Doug Cinnella

Douglas Wachtler Cinnella

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• School Seton Hall University
• High School Paramus High School

• Born February 2, 1964 in Paramus, NJ USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Doug Cinnella played in the minor leagues from 1986 to 1992. He was taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the 4th round of the 1986 amateur draft out of Seton Hall University, one pick after pitcher Kent Bottenfield.

He began his career with a 2-6 record and 2.78 ERA in 68 innings for the Newark Orioles in 1986. On July 23rd, he tossed a no-hitter against the Oneonta Yankees, then on August 3rd, he no-hit the Auburn Astros, so his first two professional wins were the result of a no-no! He had a down year in 1987 (6.23 ERA) and on February 16, 1988, he was traded with pitcher John Hoover and minor league hurler Rick Carriger to the Montreal Expos for pitcher Jay Tibbs and minor league pitcher Al Cardwood. He was 9-9 with a 2.41 ERA in his first year in the Expos system, then was 6-10 with a 3.84 mark in 1989 — and was on the move again. Seeing he was not moving up in the Expos' loaded farm system, he asked for his release and was signed as a free agent by the New York Mets before the 1990 season. He went 6-3 with a 2.27 ERA in 40 games (8 starts) for the Double A Jackson Mets that year. He reached Triple A in 1991 and 1992, going a combined 2-5 with a 3.16 mark in 22 games (5 starts) there, but never made it to the majors.

Cinnella ended his career with Nettuno in Serie A1 in 1992, going 9-2 with a 2.42 ERA. He tied Fulvio Valle, Ed Vosberg and Maurizio De Sanctis for 5th in wins. He tried to catch on as a replacement player for the New York Yankees in the spring of 1995, but when the strike was resolved, he was let go. He then sued the Yankees for unpaid wages, and settled with them out of court as the team wanted to avoid a potentially costly precedent.

Overall, Cinnella was 31-43 with a 3.32 ERA in 172 games (78 starts) in the minors. After his playing career, he became the founder and president of Professional Baseball Instruction, a baseball academy in New Jersey. He also served as the pitching coach of Mahwah High School under coach Jeff Remo, a former minor league catcher and close friend who is an instructor at PBI. He is a member of Seton Hall's Hall of Fame.

Further Reading

• Kevin T. Czerwinski: "Cinnella threw no-hitters for first two wins: Orioles righty launched career with 1-0, 4-0 NYPL feats in 1986", MiLB.com, November 3, 2019. [1]