Famous Kansas City Royal pitcher dies of brain tumor

Thursday, October 1, 1998

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Dan Quisenberry, a premier reliever with the Kansas City Royals known for his quick wit and submarine pitching delivery, died of a brain tumor at age 45.

Quisenberry, a three-time All-Star who helped the Royals win two AL pennants and the 1985 World Series, underwent surgery in January and June, but doctors were unable to remove all of the malignant tumor. He was diagnosed with his illness in December 1997.

The Royals confirmed today that Quisenberry had died, but would not release details on when or where.

KCTV reported that he died this morning at his home in Leawood, Kan.

In his 12-year career, Quisenberry led the American League in saves five times, and his 45 saves in 1983 was the major league record at the time.

Pale and skinny, ''Quiz'' was never physically imposing. His awkward-looking pitching release rarely sent balls across the plate at more than 85 mph - nothing compared with the frightening fastballs Rich Gossage unleashed.

''I lull them into a false sense of security by letting them watch me pitch,'' Quisenberry once explained. ''If overconfidence can cause the Roman Empire to fall, I ought to be able to get a ground ball.''

An inveterate jokester, his humor frequently was directed at himself. Once, when he came out of a prolonged slump, he said, ''I found a delivery in my flaw.'' Another time, when he was asked about his contract, he quipped: ''It has guarantees until the year 2020 - or until the last 'Rocky' movie is made.''

It was easy to see why every major league team ignored the Laverne College graduate in the draft, why he had to drive to the home of a Royals' scout and plead for a chance.

In the end, however, only one thing kept Quisenberry from being the total bust scouts had predicted: hardly anybody could hit him.

From the day Kansas City brought him up near the end of the 1979 season through the Royals' World Series championship, the sidearming sinkerballer had more saves than any other reliever in the major leagues.

Backed up by a standout infield featuring Frank White, a nine-time gold glove second baseman, Quisenberry had 217 saves during his peak years. Bruce Sutter had 215.

Hitters eyed his looping sinkerball and saw extra-base hits. But time after time, they merely pounded grounders into infielders' gloves.

News of his illness jolted Kansas City, and one of the largest crowds of the year turned out May 30 to see him inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.

Although terribly weak, Quisenberry stood on the infield with wife Janie and two teen-age children, and thanked the fans in one of the most emotional moments in the city's history.

''I'm so blessed,'' he said. ''I loved playing those years with those guys in this stadium. I loved playing in front of you folks, great fans. Great city. Great team.''

He paused, husky-voiced, as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.