Kiki Cuyler | |||
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Right fielder | |||
Born: Harrisville, Michigan |
August 30, 1898|||
Died: February 11, 1950 Ann Arbor, Michigan |
(aged 51)|||
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MLB debut | |||
September 29, 1921, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
September 14, 1938, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .321 | ||
Hits | 2,299 | ||
Home runs | 128 | ||
Runs batted in | 1,065 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Member of the National | |||
Baseball Hall of Fame | |||
Inducted | 1968 | ||
Election Method | Veterans Committee |
Hazen Shirley "Kiki" Cuyler (/ˈkaɪˈkaɪ ˈkaɪlər/; August 30, 1898 – February 11, 1950) was a Major League Baseball right fielder from 1921 until 1938 who later was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cuyler established a reputation as an outstanding hitter with great speed. He regularly batted .350 or higher and finished with a .321 lifetime batting average. In 1925 Cuyler hit 18 home runs and 102 RBI. Cuyler's Pirates won the World Series that year, the only time in his career that he contributed to a World Series winner.
Cuyler was born in Harrisville, Michigan on August 30, 1898. He was one of six children born to George and Anna Cuyler. His father had come to the United States from Canada, but his ancestors lived in New York from the 17th century until they moved to Canada at the start of the Revolutionary War.
Cuyler started his professional baseball career with the Bay City Wolves in 1920. He appeared briefly in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates over the next three seasons, but still spent the majority of each season in the minor leagues. He hit .340 in 1923 for the Nashville Vols of the Southern Association. He was promoted to the Pirates for his first full major league season in 1924.
Two explanations have been given for the origin of Cuyler's nickname, "Kiki". In the first version, he had been known as "Cuy" for a long time. When a fly ball was hit to the Nashville outfield and it was judged to be Cuyler's play, the shortstop would call out "Cuy" and this call would be echoed by the second baseman. The echoed name caught on with Nashville's fans. In the second explanation, "Kiki Cuyler" came from the player's stuttering problem and the way it sounded when Cuyler said his own last name.