Rich Dauer, Orioles World Series champion, dead at 72

Legendary Orioles second baseman Rich Dauer died at the age of 72, the ballclub announced on Monday. 

No cause of death was announced. 

Dauer spent all 10 years of his MLB career in Baltimore and was a member of the 1983 World Series team, which included the beloved Orioles player having a career game in Game 4 of the series against the Phillies where he had three hits. 

He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2012 and has also been enshrined in the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021. 

During his playing career, Dauer hit .257/.310/.343 while adding 43 home runs and six stolen bases. 

He made two appearances in the World Series with the Orioles in 1979 and 1983 and helped Southern Cal win two College World Series. 

Dauer eventually began coaching with stops in Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Colorado and served as the first base coach for the Astros when they won the World Series in 2017. 

“We all loved him, because he was Richie Dauer,” Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer told the Baltimore Banner. “If you don’t have teammates like that, I don’t get to the Hall of Fame. We don’t win a lot of games. We don’t go to the World Series. And that’s what the Orioles were about, so he’ll be missed, because he had such a vibrant personality.”

Dauer was beloved by his teammates not just for his play on the field, but also for the personality he had in the locker room. 

He had been nicknamed “Wacko” during his playing days in “Charm City.” 

“If you just kind of look at the stats, it doesn’t tell the whole story,” Palmer said. “He was such a good guy. Such a great presence.” 

Dauer did suffer a medical scare in recent years when nearly died during the Astros’ World Series parade when he suffered an acute subdural hematoma.