Player Pages > Fred Pfeffer

In 1884, Fred Pfeffer pulled the ball down the short left field line at Chicago's Lake Front Park, just 180 feet from home plate, putting up an incredible 25 home runs. It was the only season that a ground-rule credited balls hit over the short fences as home runs, and Pfeffer never again approached that homer figure. Despite that one-season abberation, Pfeffer was a very good ballplayer. A big man, Pfeffer seemed miscast as a second baseman, but he hanled himself well, with a strong throwing arm and excellent instincts. He and teammate King Kelly helped perfect the cutoff play, where the second baseman (Pfeffer) would snare the throw from Kelly intended for second on a double steal, and whip it back to the plate to catch the runner coming in from third. Pfeffer often hit cleanup in the powerful Cubs' lineups in the 1880s, finishing among league leaders in RBI three times.