Kiki
…one of the most smallest cemeteries I visited.
Bygone baseball by C. Philip Francis
The name of Kiki Cuyler was familiar, perhaps because of his unusual alliterative appellation, but as a longtime resident of Michigan I never knew that the Hall of Famer came from my home state until I read Dave D’Anonia’s engrossing book Invincible Summer. D’Anonia, a history teacher and lover of baseball from California, took a year off and began to search for the gravesites of baseball’s greats as he traveled the country from ocean to ocean. One of his many tombstone visits was in the small town of Harrisville, Michigan, a quiet, clean town about 250 miles north of Detroit close to Lake Huron with a park, a marina, and many chattering seagulls. D’Anonia noted that it was “one of the smallest cemeteries I visited.”
If you are not acquainted with one of the great players of the 1920’s and 1930’s, an era that had many potent hitters, here is Kiki Cuyler who could be the most overlooked member of the Hall of Fame.
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As with most clever nicknames, there are various tales as to how, when, and where the name of Kiki originated. One version originated when Cuyler was with Nashville in the Southern Association where he won the MVP award in 1923. When the infielders wanted the agile Cuyler to come in from his outfield spot to catch the short fly balls they would yell out, “Cuy, Cuy”, his shortened last name. From that the local sportswriters developed that into Kiki. Or it might have come from a young boy who stuttered so much that his surname came out “Cuy, Cuy” that eventually became Kiki as in “bye, bye.” Take your pick.
Hazen Shirley “Kiki” Cuyler was born in Harrisville on August 30, 1898 of German parentage. After high school he attended West Point for several months during World War II, worked at the Buick assembly plant in Flint before moving to Chevrolet where he played ball for the fast company team. He was soon signed by a professional scout for the Bay City (MI) Wolves of the Michigan-Ontario League.
The handsome, curley-haired Kiki was a rough and tough competitor, but always a gentleman off the field and never smoked or drank. During his four seasons in the minors, the right-handed batter and thrower had three short trials with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1921, ’22, and ’23, and then surprised everyone by finished his 1924 season with one of the finest rookie years in baseball. The slugging Cuyler finishing fourth in batting average with .354 and stole 32 bases. He continuing his hitting barrage and fleet running the following year as he helped the Bucs win the pennant and the World Series where they defeated the Washington Senators in seven games.
In 1926 Pittsburgh brought up outfielder Paul Waner, “Big Poison”, and his brother Lloyd, “Little Poison”, a year later. The Pirates did not know it at the time, but their flycatching trio would all make it to Cooperstown and what might have become a Pittsburgh baseball dynasty – didn’t.
Pittsburgh made a managing change by replacing Bill McKechnie with Donnie Bush, and long before the season ended an established star was quietly sitting on the bench. It began when Cuyler was bumped from his customary third place to second in the batting order after a minor batting slump. In a game with the Giants Cuyler was on first when the batter hit a perfect double-play ball. Instead of sliding into second to break up the throw to first, he came in standing. Even after the infielder bungled the ball, Cuyler was still called out. Bush boiled, and the two began to feud.
The man from Michigan had great speed, was a power hitter, and had an accurate and strong arm, but appeared to play the game with indifference. After Bush criticized his disinterested ballplayer, Cuyler said that if the manager did not like it, he could get someone else. Bush did, and Kiki never played for Bush or the Pirates again. Cuyler spent the remainder of the season on the bench, and in spite of the team’s internal turmoil, the Pirates went into the 1927 World Series against the New York Yankees led by Ruth, Gehrig, and Lazzeri who today the are considered one of the best teams in baseball history. The Pirates were buried under four consecutive losses while Cuyler never left the dugout. In less than two months Kiki was on the way to join the Chicago Cubs for two undistinguished journeymen. Pirates owner, Barney Dreyfuss, had backed his manager, broken up a classic outfield, and the Pirates never saw another World Series for the next 33 years.
Kiki now had a new life with the Cubs. Although he hit a modest .285 in 1928, he came back with a .360 in ’29 when he did finally see World Series action that fall. After Cuyler broke his foot in 1932 his career went on the downswing. There were two years in Cincinnati, a last year in Brooklyn sometimes as a playing coach, and Kiki was done as a player.
Some of his career stats are: BA .321, 2299 hits, and 328 stolen bases. He had the tools - hitting, running, and throwing, and is today considered one of the great outfielders of the game. He died suddenly at the age of 51 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1968.