Dale Long

Born: 2/6/1926 in Springfield, MO, USA

Died: 1/27/1991 in Palm Coast, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1951-04-21 | Final Game: 1963-07-18

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Richard Dale Long

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Biography

Dale Long was a professional baseball player born in 1926, who made significant contributions to the sport during his career from 1951 to 1963. As a position player, Long appeared in 1,013 games across various teams, showcasing his versatility and skill at the plate. He accumulated a total of 805 hits, 132 home runs, and 467 runs batted in, finishing his career with a respectable batting average of .267. Long also demonstrated speed on the bases with 10 stolen bases, adding another dimension to his offensive game. Long's most notable achievement came in 1956 when he was selected as an All-Star, highlighting his status as one of the prominent players of his era. He played during a period of transition in Major League Baseball, navigating the changing dynamics of the game in the post-war era, which saw the emergence of power hitters and a shift in playing styles. Long's ability to produce consistent offensive numbers and his contributions to his teams left a lasting impact, solidifying his legacy in the history of the sport. He retired on July 18, 1963, leaving behind a career marked by determination and achievement.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1013	3020	384	805	135	33	132	467	10	353	460	0.267	0.341	0.464	0.805	6322.8

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .341 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .464 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — +18.9% above league average.

Career OPS 0.805 vs. league average 0.716 across their career seasons — +12.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1951	PIT	NL	10	12	1	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	3	0.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	SLA	AL	34	105	11	25	5	1	2	11	0	10	22	0.238	.260 (-9%)	.336 (-8%)	.385 (-6%)	.721 (-7%)	0.0
1955	PIT	NL	131	419	59	122	19	13	16	79	0	48	72	0.291	.258 (+13%)	.332 (+9%)	.393 (+30%)	.726 (+21%)	1600.4
1956	PIT	NL	148	517	64	136	20	7	27	91	1	54	85	0.263	.258 (+2%)	.331 (-1%)	.397 (+22%)	.728 (+11%)	976.6
1957	PIT	NL	7	22	0	4	1	0	0	5	0	4	10	0.182	—	—	—	—	0.0
1957	CHC	NL	123	397	55	121	19	0	21	62	1	52	63	0.305	.257 (+18%)	.323 (+18%)	.391 (+31%)	.715 (+25%)	0.0
1958	CHC	NL	142	480	68	130	26	4	20	75	2	66	64	0.271	.257 (+5%)	.324 (+10%)	.394 (+18%)	.719 (+15%)	1456.4
1959	CHC	NL	110	296	34	70	10	3	14	37	0	31	53	0.236	.256 (-8%)	.323 (-6%)	.392 (+10%)	.715 (+3%)	107.7
1960	SFG	NL	37	54	4	9	0	0	3	6	0	7	7	0.167	.255 (-35%)	.323 (-19%)	.387 (-14%)	.711 (-16%)	-145.2
1960	NYY	AL	26	41	6	15	3	1	3	10	0	5	6	0.366	—	—	—	—	-145.2
1961	WS2	AL	123	377	52	94	20	4	17	49	0	39	41	0.249	.258 (-3%)	.328 (-3%)	.399 (+15%)	.727 (+7%)	355.9
1962	WS2	AL	67	191	17	46	8	0	4	24	5	18	22	0.241	.257 (-7%)	.326 (-6%)	.393 (-12%)	.719 (-9%)	-316.4
1962	NYY	AL	41	94	12	28	4	0	4	17	1	18	9	0.298	.257 (+16%)	.326 (+24%)	.393 (+19%)	.719 (+21%)	-316.4
1963	NYY	AL	14	15	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
5	8	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	0.250

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1962	WS	NYA	2	5	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0.200
1960	WS	NYA	3	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	819	747	6960	550	88	672
C	2	0	0	1	0	0
OF	1	0	0	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1951	PIT	1B	1	0	8	0	0	0
1951	SLA	1B	28	0	227	19	3	23
1951	SLA	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1955	PIT	1B	119	116	968	97	13	114
1956	PIT	1B	138	136	1201	99	24	92
1957	PIT	1B	7	6	54	5	0	6
1957	CHN	1B	104	103	908	72	5	81
1958	CHN	1B	137	135	1173	84	10	130
1958	CHN	C	2	0	0	1	0	0
1959	CHN	1B	85	72	731	49	12	63
1960	SFN	1B	10	8	73	6	0	5
1960	NYA	1B	11	6	78	4	1	3
1961	WS2	1B	95	94	827	62	15	87
1962	WS2	1B	51	47	459	32	2	46
1962	NYA	1B	31	23	242	21	2	21
1963	NYA	1B	2	1	11	0	1	1