He reached Major League Baseball at the age of 21, and spent part of the 1963 season and all of 1964 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox.

Long threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg).

[1] The Cardinals recalled him in July 1963 and he made five appearances as a pinch hitter for them that season, garnering one hit.

The following year, he served as a pinch hitter and substitute first baseman and right fielder for the 1964 Redbirds through the first week of July.

[2] The Cardinals then sold his contract to the White Sox on July 7 to make room for rookie Mike Shannon.