seasons.[3][5]
On June 22, 1979, DeCinces hit a game-winning home run atMemorial Stadium offDetroit Tigers relieverDave 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.[6] The win has been called "the night Oriole Magic was born."[7] 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 announcersBill O'Donnell andCharley Eckman on the Orioles' radio network.[8][9] The Orioles went on to win the American League pennant in1979.
DeCinces tagged outDan Ford who was attempting to advance to third base on aforce play that ended Game 2 of the1979 American League Championship Series.[10]
In 1981, DeCinces got into a feud with teammateJim Palmer after DeCinces missed a line drive hit byAlan 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 managerEarl 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."[11] 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."[12]
Both DeCinces and Ford were exchanged for each other in a trade that also sentJeff Schneider from the Orioles to the Angels and was announced on January 28, 1982.[13] 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.[14] DeCinces' departure allowed rookieCal Ripken Jr. to become the Orioles' new startingthird baseman.[13]
In 1982, DeCinces hit three home runs in a game twice within a five day span for the Angels, first on August 3 in a 5-4 loss to theMinnesota Twins, and also on August 8 in a 9-5 victory over theSeattle Mariners. DeCinces was a member of theAmerican LeagueAll Star Team in 1983.[1]
Released by the Angels on September 23, 1987, he concluded his major league career by playing in four games for theSt. Louis Cardinals late in the 1987 season.[1]
In 1988 DeCinces played for theYakult Swallows in Japan'sNippon Pro Baseball'sCentral League.[15] His experiences in Japan led to him being hired as a consultant for the 1992 filmMr. 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.
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.[1] 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.[1] In 1982 he won the Silver Slugger Award,[1] 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.
| Years | Games | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | FLD% |
| 15 | 1649 | 6534 | 5809 | 778 | 1505 | 312 | 29 | 237 | 879 | 618 | 904 | .259 | .329 | .445 | .959 |
On August 4, 2011, DeCinces, along with three others, was charged by theSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC) withinsider trading ahead of a company buyout. In a civil suit, the SEC alleged that DeCinces and his associates made more than $1.7 million in illegal profits when Abbott Park, Ill.-basedAbbott Laboratories Inc. announced its plan to purchaseAdvanced Medical Optics Inc. through atender offer.[16] Without admitting or denying the allegations, DeCinces agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle the SEC's charges.[17]
In November 2012, DeCinces received a criminal indictment on insider trading related to the same incident and was charged with securities fraud and money laundering.[18] On May 12, 2017, after a nearly two-month trial, a federal court jury inSanta Ana, California, found him guilty on 13 felony counts.[19][20] He was also called to testify in the trial of others implicated in the insider trading case.[21] On August 12, 2019, DeCinces was sentenced to eight months of home detention and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.[22] Former Angels teammateRod Carew extolled DeCinces' charitable contributions at the sentencing, telling the court, "I am here because he has done so much more for other people".[23]
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