Dan Quisenberry

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1979-1990)

Dan Quisenberry was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 1990 for the Kansas City Royals, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the San Francisco Giants, a span of 12 seasons. Across 674 career appearances, he went 56-46 with a 2.76 ERA, 379 strikeouts, and 244 saves. Dan Quisenberry was a 3-time All-Star and a 5-time Reliever of the Year. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 16859.5.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 56–46
ERA 2.76
WHIP 1.18
SO 379
Pitcher PIV 16859.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 170 lb
Born
2/7/1953 in Santa Monica, CA, USA
Died
9/30/1998 in Leawood, KS, USA
MLB Debut
1979-07-08
Last Game
1990-04-23
Awards
3× All-Star · 5× Reliever of the Year

Full name: Dan Raymond Quisenberry

Career Pitching Statistics

Dan Quisenberry — 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 1043.1 1,064 320 59 162 379 2.76 16859.5

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

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Dan Quisenberry — 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 .167 .286 .167 .452 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 .452 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 36.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Dan Quisenberry — 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

Dan Quisenberry — 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

Dan Quisenberry — 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

Dan Quisenberry — 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 4.2 7 2 0 3 3.86
1985 WS KCA 1 0 4 0 0 4.1 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 4.2 4 0 2 1 0.00
1980 WS KCA 1 2 6 0 1 10.1 10 6 3 0 5.23

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Dan Quisenberry — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home34140101.250
Away33320000.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Dan Quisenberry — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home341529.1540161771862.74
Away333514.0524159851932.78

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dan Quisenberry — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1990-04-23 SFGSDPL 100000000
1990-04-17 SFGLADL 000000000
1990-04-14 SFGSDPL 000000000
1990-04-13 SFGSDPL 000000000
1990-04-11 SFGATLL 000000000
1989-10-01 STLCHCL 000000000
1989-09-21 STLNYNL 000000000
1989-09-17 STLPHIL 000000000
1989-09-15 STLPHIW 000000000
1989-09-14 STLPITL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Dan Quisenberry — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1990-04-23 SFGSDP — 2.1433100
1990-04-17 SFGLAD — 0.2233110
1990-04-14 SFGSDP — 1.0100100
1990-04-13 SFGSDP L 1.1664001
1990-04-11 SFGATL — 1.1000010
1989-10-01 STLCHC — 0.0322100
1989-09-21 STLNYN — 3.0422011
1989-09-17 STLPHI — 1.0100000
1989-09-15 STLPHI — 1.0100000
1989-09-14 STLPIT — 0.1111000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dan Quisenberry — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 674 0 97 264 13 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dan Quisenberry Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 674

Salary History

Dan Quisenberry's recorded salaries total $7,402,562 over 6 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Quisenberry's career ran from 1979 to 1990. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

Dan Quisenberry — 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 recorded salary (partial) $7,402,562

College History

Dan Quisenberry — 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

Dan Quisenberry — 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

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Dan Quisenberry (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Steve Howe
    47-41, 3.03 ERA
  2. 96
    Dave Smith
    53-53, 2.67 ERA
  3. 95
    Jeff Shaw
    34-54, 3.54 ERA
  4. 95
    Mark Melancon
    37-40, 2.94 ERA
  5. 94
    Rod Beck
    38-45, 3.30 ERA
  6. 94
    Bob Locker
    57-39, 2.75 ERA

Dan Quisenberry: the record in brief

July 8, 1979 and April 23, 1990 bracket Dan Quisenberry's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Kansas City Royals (1979 through 1988), the St. Louis Cardinals (1988 to 1989), and the San Francisco Giants (1990). Quisenberry played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on February 7, 1953, in Santa Monica, CA, USA, Quisenberry was listed at 6'2" and 170 pounds. Quisenberry died on September 30, 1998, in Leawood, KS, USA. On the record, Dan Quisenberry was born Dan Raymond Quisenberry.

Quisenberry pitched in 674 games, starting 0, and finished with a 56-46 record and 2.76 ERA. The totals include 379 strikeouts and 244 saves. The leagues Quisenberry pitched in allowed 3.88 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 28.8% better than average. No season topped the 12 wins of 1980. The strikeout high was 54 in 1985. The most saves in one season was 45, in 1983.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dan Quisenberry

What years did Dan Quisenberry play?
Dan Quisenberry played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 1990.
Was Dan Quisenberry a pitcher?
Yes. Dan Quisenberry pitched in the major leagues, recording 56 wins and 379 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Dan Quisenberry hit?
Dan Quisenberry hit 0 career home runs with 1 hit.
What teams did Dan Quisenberry play for?
Dan Quisenberry played for 3 teams: the Kansas City Royals (1979–1988), the St. Louis Cardinals (1988–1989), and the San Francisco Giants (1990).
Did Dan Quisenberry win a Cy Young Award?
No. Dan Quisenberry did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Dan Quisenberry win?
Dan Quisenberry was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
What were Dan Quisenberry's career stats?
In 674 games, Dan Quisenberry went 56-46 with a 2.76 ERA, 379 strikeouts, 1,043.1 innings pitched, and 244 saves.
How much did Dan Quisenberry earn in his career?
Dan Quisenberry's recorded salaries total $7,402,562 over 6 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Quisenberry's career ran from 1979 to 1990. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was Dan Quisenberry's salary?
Dan Quisenberry's last recorded salary was $100,000, in 1990. His highest recorded salary was $2,577,862, in 1989, and his lowest was $100,000, in 1990. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1990.
What position did Dan Quisenberry play?
Dan Quisenberry played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dan Quisenberry and how much did he weigh?
Dan Quisenberry was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 170 pounds.
What was Dan Quisenberry's career ERA?
Dan Quisenberry finished with a 2.76 career ERA, going 56-46 with 379 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Dan Quisenberry have?
Dan Quisenberry recorded 379 career strikeouts.
Is Dan Quisenberry in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dan Quisenberry has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.