Cuyler, "Kiki" (Hazen S.)
Baseball
b. Aug. 30, 1899, Harrisville, MI
d. Feb. 11, 1950
After briefly attending the U. S. Military Academy, Cuyler returned to Michigan and began playing minor league baseball in 1920. He was purchased by the NL's Pittsburgh Pirates after the 1921 season, but spent most of 1922 and 1923 in the minors.
Cuyler became Pittsburgh's starting leftfielder in 1924 and batted .354, fourth in the league. He moved to right field the following season and helped lead the Pirates to a pennant, leading the league in triples with 26 and runs scored with 144 while batting .357.
In the seventh game of the World Series against Washington, Cuyler made an outstanding catch to keep the game close, then hit a 2-run double in the eighth inning to give Pittsburgh a 9-7 victory and the world championship.
After hitting .321 and leading the league with 35 stolen bases and 113 runs scored in 1926, Cuyler fell out of favor with manager Donie Bush. Moved to centerfield, a position he didn't like, and placed second in the batting order, while he preferred to hit third, Cuyler sulked. He was fined $50 and removed from a game after failing to slide into second base in an August game and he was benched for the rest of the season. He didn't make a single appearance in the World Series, when the Pirates lost to the New York Yankees in four straight games.
Cuyler was traded to the Chicago Cubs after the season. He led the league in stolen bases again in 1928 and his .360 average and league-leading 43 stolen bases helped the Cubs beat out the Pirates for the 1929 pennant. They lost the World Series in five games to the Philadelphia Athletics.
He batted .355 and won his fourth stolen base title with 37 in 1930 and he had a .330 average in 1931. Although he slipped to .291, the Cubs won the 1932 NL pennant but were swept by the Yankees in the World Series.
An injury sidelined Cuyler for a large part of the 1933 season. He came back to hit .338 in 1934 but was released by the Cubs in July of the following year. He finished the season with Cincinnati.
Cuyler had one more good season, batting .326 in 1936. He was released by Cincinnati over hitting only .271 in 1937 and he finished his career as a part-time outfielder with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938.
After managing in the minor leagues for several years, Cuyler became a major league coach. He was with the Boston Red Sox when he died of a heart attack shortly before spring training began in 1950.
A right-hander, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Cuyler was an outstanding defensive player, known for his strong throwing arm, as well as a fine hitter.