When Pfeffer hit 25 home runs in 1884, three other Chicago teammates topped 20. Lake Front Park had the shortest foul lines ever in major-league baseball; 180′ in left, 196′ in right. Balls hit over the short fences were counted as two-base hits in other seasons, but a ground-rule change in 1884 made them homers. Pfeffer’s significant contribution to baseball is that he was the first infielder to cut off a catcher’s throw to second base on a double-steal attempt and cut down the runner at the plate.
