Cyril Pfeifer

Cyril J. Pfeifer

• Bats Left, Throws Left

• Born February 23, 1917 in Ohio
• Died August 11, 1988

Biographical Information

Cyril Pfeifer played 12 years in the minor leagues, never making it as far as AA and also managed for a long time in the bushes. A contact-hitting first baseman with some speed, he rarely hit for any power. He debuted with the 1937 Fremont Reds, hitting .293 with 3 HR and 48 RBI. In 1938, Pfeifer hit .333/~.412/.416 as the first baseman for the El Dorado Lions. In '39, Cyril batted .358 with 78 RBI for the Hot Springs Bathers. He finished second in the Cotton States League in batting average. He briefly played for the Durham Bulls

In 1940, Pfeifer spent all year in Durham and batted .307 with 5 HR and 69 RBI. He struggled for the 1941 Dayton Ducks (.229, 0 HR, 20 RBI) and Durham (.234, 2 HR, 50 RBI) squads.

Playing for the 1946 Johnstown Johnnies, the 29-year-old hit .344/~.468/.526 and led the Middle Atlantic League in both batting average and OBP. He only struck out 10 times in 323 AB that year and stole 20 bases. Cyril moved on to the Rockford Rox in 1947 and hit .295 with 6 HR and 74 RBI. In 1948, while managing the Rockford Rox of the Central Association, he was suspended for a month for spitting on an umpire. He only hit .243 with 3 HR and 20 RBI that year.

In 1949, Cyril batted .370/~.521/.494 as player-manager for the Richmond Tigers. He lacked enough at-bats to win the Ohio-Indiana League batting title but his average was high enough. The next season, the 33-year-old veteran was player-manager of the Lockport Reds. Pfeifer hit .305/~.420/.390.

The 1951 season brought him to the Charleston Senators, where he batted .320 with no homers and 60 RBI. In 1952, Cyril started off with the Dublin Green Sox and hit .329/~.454/.460 in 84 games, stealing 21 bases and only striking out 8 times in 289 AB. He managed the club until late July, when he moved up to the Columbia Reds as a player only. In 37 games for the pennant-winners, Pfeifer hit .364/~.465/.441 in his stint on the field.

Pfeifer is buried at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Sources include 1947, 1951 and 1953 Baseball Guides, 1939 Spalding Guide, Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1946	Johnstown Johnnies	Middle Atlantic League	49-80	5th	Brooklyn Dodgers
1947	Rockford Rox	Central Association	68-57	3rd	Cincinnati Reds	Lost in 1st round
1948	Rockford Rox	Central Association		5th	Cincinnati Reds		replaced by Paul O'Dea 6/11-8/10 during suspension
1949	Richmond Tigers	Ohio-Indiana League			none		replaced by Kenneth Holtcamp August 13
1950	Lockport Reds	PONY League	45-80	8th	Cincinnati Reds
1952	Dublin Green Sox	Georgia State League			Cincinnati Reds		replaced by George Hearn July 26