Former beloved Baltimore Orioles second baseman, an MLB lifer, has died

Jim Palmer, a former teammate and pitching great, should not be told that Rich Dauer was a typical standout during his ten-year career with the Baltimore Orioles.

Palmer, a Hall of Famer, told the Baltimore Banner, “We all loved him because he was Richie Dauer.” I wouldn’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame if I didn’t have teammates like that. We don’t have many victories. The World Series is not something we attend. He had such a lively personality, and that’s what the Orioles were all about. He will be missed.

Dauer, a second baseman who played for the Birds and won a World Series in 1983, passed away. His age was 72.

The reason of death was not disclosed.

The San Bernardino, California native was selected 24th overall in the 1974 MLB Draft, despite having unimpressive numbers when playing for the Orioles (his slash line was.257/.310/.343 with only 43 career homers).

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In 1977, he was promoted to the Orioles’ everyday second base and gained a stellar defensive reputation. He actually set two single-season fielding records in the American League a year later, including 425 consecutive error-free chances and 86 consecutive error-free games.

In 1979, Dauer helped the Birds make it to the World Series, and four years later, he helped the Orioles win it all with a World Series triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies. During his collegiate career, Dauer helped Southern Cal win two College World Series titles.

When he concluded with three hits in Game 4 of the 1983 World Series, he may have played his signature game.

After playing, he became a longtime instructor and worked in Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Colorado before joining the Astros in the first-base box for their 2017 championship run.

Dauer received inductions into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2012.

According to Wikipedia, Dauer sustained a head injury during the 2017 Astros celebratory parade that necessitated emergency brain surgery, resulting in a subdural hematoma.