Dale Long
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Richard Dale Long (February 6, 1926 - January 27, 1991) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1951 through 1963, Long played 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. Instead, he opted to play baseball.
[edit] Career
Long spent six seasons in minor leagues playing for five different organizations before he debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1951, ending the season with the St. Louis Browns. After three and a half more seasons in the minors, Pittsburgh gave Long another chance to play in the majors. He hit a solid .291 average with 79 RBI, collecting double figures in extra bases with 19 doubles, 13 triples and 16 home runs.
In 1956, Long posted career-highs in home runs (27) and RBI (91) and also made the National League All-Star team, but he was sure to put his name in the records books for 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.
Traded to the Chicago Cubs in May 1957, Long belted 55 homers for the Cubs in two and a half seasons. But again, he was part of the major league records. In 1958 Long became the first left-handed throwing catcher since 1924, and 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 series-winning 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.
| Preceded by none |
Homeruns in eight consecutive games May 19 - May 28, 1956 |
Succeeded by Don Mattingly |
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- Baseball Library - profile and chronology
- Baseball Reference - career statistics and analysis
- Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers - list of left handed throwing catchers
- Historic Baseball - obituary
Categories: National League All-Stars | Chicago Cubs players | New York Yankees players | Pittsburgh Pirates players | San Francisco Giants players | St. Louis Browns players | Washington Senators (1961-1971) players | Major league first basemen | People from Springfield, Missouri | Major league players from Missouri | 1926 births | 1991 deaths
