Dale Long
Encyclopedia
Richard Dale Long was a first baseman
in professional baseball
. Between 1951 and 1963, Long played in Major League Baseball
with the Pittsburgh Pirates
(1951, 1955–1957), St. Louis Browns
(1951), Chicago Cubs
(1957–1959), San Francisco Giants
(1960), New York Yankees
(1960, 1962–1963) and Washington Senators
(1961–1962). He batted and threw left-handed.
A native of Springfield, Missouri
, Long turned down an offer from the Green Bay Packers
to play football
, opting instead to play baseball.
, playing for five different organizations before he debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1951, ending that season with the St. Louis Browns. After three and one-half additional seasons in the minors, Pittsburgh gave Long another chance. He hit .291 batting average
with 79 RBIs
, while collecting double-figure totals in extra-base hits
with 19 doubles
, 13 triples
, and 16 home run
s.
In 1956, Long posted career highs in home runs (27) and RBI (91), made the National League All-Star
team, and put his name in the record books by hitting eight home runs in eight consecutive games between May 19 and May 28. Since then, the mark has been matched only by Don Mattingly
(1987) and Ken Griffey, Jr.
(1993), both in the American League
, both also left-handed hitters.
Traded to the Chicago Cubs in May 1957, Long belted 55 homers for the Cubs in two and a half seasons. In 1958 he became the first left-handed-throwing catcher
since Jiggs Donahue
in 1902. Long performed this feat in a pair of Cubs losses at Wrigley Field, during the first game of a doubleheader
versus the Pirates on August 20 and on September 21 against the Los Angeles Dodgers
. In both cases, he had been shifted from first base in the ninth inning
. In 1959 he tied another home run record, when he hit back-to-back pinch-hit homers.
In 1960 Long divided his playing time between the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees. As a member of the Yankees, he faced his former Pirates team in the 1960 World Series
. The Series ended in dramatic fashion with Pittsburgh's second baseman
Bill Mazeroski
hitting a home run in Game Seven.
Long played for the Washington Senators from 1961–62, but was also on the Yankees team that won the 1962 World Series
over the Giants. He finished his playing career in 1963. Following his retirement, he served as a Yankee coach and later as an umpire
in minor league baseball
.
In a 10-season career, Long was a .267 hitter with 132 home runs and 467 RBI in 1013 games.
Dale Long died in Palm Coast, Florida
at age of 64.
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
in professional baseball
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
. Between 1951 and 1963, Long played in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(1951, 1955–1957), St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1951), Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1957–1959), San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
(1960), New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(1960, 1962–1963) and Washington Senators
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
(1961–1962). He batted and threw left-handed.
A native of Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, Long turned down an offer from the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
to play football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, opting instead to play baseball.
Career
Long spent six seasons in the minor leaguesMinor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
, playing for five different organizations before he debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1951, ending that season with the St. Louis Browns. After three and one-half additional seasons in the minors, Pittsburgh gave Long another chance. He hit .291 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with 79 RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, while collecting double-figure totals in extra-base hits
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
with 19 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 13 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, and 16 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s.
In 1956, Long posted career highs in home runs (27) and RBI (91), made the National League All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
team, and put his name in the record books by hitting eight home runs in eight consecutive games between May 19 and May 28. Since then, the mark has been matched only by Don Mattingly
Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
(1987) and Ken Griffey, Jr.
Ken Griffey, Jr.
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. , nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and during his final years, designated hitter...
(1993), both in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, both also left-handed hitters.
Traded to the Chicago Cubs in May 1957, Long belted 55 homers for the Cubs in two and a half seasons. In 1958 he became the first left-handed-throwing catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
since Jiggs Donahue
Jiggs Donahue
John Augustus "Jiggs" Donahue was a Major League Baseball player for 9 seasons from 1900-1909. Born in Springfield, Ohio, Donahue began his career as a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Milwaukee Brewers , and St...
in 1902. Long performed this feat in a pair of Cubs losses at Wrigley Field, during the first game of a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
versus the Pirates on August 20 and on September 21 against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. In both cases, he had been shifted from first base in the ninth inning
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
. In 1959 he tied another home run record, when he hit back-to-back pinch-hit homers.
In 1960 Long divided his playing time between the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees. As a member of the Yankees, he faced his former Pirates team in the 1960 World Series
1960 World Series
The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the New York Yankees of the American League from October 5 to October 13, 1960...
. The Series ended in dramatic fashion with Pittsburgh's second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Bill Mazeroski
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
hitting a home run in Game Seven.
Long played for the Washington Senators from 1961–62, but was also on the Yankees team that won the 1962 World Series
1962 World Series
The 1962 World Series matched the defending American League and World Series champions New York Yankees against the National League champion San Francisco Giants, who had won their first NL pennant since 1954 and first since moving from New York in 1958, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in a...
over the Giants. He finished his playing career in 1963. Following his retirement, he served as a Yankee coach and later as an umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
in minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
.
In a 10-season career, Long was a .267 hitter with 132 home runs and 467 RBI in 1013 games.
Dale Long died in Palm Coast, Florida
Palm Coast, Florida
Palm Coast is a city in Flagler County, Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,180; it is the most populous city or town in Flagler County. Palm Coast is a principal town of the Palm Coast, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, designated in 2007...
at age of 64.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
- List of MLB individual streaks
External links
- Baseball Library - profile and chronology
- Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers - list of left-handed throwing catchers
- Historic Baseball - obituary