Dan Quisenberry, baseball player, 1979-1990

Dan Quisenberry

Born: 2/7/1953 in Santa Monica, CA, USA

Died: 9/30/1998 in Leawood, KS, USA

MLB Debut: 1979-07-08 | Final Game: 1990-04-23

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Dan Raymond Quisenberry

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Biography

Dan Quisenberry was a prominent relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1979 to 1990. Born in 1953, Quisenberry became known for his unique submarine pitching style, which set him apart in an era dominated by power pitchers. He played the majority of his career with the Kansas City Royals, where he established himself as one of the most effective closers of his time. Over his 11-year career, Quisenberry recorded a win-loss record of 56-46 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.76, showcasing his ability to consistently keep runs off the board. Quisenberry's effectiveness on the mound earned him three All-Star selections and solidified his place in baseball history. He concluded his career with a total of 379 strikeouts and 244 saves, reflecting his reliability in high-pressure situations. As a key figure during the late 1970s and 1980s, Quisenberry contributed significantly to the Royals' success, including their run to the 1985 World Series title. His contributions to the game and distinctive approach to pitching left a lasting legacy in the world of baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
56 46 674 0 0 0 244 1043.3 1064 320 59 162 379 2.76 0

Career ERA 2.76 vs. league average 3.88 across their career seasons — 28.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1979 KCR AL 3 2 32 0 0 0 5 40.0 42 14 7 13 3.15 4.00 (+21%) -
1980 KCR AL 12 7 75 0 0 0 33 128.3 129 44 27 37 3.09 3.84 (+20%) -
1981 KCR AL 1 4 40 0 0 0 18 62.3 59 12 15 20 1.73 3.58 (+52%) -
1982 KCR AL 9 7 72 0 0 0 35 136.7 126 39 12 46 2.57 3.86 (+34%) -
1983 KCR AL 5 3 69 0 0 0 45 139.0 118 30 11 48 1.94 3.87 (+50%) -
1984 KCR AL 6 3 72 0 0 0 44 129.3 121 38 12 41 2.64 3.81 (+31%) -
1985 KCR AL 8 9 84 0 0 0 37 129.0 142 34 16 54 2.37 3.89 (+39%) -
1986 KCR AL 3 7 62 0 0 0 12 81.3 92 25 24 36 2.77 3.97 (+30%) -
1987 KCR AL 4 1 47 0 0 0 8 49.0 58 15 10 17 2.76 4.29 (+36%) -
1988 KCR AL 0 1 20 0 0 0 1 25.3 32 10 5 9 3.55 3.73 (+5%) -
1988 STL NL 2 0 33 0 0 0 0 38.0 54 26 6 19 6.16 3.73 (-65%) -
1989 STL NL 3 1 63 0 0 0 6 78.3 78 23 14 37 2.64 3.71 (+29%) -
1990 SFG NL 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 6.7 13 10 3 2 13.50 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
674 6 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0.167 0.286 0.167 0.452 0.0

Career AVG .167 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 35.8% below league average.

Career OBP .286 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 11.9% below league average.

Career SLG .167 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 57.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.452 vs. league average 0.713 across their career seasons — 36.5% below 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
1979 KCR AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 KCR AL 75 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 KCR AL 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 KCR AL 72 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 KCR AL 69 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 KCR AL 72 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 KCR AL 84 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 KCR AL 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 KCR AL 47 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 KCR AL 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 STL NL 33 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1989 STL NL 63 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1990 SFG NL 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1985 ALCS KCA 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1985 WS KCA 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1984 ALCS KCA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 AWDIV KCA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1980 ALCS KCA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1980 WS KCA 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 4 18 0 3 28.0 29 10 9 8 3.21

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1985 ALCS KCA 0 1 4 0 1 4.7 7 2 0 3 3.86
1985 WS KCA 1 0 4 0 0 4.3 5 1 3 3 2.08
1984 ALCS KCA 0 1 1 0 0 3.0 2 1 1 1 3.00
1981 AWDIV KCA 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 0.00
1980 ALCS KCA 1 0 2 0 1 4.7 4 0 2 1 0.00
1980 WS KCA 1 2 6 0 1 10.3 10 6 3 0 5.23

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 674 0 97 264 13 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1979 KCA P 32 0 0 10 1 2
1980 KCA P 75 0 17 29 2 4
1981 KCA P 40 0 8 23 1 1
1982 KCA P 72 0 18 46 2 3
1983 KCA P 69 0 8 30 3 1
1984 KCA P 72 0 15 29 0 1
1985 KCA P 84 0 8 24 2 2
1986 KCA P 62 0 9 19 1 3
1987 KCA P 47 0 6 13 0 3
1988 KCA P 20 0 0 9 0 1
1988 SLN P 33 0 1 9 1 0
1989 SLN P 63 0 7 22 0 1
1990 SFN P 5 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 674

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1985 Reliever of the Year Award
1985 TSN Fireman of the Year
1984 Reliever of the Year Award
1984 TSN Fireman of the Year
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-09-16
1983 Reliever of the Year Award
1983 TSN Fireman of the Year
1982 Reliever of the Year Award
1982 TSN Fireman of the Year
1980 Reliever of the Year Award
1980 TSN Fireman of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#16
Top 20 Closers of All Time in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 16 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1990 SFN NL $100,000
1989 KCA AL $2,515,362
1989 SLN NL $62,500
1988 KCA AL $1,562,350
1987 KCA AL $1,262,350
1986 KCA AL $925,000
1985 KCA AL $975,000
Total Career Earnings $7,402,562

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Orange Coast College Costa Mesa CA 1972, 1973
University of La Verne La Verne CA 1974, 1975

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1985 Cy Young Award AL 3rd 9.0 140 0
1985 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 39.0 392 0
1984 Cy Young Award AL 2nd 71.0 140 9
1984 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 235.0 392 5
1983 Cy Young Award AL 2nd 81.0 140 9
1983 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 107.0 392 0
1982 Cy Young Award AL 3rd 40.0 140 4
1982 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 39.0 392 0
1980 Cy Young Award AL 5th 7.0 140 0
1980 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 70.0 392 0