34: Kiki Cuyler-MLB

Kiki Cuyler was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1968, but so few can recall his career – and what a career it was! Cuyler, whose birth name is Hazen Shirley Cuyler, made it to the big leagues for good in 1924 and hit .354 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1925, Cuyler upped his average to .357 and set two records that still stand today for Pittburgh, most runs scored in a season with 144, and 369 total bases. But, after just four years a World Series Championship in 1925 and a second trip to the World Series in 1927 (although he didn’t play), Cuyler had worn out his welcome with the Pirates for a myriad of reasons. So, the Pirates shipped him to the Chicago Cubs whom Cuyler helped lead to World Series appearances in 1929 and 1931. Although the Cubs came up empty-handed, it wasn’t for a lack of Cuyler’s contribution to the team. In fact, in 1929, Cuyler hit .360 for the Cubs and for his career with Chicago, hit .325. Yet, again, despite leading the Cubs to two World Series appearances and leading the Pirates to a World Series win, so few know the name Kiki Cuyler. Joining the podcast for a look back at the career of Kiki Cuyler, and to help bring his name to the fore is Gregory Wolf, co-director of the biography project for SABR.

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