John Rikard Dempsey is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former
professionalBaseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. He played for 24 seasons as a
catcherCatcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
in
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
from to , most notably for the
Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. Dempsey was known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era.
Major League career
Dempsey was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 15th round of the
1967 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1967 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :The June draft was filled with talented prospects who would go on to pro careers...
out of
Crespi Carmelite High SchoolCrespi Carmelite High School, called Crespi, is a private, Roman Catholic, four-year college preparatory all-male high school located in Encino, California in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles...
. After two seasons in the
minor leaguesMinor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
, he made his major league debut late in the
1969Led by new manager Billy Martin, the Minnesota Twins won the newly formed American League West with a 97-65 record, nine games over the second-place Oakland Athletics...
season for the
pennantA pennant is a commemorative flag typically used to show support for a particular athletic team. Pennants have been historically used in all types of athletic levels: high school, collegiate, professional etc. Traditionally, pennants were made of felt and fashioned in the official colors of a...
-winning Twins managed by
Billy MartinAlfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
, however he didn't qualify for the post-season roster. Dempsey spent a few more seasons shuttling between the Twins and their minor league teams, before being traded to the New York Yankees in October 1972. During his tenure with the Yankees, he served as a reserve catcher to
Thurman MunsonThurman Lee Munson was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees...
, and received tutoring from Yankees coach and former catching standout,
Jim HeganJames Edward Hegan was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played for seventeen seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to and from to , most notably for the Cleveland Indians. After his playing career was over, he became a coach and scout in a baseball...
. After three and a half seasons with the Yankees, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in June
1976The 1976 Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing second in the American League East with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses.- Offseason :...
, where manager
Earl WeaverEarl Sidney Weaver is a former Major League Baseball manager. He spent his entire 17-year managerial career with the Baltimore Orioles . Weaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.-Playing career:After playing for Beaumont High School in St...
made him the Orioles' starting catcher.
For the next ten and a half seasons, Dempsey would remain as the Orioles' starting catcher. He became known for his exceptional ability to handle pitching staffs, his strong throwing arm, and for his agility behind
home plateHome Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
. In
1979The 1979 Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. The Orioles finished first in the American League East division of Major League Baseball with a record of 102 wins and 57 losses...
, the Orioles defeated the
California AngelsThe 1979 California Angels season involved the Angels finishing first in the American League West with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses. They went on to lose to the Baltimore Orioles in the 1979 American League Championship Series, three games to one....
in the
1979 American League Championship Series-Game 1:Wednesday, October 3, 1979 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandGame 1 was a match-up of Nolan Ryan in his final season with the Angels, and Jim Palmer for the Orioles. The Angels jumped out to the early lead when Dan Ford homered in the top of the first. The Angels extended the lead...
to reach the World Series. In the
1979 World SeriesThe 1979 World Series matched the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates against the American League's Baltimore Orioles , with the Pirates coming back from a three games to one deficit to win the Series in seven games...
, the Orioles won three of the first four games against the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates had 98 wins and 64 losses and captured the National League East Division title by two games over the Montreal Expos. The Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds to win their ninth National League title, and the Baltimore Orioles to win their fifth World Series title - and also...
and seemed to be on the verge of winning the championship, when the Pirates, led by
Willie StargellWilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell , nicknamed "Pops" in the later years of his career, was a Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
, rebounded to win the final three games. It was one of Dempsey's greatest disappointments of his playing career.
The highlight of his career came in
1983The Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing 1st in the American League East with a record of 98 wins and 64 losses...
, when the Orioles won the
American League Eastern DivisionThe American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
pennant, then defeated the
Chicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the White Sox winning the American League West championship. It marked their first postseason appearance since the 1959 World Series.-Offseason:...
in the
1983 American League Championship Series-Game 1:Wednesday, October 5, 1983 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandPlaying in their first postseason game since the 1959 World Series, the White Sox jumped out to a 1–0 series lead behind a complete-game victory by Hoyt, the American League Cy Young Award winner...
, before winning the
1983 World Series-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1983 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandJohn Denver, whose Thank God I'm a Country Boy was played at the seventh-inning stretch of each Orioles home game, sang the National Anthem prior to this game....
against the
Philadelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies season involved the Phillies winning the National League East Division title with a record of 90-72, six games over the Pittsburgh Pirates...
. Dempsey posted a .385
batting averageBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
along with a .923
slugging percentage in the five-game series, and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, one of six catchers to have won the award.
In
1987The Cleveland Indians finished in seventh place in the American League East. Sports Illustrated magazine predicted that the Indians would finish in first. Club president Peter Bavasi's would resign before the regular season began. Bavasi had joined the Indians in November 1984. As president of the...
, Dempsey became a free agent and signed a contract to play for the Cleveland Indians. After only one season with the Indians, he became a free agent once again and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he would be a member of another
World Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 15, 1988 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaBecause of using ace Orel Hershiser in Game 7 of the NLCS, the Dodgers had to open with rookie Tim Belcher in Game 1. Meanwhile, Oakland sent a well-rested Dave Stewart to the mound. Both pitchers, however, would have...
-winning team in
1988The 1988 season was a memorable one for the Dodgers as a squad that was picked to finish fourth wound up winning the World Series, beating the heavily favored New York Mets and Oakland Athletics on the way. Kirk Gibson carried the Dodger offense, winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award...
, this time as a back up catcher to
Mike SciosciaMichael Lorri Scioscia is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He has worked in that capacity since the 2000 season, and is the longest-tenured manager in Major League Baseball....
. While playing for the Dodgers in
1990The Dodgers finished in second place to the Cincinnati Reds in the 1990 National League Western Division race, as the teams pitching staff led the majors with 29 complete games...
, he became involved in a brawl with Phillies' center fielder
Lenny DykstraLeonard Kyle "Lenny" Dykstra , nicknamed "Nails" and "Dude", is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. Dykstra played for the New York Mets during the late 1980s before playing for the Philadelphia Phillies during the early 1990s....
, who took exception to Dempsey's fraternization with the home plate umpire. After three seasons with the Dodgers, he played one season with the
Milwaukee BrewersThe 1991 Milwaukee Brewers season involved the Brewers' finishing 4th in the American League East with a record of 83 wins and 79 losses.-Offseason:* March 14, 1991: Dave Parker was traded by the Brewers to the California Angels for Dante Bichette....
, before returning to the Baltimore Orioles for his final season in
1992The Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing third in the American League East with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses....
.
His sense of humor during his playing career was renowned, and he was famous for his "rain delay theatre" performances, in which he emerged from the
dugoutIn baseball, the dugout is a team's bench area and is located in foul territory between home plate and either first or third base. There are two dugouts, one for the home team and one for the visiting team. In general, the dugout is occupied by all players not prescribed to be on the field at that...
in stockinged feet onto the tarpaulin covering the
infieldA baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
during a rain delay and pantomimed hitting an
inside-the-park home runIn baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run, "leg home run", or "quadruple", is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of play.-Discussion:...
, climaxed by his sliding into home plate on his belly on the wet tarp, all to the raucous delight of the soggy fans. He sometimes did this while wearing a pair of underpants over his uniform, making fun of teammate
Jim PalmerJames Alvin "Jim" Palmer , nicknamed "Cakes", is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in .As of 2008, Palmer and his wife Susan have homes in Palm Beach, Florida, and...
's famous advertisements for Jockey brand briefs.
Career statistics
In a 24 year career, Dempsey played in 1765
gamesGames played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
, accumulating 1093
hitsIn baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in 4692 at bats for a .233 career batting average along with 96
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 471 runs batted in. He ended his career with a .988
fielding percentageIn baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
. Dempsey led American League catchers twice in fielding percentage, twice in baserunners
caught stealingIn baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder while making the attempt...
and once in
assistsIn baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
. He played more games as a catcher than any other player in Orioles history (1230). During his career, Dempsey caught ten different twenty game winning
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
s. He was a durable player, only going on the
disabled listIn Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
twice in his career.
While he was a light-hitting player, Dempsey's lengthy major league career was due in part to his excellent defensive skills. He usually did not make a large contribution offensively; he holds the major league record for the most seasons with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title with less than 50 runs or RBI, with 22. During his season with the Brewers, Dempsey made two relief pitching appearances, giving three hits and one run in two innings pitched. Dempsey also won a
Little League World SeriesThe Little League Baseball World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 to 13 years old. It was originally called the National Little League Tournament and was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. It was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South...
in 1963 with the team from Canoga Park-Woodland Hills, California. He is the uncle of major league catcher
Gregg ZaunGregory Owen "Gregg" Zaun is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He is the nephew of former MLB catcher Rick Dempsey. Zaun was a high school teammate of Mark Loretta...
. Dempsey is one of only 32 players to play in four different calendar decades.
Coaching and broadcasting career
After his playing career ended, Dempsey became a minor league
managerIn baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in the Los Angeles Dodgers organisation, winning the 1994
Pacific Coast LeagueThe Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
championship with the Triple-A
Albuquerque DukesThe Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.-History:The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class-D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Frank Huelman was the league leader in home runs,...
. He then joined the New York Mets organisation, managing the
Norfolk TidesThe Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team in the Triple-A International League. They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Since 2007 they have been a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles; prior to that, they had a 38-year affiliation with the New York Mets.-Franchise history:The...
in 1997 and 1998. Dempsey also served as first base
coachIn baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
for the Orioles for several seasons, first as a third base coach in the season after bench coach
Sam PerlozzoSamuel Benedict Perlozzo is a former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball, most recently with the Baltimore Orioles...
was promoted to interim manager. He assumed the
bullpenIn baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
coach position in the season, replacing
Elrod HendricksElrod Jerome "Ellie" Hendricks was a catcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Hendricks played during a 12-year career that lasted from through for the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees...
who the team intended to reassign to another position in the organization before his death. Later in 2006, he became the first base coach again when the team reassigned
Dave CashDavid Cash, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played in the National League for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies , Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres .Cash established himself as a solid singles hitter and a good defensive second baseman in his seasons with...
.
Dempsey has been a candidate for managerial openings with the Orioles in the past, as recently as when the Orioles interviewed him for the spot that eventually went to
Lee MazzilliLee Louis Mazzilli, , is a former Major League Baseball player, coach, and manager. On December 11, 2006, he was hired as the lead studio analyst for SportsNet New York, the New York Mets' cable television network...
. He was mentioned again as a possible candidate for the Baltimore manager's job in 2010, after the firing of
Dave TrembleyDavid Michael Trembley is a former manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Before managing the Orioles Trembley was a minor league manager for twenty seasons compiling a 1369–1413 record. He won two league titles and earned Manager of the Year awards in three leagues...
.
Dempsey also served as an Oriole
color commentatorA color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
in 2000 and began another stint in 2007, as the studio analyst for
O's Xtra on MASN, the cable channel that carries Orioles games. In addition, he serves as a game analyst for occasional games on MASN. In 1985,
Dick EnbergRichard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
was in
TorontoCanadian National Exhibition Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
for Games 1 and 7 of the
1985 ALCS-Game 1:Tuesday, October 8, 1985 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, OntarioThe Toronto Blue Jays entered the series as the favorite to win the series. The first game featured Toronto pitcher Dave Stieb and Kansas City pitcher Charlie Leibrandt at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto...
on NBC. Enberg hosted the
pregame showMajor League Baseball: An Inside Look was a pregame show for NBC's Game of the Week telecasts. It featured one-on-one interviews with the players, and other on-going news and notes relating to Major League Baseball...
alongside Dempsey (who was still active with
BaltimoreThe Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing 4th in the American League East with a record of 83 wins and 78 losses.-Offseason:* October 2, 1984: Tom Underwood was released by the Baltimore Orioles....
at the time). In 1995, Dempsey worked as a field reporter for ABC's coverage of the
All-Star GameThe 1995 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 66th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 11, 1995 at The Ballpark in Arlington in Arlington, Texas, the...
from Texas.
External links