He was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres on January 14, 1986 and placed with the Padres' minor league affiliates'. After six years of conditioning, he was called up on September 8, 1992 to make his MLB debut with the Padres. Brocail played in only three games that season. He rejoined the Padres for an additional 24 games during the 1993 season and 12 games in 1994. On December 28, 1994 Brocail was involved in one of the largest trades in MLB history, involving 12 players and sending him to the Houston Astros.

Brocail joined the Astros for 26 games during the 1995 season, winning six of those games. The following season he spent much of his time in the Astros' bullpen, after surgery to repair a right bicep tendon fray. He joined the Astros for only 23 games during the 1996 season. Prior to the season Brocail was traded to the Detroit Tigers on December 10, 1996. After joining the Tigers for their opening day game in 1996, he spent much of his next four seasons with the Tigers in their bullpen.

On December 11, 2000 the Tigers traded Brocail back to the Houston Astros. He underwent his first of two elbow surgeries on April 27, 2001, which caused him to miss the entire 2001, 2002, and 2003 regular seasons. He signed as a free agent with the Texas Rangers on February 19, 2004, finally returning to the major leagues for 43 games during the 2004 season. The same year he was also involved in an incident during a September 13 game. A fan was heckling Brocail about his stillborn child, when teammate Frank Francisco broke the fan's wife's nose with a folding chair. After the following season, he signed as a free agent woth the San Diego Padres on December 16, 2005. He joined the Padres for 25 games in the 2006 season, before undergoing Angioplasty on March 11, 2006. Brocail returned to the Padres for 67 games during the 2007 season.

On November 26, 2007 Brocail signed a one year contract with the Houston Astros, where he is expected to be on the full roster for the 2008 season. Fast Facts:

1. Full name: Douglas Keith Brocail
2. Birthdate: May 16, 1967
3. Birth Place: Clearfield, Pennsylvania
4. Uniform Number: 26
5. Position: Relief Pitcher
6. Bats/Throws: Left/Right
7. Underwent Angioplasty on March 11, 2006 after complaining of chest tightness that radiated into both arms