Dan Quisenberry was one of the greatest relief pitchers of the 1980s, and he helped revolutionize the role of the closer in baseball. Here is a rundown of facts you need to know about the legendary Kansas City Royals reliever.
(Check out our posts about Dan Quisenberry baseball cards.)
Dan Quisenberry was a professional baseball player and one of the great relief pitchers in the Major League history.
Dan Quisenberry was born on February 7, 1953.
Quisenberry was born in Santa Monica, California.
Quisenberry’s full name was Daniel Raymond Quisenberry.
Quisenberry played for the Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco.
Quisenberry was a relief pitcher.
Dan Quisenberry was 6 feet 2 inches tall.
Quisenberry weighed 170 pounds during his playing career.
Quisenberry’s nickname was “Quiz.”
Quisenberry was a right-handed pitcher.
Quisenberry started his professional career in 1975.
Quisenberry played for the Waterloo Royals, among other teams, in the minor leagues.
Quisenberry made his Major League debut on July 8, 1979.
Quisenberry’s career ERA was 2.76.
Quisenberry had 244 saves in his career.
Quisenberry played in three All-Star games.
Quisenberry’s best season was arguably 1983, where he had 45 saves and a 1.94 ERA.
Yes, Quisenberry won the World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 1985.
Yes, Quisenberry won the Rolaids Relief Man Award five times in his career.
Quisenberry’s signature pitch was the sinker, delivered with his submariner motion.
His strikeout to walk ratio was 3.34.
Yes, Quisenberry led the league in saves five times.
Quisenberry played in the Major Leagues for 12 seasons.
Yes, Quisenberry pitched in six postseason series across four years (1980, 1981, 1984, 1985).
Yes, Quisenberry pitched 4.1 innings in the 1985 World Series while allowing a single earned run.
No, Quisenbery never started a game in the majors.
Quinsenberry never completed a game in the majors during his career.
Quisenberry’s win-loss record was 56-46.
Yes, Quisenberry was also known as “Q.”
Quisenberry pitched 1,043.1 innings in his career.
Yes, Quisenberry had a torn rotator cuff in 1990 that limited his effectiveness in his final season.
No, Quisenberry has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Dan Quisenberry retired from baseball in 1990.
Among other things, Quisenberry became a poet and published a book of poetry.
Quisenberry’s poetry book was titled “On Days Like This.”
No. Though Quisenberry was an occasional guest on Royals broadcasts, he was never a broadcaster after retiring from baseball.
Yes, in 1984, Quisenberry and his wife Janie establishe the Quisenberry Relief Fund to benefit the Harvesters Food Bank, a Kansas City organization established in 1979 to combat hunger.
Did Dan Quisenberry have any children?
No, neither of Quisenberry’s children became professional athletes.
Quisenberry attended Orange Coast College and the University of La Verne in California.
No. The Kansas City Royals signed Quisenberry as an amateur free agent in June of 1975.
Quisenberry’s peak salary was $2.515 millionin 1989.
Yes, one of Quisenberry’s famous quotes was “I found a delivery in my flaw.”
No, Quisenberry never pitched in an All-Star game at his home ballpark.
No, Quisenberry was never a player-coach.
Quisenberry became a poet and book author later in life. He also became known as a philanthropist through his Quisenberry Relief Fund.
Yes, Quisenberry wrote a book of poems titled On Days Like This.
Quisenberry passed away from brain cancer on September 30, 1998.
Dan Quisenberry died on September 30, 1998.
Quisenberry was 45 years old when he died in 1998
Dan Quisenberry is remembered as one of the greatest relief pitchers in baseball history, with a unique sidearm (even submarine) delivery and outstanding control of his sinker pitch.
(Statistics referenced from baseball-reference.com; biographical information culled from Wikipedia.)

(The following section contains affiliate links to eBay listings for the cards shown.)
1984 Topps AL Save Leaders Rich Gossage Rollie Fingers Dan Quisenberry #718
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Dan Quisenberry (d. 1998) Signed Autographed 1985 Diamond Kings Baseball Card
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⚾1980 Topps #667 Royals Future Stars Dan Quisenberry Rookie Card RC⚾Near Mint⚾
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Dan Quisenberry 1985 Donruss Diamond King signed autographed baseball card PSA
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1983 Topps Dan Quisenberry Baseball Card #155 NM-Mint FREE SHIPPING
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1980 Topps #667 Future Stars Dan Quisenberry Kansas City Royals RC
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Dan Quisenberry Signed 1983 Topps Card Beckett BAS Slabbed Authentic Auto
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1983 Topps Dan Quisenberry Baseball Card #396 NM-Mint FREE SHIPPING
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Dan Quisenberry 1981 Topps Coke Signed Baseball Card Beckett BAS Certified Auto
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DAN QUISENBERRY Senior High School Yearbook KANSAS CITY ROYALS Costa Mesa HS
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1985 Topps Collectors’ Series All-Time Record Holder Dan Quisenberry Card #28
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Dan Quisenberry #18T 1988 Score Rookie & Traded St. Louis Cardinals
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