Former Royal Relief Star Quisenberry Loses...

Former Kansas City Royal relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry, a three-time all-star who ranks 13th on baseball’s all-time save list, died after a nine-month battle against brain cancer Wednesday morning. He was 45.

Quisenberry, who had checked into a hospital last week, returned to his home in Leawood, Kan., Friday to be with his family.

“It’s a sad day, but I just talked to his mom, who was there, and she said he went peacefully,” said longtime friend Rich Fielder, who attended Costa Mesa High, Orange Coast College and La Verne College with Quisenberry, a native of Santa Monica. “We lost a good man.”

Last December, Quisenberry cut short a vacation in Colorado because of headaches, dizzy spells and blurred vision. He had fallen and bumped his head while snowboarding and thought he might be suffering from a concussion, but a CT scan revealed a tumor.

On Jan. 8, surgeons removed most of the growth, a Grade IV malignant astrocytoma, the most severe form of tumor. Doctors removed between 80% and 90% of a three- to four-centimeter tumor that was dangerously close to the optic nerve in a 3 1/2-hour procedure. Within three months, however, the very aggressive tumor already was bigger than it had been when it first was discovered, and a second surgery was required in June.

Quisenberry had 244 saves in 674 relief appearances and a 2.76 earned-run average during a 12-year major league career. He led the American League in saves five times and in appearances three times. In 1983, he had a then-record 45 saves and a 1.96 ERA.

He pitched for the Royals from 1979 to 1988, setting a team record of 238 saves (since eclipsed by Jeff Montgomery) and had a record of 53-44.

In 1985, he was the winning pitcher of the sixth game of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. After being released by the Royals in 1988, he played 1 1/2 seasons with St. Louis and retired in 1990 after a brief stint with the San Francisco Giants.

An 85-mph fastball delivered from a submarine angle, a self-deprecating humor--after coming out of a slump, he said he had found “a delivery in my flaw”--and an under-whelming sense of ego were keys to Quisenberry’s remarkable success in the big leagues. It was especially remarkable in light of the almost total disinterest in him by college recruiters and pro scouts when he played in high school and at Orange Coast.

“Dan’s legacy is that he accomplished what he did as a pitcher because he stayed so calm under pressure,” Fielder said. “And he never blamed anyone else when something went wrong. Through all this, he never once said to me, ‘This isn’t fair.’

“Dan was a devout Christian who wasn’t afraid to lose this fight, but he wanted to be there for his family. He wanted to see his kids grow up and go through college.”

A noted clubhouse prankster, Quisenberry managed to maintain his good humor through the worst of news. Two weeks after the first surgery, he told a group of reporters at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium that his children, Alysia, 18, and David, 16, were “taking me for rides.”

On May 30, one of the largest crowds of the year turned out at Kauffman Stadium to see Quisenberry inducted to the Royals’ Hall of Fame.

Although terribly weak, Quisenberry stood on the infield with his wife, Janie, and his children, and thanked the fans.

“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.

“This is more than I deserve. God bless you all. Thanks for the prayers. Thank you very much.”

A private service is scheduled for Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. A public memorial is being planned for Monday.