[2] Devine made his Major League Baseball debut on June 27, 1973, at the age of 21,[1] starting against the San Francisco Giants and giving up 5 earned runs in 5 innings in a 6–5 loss.

Although doctors advised him to retire from baseball and return to school, Devine elected to have surgery and attempt to pitch again during spring training in 1975.

[2] Devine was part of a five-for-one trade that sent him, Ken Henderson, Dave May, Roger Moret, Carl Morton and $200,000 from the Braves to the Rangers for Jeff Burroughs on December 9, 1976.

[1] Devine was traded back to the Braves from the Rangers along with Tommy Boggs and Eddie Miller in the first four-team blockbuster deal in Major League Baseball history on December 8, 1977, that also involved the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets and a total of eleven players changing teams.

The Mets got from the Braves Willie Montañez and from the Rangers Tom Grieve and Ken Henderson who was sent to New York to complete the transaction three months later on March 15, 1978.

[1] He briefly played for the Wichita Aeros (the Rangers' Class-AAA affiliate) the following year, and was subsequently released by the organization that June.