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40:, whose career started in the last year of the 1960s, finished his career in the first year of the 1990s, requiring only 22 seasons to make the list. Most of the players on the list started their careers in the final or second-to-last year of their first decade and finished their careers in the first or second year of their fourth decade (a notable exception is
117:
Major League
Baseball recognizes the first major league season as 1876, the inaugural season of the National League. The following three players played parts of their careers in the 1850s and 1860s, and do not qualify as four-decade players, although they played four decades at the highest level of
31:
Outside of skill and durability, a player must usually have some "generational luck" to have started his career in the later years of a decade, so that if he is still playing 21–24 years later, he is playing in the early years of a fourth decade. For example,
47:
Although it has always been possible for a retired three-decade player to make a cameo appearance in a fourth decade for the purpose of joining the list, the only player to have actually done this was
94:
and appeared sparingly over just seventeen games in a twenty-two season span from 1912-1933, while
Satchel Paige spent significant time in the minors during his 40 years in professional baseball.
101:
records (and thus his career in the 1920s and 1930s) into its own history in 2021. Paige was just one of at least a dozen Negro League players whose careers spanned four decades, or more.
165:
does not consider any players or leagues prior to 1920 to be Major league players. The following players played four decades at the highest level of play possible to them at the time:
134:
28:
Since 1900 (the first year that a player could play in a "fourth decade"), every completed decade except the 1920s has added at least one player to the list.
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91:
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The players are listed by primary position played and years spanning their careers. Fifteen players from the group have been inducted into the
213:
It is now unlikely that the 2020s will add any players to the list as none who debuted in the 1990s has played past 2019. Near misses include
243:
lists 19 still-active players who debuted in 2009 or earlier and have a chance to make the list by playing until 2030. The youngest is
229:
in 2022 came to nothing. Colón did manage to play national championship baseball during four different decades, with 11 games for the
105:'s career as a full-time player began in 1904 and ended in the mid-1930s, but he made a handful of appearances while managing in the
137:
is widely recognized as a precursor to modern major league baseball. It existed from 1871 to 1875, before giving way to the
202:
20:
in four decades has been attained by only 31 players in the league's history, dating from the 1870s to the present day.
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194:
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first played professionally, although he had been playing since at least 1877 and possibly as early as 1872.
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different decades. None were continuously active at the MLB level; Altrock was a coach on the
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started his career in 2001, so he would have had to play 30 seasons to make the list. Whereas
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17:
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8:
1085:"Four-decade players a rare breed: Griffey, Vizquel, Moyer set to join exclusive company"
447:
178:
205:(1919-1941). Taylor also played at the highest level possible to him for five decades.
275:; the group covers virtually the complete range of baseball positions, missing only a
63:. Such a stunt has become less likely in the modern era after the introduction of the
244:
52:
1180:"Mets rumors: Fan favorite wants to return to Queens in wake of Max Scherzer injury"
97:
Paige was added to the list post mortem, due to Major League
Baseball incorporating
903:
190:
182:
174:
102:
663:
222:
186:
75:
48:
1216:
999:
221:(born 1979), who made his debut in 1998, but retired after the 2018 season, and
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230:
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are the only three players to have appeared in major league baseball games in
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33:
55:, at the ages of 50 and 54 as part of a publicity stunt organized by owners
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615:
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198:
127:
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in the 1940s. Hence, like Paige, Taylor qualifies as a five-decade player.
98:
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1023:
855:
687:
567:
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1007:
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355:
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60:
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41:
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119:
711:
1155:"49-year-old Mets legend still hoping for another MLB opportunity"
1031:
959:
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887:
863:
839:
815:
743:
719:
647:
575:
551:
527:
479:
455:
431:
407:
379:
264:
260:
1227:"Been a long time: Three more enter baseball's four-decade club"
217:(debuted 1999), who ended his attempt at a comeback in 2019,
157:
African
Americans have played professionally since 1878 when
225:(debuted 1997) whose reported interest in pitching for the
112:
145:
began his career in 1872 with the
National Association's
44:, whose 27 seasons played is a major league record).
1206:
420:
152:
51:, who took the field twice for his former team, the
900:
344:
996:
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396:
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1103:"White Sox legend Minnie Miñoso dies at age 90"
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444:
1129:"Ankiel ends Major League comeback attempt"
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247:, born in 1989, who will turn 41 in 2030.
118:play available to them at the time:
259:. Of the 31 players, 12 were primarily
113:Pre-National League four-decade players
1252:Lists of Major League Baseball players
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1082:
70:
1152:
1224:
1083:DiComo, Anthony (January 20, 2010).
208:
13:
250:
14:
1263:
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153:Negro Leagues four-decade players
141:in 1876. One four-decade player,
1225:Hunt, Ryan (February 17, 2000).
1209:
23:
1172:
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1095:
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293:National Baseball Hall of Fame
257:National Baseball Hall of Fame
177:(1904-1942) (as noted above),
1:
1153:Brown, Larry (May 24, 2022).
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67:and league minimum salaries.
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241:Baseball-Reference.com
263:, six were primarily
163:Major League Baseball
147:Middletown Mansfields
107:Negro American League
18:Major League Baseball
235:Acereros de Monclova
135:National Association
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179:Smokey Joe Williams
92:Washington Senators
71:Five-decade players
1237:on August 6, 2001.
1231:Sports Illustrated
1159:Larry Brown Sports
300:
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245:Madison Bumgarner
209:Future candidates
201:(1917-1942), and
171:Clarence Williams
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1233:. Archived from
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191:Oscar Charleston
183:John Henry Lloyd
175:Candy Jim Taylor
103:Candy Jim Taylor
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1000:Ken Griffey Jr.
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251:List of players
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139:National League
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1203:External links
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1186:. May 20, 2022
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544:Satchel Paige
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332:First baseman
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324:Dan Brouthers
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312:First season
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277:third baseman
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227:New York Mets
224:
223:Bartolo Colón
220:
219:Adrian Beltre
216:
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197:(1915-1947),
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193:(1915-1941),
192:
189:(1908-1931),
188:
187:Pelayo Chacón
185:(1906-1932),
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181:(1905-1932),
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173:(1886-1913),
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169:(1878-1904),
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130:(1868-1890).
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84:Satchel Paige
81:
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76:Minnie Miñoso
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65:40 man roster
62:
58:
54:
50:
49:Minnie Miñoso
45:
43:
39:
35:
34:Albert Pujols
29:
21:
19:
1235:the original
1230:
1188:. Retrieved
1183:
1174:
1162:. Retrieved
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1136:. Retrieved
1132:
1123:
1111:. Retrieved
1107:SBNation.com
1106:
1097:
1088:
1078:
1048:Omar Vizquel
952:Jesse Orosco
832:Carlton Fisk
808:Rick Dempsey
784:Bill Buckner
736:Tim McCarver
616:Ted Williams
472:Nick Altrock
348:Jim O'Rourke
315:Last season
254:
239:
212:
203:Bill Holland
199:George Britt
156:
143:Jim O'Rourke
132:
128:Deacon White
124:Candy Nelson
116:
99:Negro league
96:
87:
80:Nick Altrock
74:
46:
38:Bill Buckner
30:
27:
24:Introduction
15:
1109:. Vox Media
1024:Jamie Moyer
928:Mike Morgan
856:Jerry Reuss
688:Willie Mays
568:Bobo Newsom
372:Kid Gleason
269:outfielders
215:Rick Ankiel
1070:References
1008:Outfielder
984:Outfielder
976:Tim Raines
912:Outfielder
880:Nolan Ryan
696:Outfielder
672:Outfielder
640:Early Wynn
624:Outfielder
520:Jack Quinn
356:Outfielder
273:infielders
167:Bud Fowler
159:Bud Fowler
61:Mike Veeck
42:Nolan Ryan
1056:Shortstop
448:Jack Ryan
309:Position
237:in 2021.
120:Joe Start
53:White Sox
1246:Category
1184:FanSided
1113:March 2,
712:Jim Kaat
265:catchers
261:pitchers
16:Playing
1133:MLB.com
1089:MLB.com
1032:Pitcher
960:Pitcher
936:Pitcher
888:Pitcher
864:Pitcher
840:Catcher
816:Catcher
744:Catcher
720:Pitcher
648:Pitcher
576:Pitcher
552:Pitcher
528:Pitcher
480:Pitcher
456:Catcher
432:Catcher
408:Catcher
380:Pitcher
306:Player
1063:2012
1039:2012
1015:2010
991:2002
967:2003
943:2002
919:2003
895:1993
871:1990
847:1993
823:1992
799:1990
775:1980
751:1980
727:1983
703:1973
679:1980
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607:1960
583:1953
559:1965
535:1933
511:1930
487:1933
463:1913
439:1912
415:1912
391:1912
363:1904
339:1904
301:List
1192:2022
1166:2022
1140:2022
1115:2015
1060:1989
1036:1986
1012:1989
988:1979
964:1979
940:1978
916:1979
892:1966
868:1969
844:1969
820:1969
796:1969
772:1959
748:1959
724:1959
700:1948
676:1947
652:1939
628:1939
604:1939
580:1929
556:1927
532:1909
508:1906
484:1898
460:1889
436:1887
412:1884
388:1888
360:1872
336:1879
283:Key
133:The
88:five
82:and
59:and
57:Bill
233:'s
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288:†
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149:.
78:,
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