Editing Rick Dempsey (section)

==Major league career==
[[File:NY1973H46.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Game-worn home jersey for Dempsey from 1973]]
Dempsey made his major league debut late in the [[1969 Minnesota Twins season|1969]] season for the division winning Twins managed by [[Billy Martin]], however he didn't qualify for the postseason roster.<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference"/> Dempsey spent a few more seasons shuttling between the Twins and their minor league teams, before being traded to the [[New York Yankees]] for [[Danny Walton]] on October 31, 1972.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19721031&id=6U0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uCgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2292,7829841&hl=en "Twins Obtain Danny Walton"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124203841/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19721031&id=6U0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uCgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2292,7829841&hl=en |date=2020-01-24 }} ''The Milwaukee Journal'', Tuesday, October 31, 1972</ref>

During his tenure with the Yankees, he served as a reserve catcher to [[Thurman Munson]], and received tutoring from Yankees coach and former catching standout [[Jim Hegan]].<ref name="For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense" /> He was involved in a fight with teammate [[Bill Sudakis]] in the [[Lobby (room)|lobby]] of [[The Pfister Hotel]] while the ballclub was checking in on September 29, 1974. It was the culmination of an unpleasant [[conversation]] between the two players on a one-hour flight which was delayed for three hours at [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]]. The [[1974 New York Yankees season|Yankees]] had swept a four-game series from the [[1974 Cleveland Indians season|Indians]] and were still in contention for the [[American League East]] title with two games remaining in the regular season.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/30/archives/2-yankees-in-fight-in-milwaukee.html "2 Yankees in Fight in Milwaukee," ''The New York Times'', Monday, September 30, 1974.] Retrieved July 9, 2023.</ref>

After three and a half seasons with the Yankees, the [[Baltimore Orioles]] acquired Dempsey along with [[Scott McGregor (left-handed pitcher)|Scott McGregor]], [[Tippy Martinez]], [[Rudy May]], and [[Dave Pagan]] for [[Ken Holtzman]], [[Doyle Alexander]], [[Elrod Hendricks]], [[Grant Jackson (baseball)|Grant Jackson]], and [[Jimmy Freeman]] at the [[trade deadline]] on June 15, 1976. He, McGregor and Martinez became part of a nucleus that kept the Orioles as perennial contender for the next decade.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/15/sports/murray-chass-baseball-players-swap-memories-yankees-orioles-10-player-trade.html?pagewanted=all&mcubz=2 Chass, Murray. "Players Swap Memories of Yankees-Orioles 10-Player Trade", ''The New York Times'', Sunday, June 15, 1986.] Retrieved December 24, 2022.</ref>

For the next ten and a half seasons, Dempsey was the Orioles' starting catcher.<ref name="Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher">[https://books.google.com/books?id=2y0DAAAAMBAJ&dq=baseball+digest+may+2006&pg=PA76 "Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher"], by Ed Lucas and Paul Post, ''Baseball Digest'' May 2006, Vol. 65, No. 3, ISSN 0005-609X</ref> He became known for his exceptional ability to handle pitching staffs, his strong throwing arm, and for his agility behind [[home plate]].<ref name="For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense"/> In [[1979 Baltimore Orioles season|1979]], the Orioles defeated the [[1979 California Angels season|California Angels]] in the [[1979 American League Championship Series]] to reach the World Series.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1979_ALCS.shtml 1979 American League Championship Series at Baseball Reference]</ref> In the [[1979 World Series]], the Orioles won three of the first four games against the [[1979 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]] and seemed to be on the verge of winning the championship, when the Pirates, led by [[Willie Stargell]], rebounded to win the final three games.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1979_WS.shtml 1979 World Series at Baseball Reference]</ref> It was one of Dempsey's greatest disappointments of his playing career.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=vzQDAAAAMBAJ&dq=rick+dempsey+baseball+digest&pg=PA71 "The Game I'll Never Forget"], by Rick Dempsey, ''Baseball Digest'', November 1987, Vol. 46, No. 11, ISSN 0005-609X</ref>

In [[1983 Baltimore Orioles season|1983]], the Orioles won the [[American League East|American League Eastern Division]] pennant, then defeated the [[1983 Chicago White Sox season|Chicago White Sox]] in the [[1983 American League Championship Series]], before winning the [[1983 World Series]] against the [[1983 Philadelphia Phillies season|Philadelphia Phillies]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1983_ALCS.shtml 1983 American League Championship Series] at Baseball Reference</ref><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1983_WS.shtml 1983 World Series at Baseball Reference]</ref> Dempsey posted a .385 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] 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.<ref name="Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher"/><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dempsri01.shtml#batting_postseason Rick Dempsey post-season batting statistics] at Baseball Reference</ref><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/postmvp.shtml Post-season Awards] at Baseball Reference</ref><ref name="si_1983">{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121400/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026135946/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121400/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 26, 2012|title=He Was Moe Than Philly Could Handle|last=Fimrite|first=Ron|date=October 24, 1983|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref>

In [[1987 Cleveland Indians season|1987]], Dempsey became a free agent and signed a contract to play for the Cleveland Indians.<ref name="Rick Dempsey Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac">[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=dempsri01 Rick Dempsey Trades and Transactions] at Baseball Almanac</ref> 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 [[1988 World Series|World Series]]-winning team in [[1988 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1988]], this time as a backup catcher to [[Mike Scioscia]].<ref name="Rick Dempsey at Baseball Reference"/> When Scioscia was injured during Game 4 of the World Series, Dempsey took over behind the plate for the remainder of the Series, collecting an RBI double in Game 5. While playing for the Dodgers in [[1990 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1990]], he became involved in a brawl with Phillies' center fielder [[Lenny Dykstra]], who took exception to Dempsey's "buttering up" the home plate umpire. Anticipating something happening when Dysktra came closer to him, Dempsey promptly punched him with his catcher's glove. He was suspended for one game.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dempsey Disciplined |agency=Associated Press |work=The Day |page=4 |date=22 August 1990 |access-date=12 April 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rEJHAAAAIBAJ&pg=5352,4320425&dq=rick+dempsey&hl=en}}</ref> After three seasons with the Dodgers, he played one season with the [[1991 Milwaukee Brewers season|Milwaukee Brewers]], before returning to the Baltimore Orioles for his final season in [[1992 Baltimore Orioles season|1992]].<ref name="Rick Dempsey Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac"/>

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 [[dugout (baseball)|dugout]] in stockinged feet onto the tarpaulin covering the [[Baseball field|infield]] during a rain delay and pantomimed hitting an [[inside-the-park home run]], climaxed by his sliding into home plate on his belly on the wet tarp, all to the raucous delight of the soggy fans.<ref name="Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher"/> He sometimes did this while wearing a pair of underpants over his uniform, making fun of teammate [[Jim Palmer]]'s famous advertisements for Jockey brand briefs.