“Quiz” was known throughout baseball as an eccentric character but his on-field success were even more bizarre. Unlike most relievers who rely on a potent fastball to strike out batters, Quisenberry was a submarine pitcher who used accuracy and guile to get batters out. He would take over the closing role for the Royals in 1980 and would help them reach their first ever World Series that year. 1981 was a bit of a down year, but from 1982 to 1985 Quisenberry went on a four-year run of ninth inning dominance that should still be celebrated today.
While he did not win the Cy Young Award in that time frame, he was the runner-up twice and the third place finisher the other two seasons. Each season he would finish atop the AL in Saves and would also win the Rolaids Reliever of the Year. In 1985, he would help the Royals win their first ever World Series.
Quisenberry’s skills quickly eroded shortly thereafter to the point where he was released three years after but it will take one hell of a special talent to knock him off as the best Relief Pitcher the Kansas City Royals ever had. The Royals enshrined Quisenberry into their Hall of Fame in 1998.
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