Signed by the
Houston Colt .45s as an undrafted free agent directly out of
Colton High School (California) in June 1963, Dahl was sent to the
Moultrie, Georgia, Colt .22s of the
Georgia–Florida League. Dahl dominated the league, with a 5–1 record and a 1.42 ERA—his only loss was a one-hitter, in his first appearance as a starter. After making one start for the
San Antonio Bullets of the Double-A
Texas League (pitching four innings and allowing only three hits and an unearned run), he made his big-league debut on September 27, 1963, at
Colt Stadium against the
New York Mets. Dahl wasn't the only rookie in the lineup for Houston that night; in fact, the entire Colts starting nine were first-year players (the only time this has ever been attempted by an MLB club -- at least after 1876, the year the first major league began): ;Houston Colt .45s starting lineup, September 27, 1963 :Players marked with a † were making their major league debut •
Sonny Jackson, SS † •
Joe Morgan, 2B •
Jim Wynn, CF •
Rusty Staub, 1B •
Aaron Pointer, RF •
Brock Davis, LF •
Glenn Vaughan, 3B •
Jerry Grote, C • Jay Dahl, P † Dahl got New York out in the first inning, but allowed three runs in the second and four more in the third before being removed by manager
Harry Craft. (
Danny Coombs and
Joe Hoerner, who followed Dahl on the mound for Houston, were also making their MLB debuts.) The Mets went on to win, 10–3. It was to be Dahl's only major league appearance. (As of 2025, Dahl is the most recent MLB player under the age of eighteen.) In Instructional League that fall, Dahl developed arm problems (the ailment was also described as being his back). He did not pitch at all in 1964, appearing in 11 games as an outfielder for
Statesville, North Carolina–based
Statesville Colts in the
Western Carolinas League. In 1965, Dahl was back on the mound, starting seven games with
Carolina League's
Durham Bulls, then moving over to the
Salisbury, North Carolina–based
Salisbury Astros of the WCL, where he had a 5–0 record. ==Death==