Dale Long

Dale Long
First baseman
Born: February 6, 1926(1926-02-06) Springfield, Missouri
Died: January 27, 1991(1991-01-27) (aged 64) Palm Coast, Florida
Batted: Left	Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 21, 1951 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
July 18, 1963 for the New York Yankees
Career statistics
Batting average	.267
Home runs	132
Runs batted in	467
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1951) St. Louis Browns (1951) Pittsburgh Pirates (1955–1957) Chicago Cubs (1957–1959) San Francisco Giants (1960) New York Yankees (1960) Washington Senators (1961–1962) New York Yankees (1962–1963)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star selection (1956) World Series champion (1962)

Richard Dale Long (February 6, 1926 — January 27, 1991) 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.

Career

Long spent six seasons in the minor leagues, 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 runs.

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.^[1] 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.^[2][3] 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.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball triples champions
• List of MLB individual streaks

References

1. ^ Walsh, John. "Top 10 Left-Handed Catchers for 2006," The Hardball Times, April 6, 2006.
2. ^ Pittsburgh Pirates 4, Chicago Cubs 2 (first game of doubleheader); Wednesday, August 20, 1958 at Wrigley Field (box score) – Retrosheet.
3. ^ Los Angeles Dodgers 2, Chicago Cubs 1; Sunday, September 21, 1958 at Wrigley Field (box score) – Retrosheet.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Baseball Library - profile and chronology
• Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers - list of left-handed throwing catchers
• Historic Baseball - obituary

Preceded by none	Home runs in eight consecutive games May 19–28, 1956	Succeeded by Don Mattingly
Preceded by Jiggs Donahue	Left-handed-throwing catchers in Major League Baseball 1958	Succeeded by Mike Squires

Persondata
Name	Long, Dale
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 6, 1926
Place of birth	Springfield, Missouri
Date of death	January 27, 1991
Place of death	Palm Coast, Florida