Dodgers History: George Pfister Plays Game, But Does Not
By David Hill
When does a one game major league career not actually happen? Well, for former Dodgers catcher George Pfister, he found out how on this day in 1941.
Brooklyn Dodgers catcher George Pfister had a relatively obscure professional baseball career. He spent 11 years in the minors, with three excellent seasons in the late 1940s, hitting over .330 each season from 1948 through 1950. However, by that time, he had become a minor league manager before becoming a Dodgers coach. Afterwards, he spent some time as the Yankees farm director, and then worked for 23 years in MLB’s baseball ops department.
A baseball lifer, Pfister had one major league appearance as a player. That game came on this day in 1941, as he entered the game in the fifth inning. From there, Pfister went 0-2 with a fly ball to center and a groundout. Pfister also had just one real chance with the ball, failing to throw out Stan Benjamin in the eighth inning.
At least, in theory, George Pfister had a one game career with the Dodgers. The problem was, the National League ruled that Pfister was still property of the Montreal Royals, as he never signed a contract with Brooklyn. With that being the case, his name was stricken from the box score for that day.
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This ruling leads to an interesting conundrum. As starting catcher Mickey Owen was lifted after four innings and Pfister entered his place, does that mean that, according to the National League, the Dodgers did not have a catcher for those final five innings? And what of those people at the game itself – was Pfister’s major league appearance just a mass hallucination?
Pfister was also a victim of bad timing with his career. While he was only 22 at the time he made his only appearance, he missed the next four years due to World War Two. By the time he had reestablished himself in the minors, Pfister was valued more for his mind than his ability as a player.
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George Pfister had one five inning stint for the Brooklyn Dodgers as his only major league action. Except, according to the National League, that appearance on this day in 1941 never happened.