Stenzel appeared in 60 games for the Pirates in 1893 and batted .362 to establish his reputation as a strong hitter.[2] Over the following three seasons, he was the team's regular center fielder. He posted the best statistics of his career in 1894, when he hit .352 with 13 home runs and 121 runs batted in in 131 games. His 148 runs scored in 1894 remains the Pirates single-season franchise record. In 1895, Stenzel raised his batting average to .371; his OPS+ total of 157 ranked fifth in the league.[1] In 1896, he hit .361 to lead the Pirates in batting average for the third straight season. He became the first Pittsburgh player to collect six hits in a game, which he accomplished on May 14.[2]
In November 1896, Stenzel was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. He had another solid season in 1897, batting .353 and leading the NL with 43 doubles.[1] He also hit .381 in the post-season Temple Cup series, which Baltimore won over the Boston Beaneaters.[2] In 1898, Stenzel was batting .254 in June when he was traded to the St. Louis Browns. He finished the year with the Browns and then played briefly for the Browns and the Cincinnati Reds in 1899 before his professional baseball career ended. Over his nine-year MLB career, Stenzel had 1,024 hits and a .338 batting average in 761 games.[1] He had the 25th-highest batting average in major league history.[5][a]
Later life
Stenzel had a wife and two children. After his baseball days were over, he ran a bar in Cincinnati until he sold it during World War I. He then went to work as a night watchman in a factory.[2]
^Stenzel had the 21st-highest batting average in major league history before the statistics of Negro Leagues players were included in major league records.
