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Kiki Cuyler

Kiki Cuyler
KikiCuylerGoudeycard.jpg
Right fielder
Born: (1898-08-30)August 30, 1898
Harrisville, Michigan
Died: February 11, 1950(1950-02-11) (aged 51)
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Batted: Right Threw: Right
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
Member of the National
Empty Star.svgEmpty Star.svgEmpty Star.svgBaseball Hall of Fame Empty Star.svgEmpty Star.svgEmpty Star.svg
Inducted 1968
Election Method Veterans Committee

Hazen Shirley "Kiki" Cuyler (/ˈkˈk ˈklər/; 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.


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