Montefiore Pfeiffer

Montefiore “Monte” Pfeiffer, also known by his Hebrew name Moshe ben Shmuel Yosef, was a Jewish American professional baseball player who made a single appearance in Major League Baseball (MLB). Though long overlooked, he was posthumously confirmed in 2025 as Jewish, adding his name to the small roster of Jewish major leaguers.

Pfeiffer was born on October 7, 1890, in New York City to Samuel Joseph Pfeiffer, a Polish-born Jewish stone mill merchant, and Lena (“Fanny”) Topper Pfeiffer, also from Poland. He grew up in a Yiddish-speaking household and was the eldest son in a family of multiple siblings. By the 1910 U.S. Census, he was already listed as a ballplayer, playing semi-professionally for a Plainfield, New Jersey, team.

Pfeiffer began his professional career 1911 at age 19 with the Haverhill Hustlers of the Class B New England League. Initially pressed into service due to an ejection on Opening Day, he scored both of his team’s runs and quickly earned a reputation for speed and spectacular defensive plays, despite modest batting statistics and occasional fielding struggles.

In 1912, Pfeiffer joined the McKeesport Tubers of the Class D Ohio-Pennsylvania League, briefly serving as player-manager. After the team disbanded midseason, he signed with the Wilkes-Barre Barons of the Class B New York State League. His defensive skills and energy drew praise from local reporters, and he became the team’s regular shortstop by 1913.

That season nearly ended abruptly when a teammate allegedly told a young woman Pfeiffer was courting that he was “a Jew and a tightwad who never spent a nickel.” The remark angered Pfeiffer, who vowed to quit baseball and return to his Bronx pool hall. Manager Joe McCarthy, who would later guide the New York Yankees to seven World Series titles, persuaded him to stay.

Pfeiffer’s chance in the majors came late in the 1913 season when Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack rested his famed “$100,000 infield” before the World Series. On September 29, Pfeiffer debuted at shortstop against the Washington Senators before a crowd of 15,000 on “George McBride Day.” His opponent on the mound was Walter Johnson, the era’s most dominant pitcher, seeking his 36th win of the year.

Pfeiffer went 0-for-3 but reached base once after being grazed by a pitch. Contemporary reports praised his defense, noting several sharp stops despite one error. The Senators won 1–0, and no pitcher has since matched Johnson’s win total from that season.

The following day, Pfeiffer was struck in the head by a batted ball during pregame warmups, rendering him unconscious and ending his major league career. He continued in the minors, playing for teams including the Kansas City Blues, Marinette-Menominee Twins, Topeka Jayhawks, and St. Boniface Bonnies in Canada, though his batting averages remained low.

In late 1914, Pfeiffer married Rose Schechter, a fellow New York Jew. She died two weeks after giving birth to their daughter, Frances, in 1915. Pfeiffer entrusted the child’s care to his sister, Mamie. He later worked as a signalman or subway repairman and briefly served in the military during World War I.

Monte Pfeiffer died of heart disease on September 27, 1941, in New York City at the age of 49. He was buried in Acacia Cemetery in Queens, New York, a Jewish cemetery where his headstone bears Hebrew inscriptions confirming his heritage.

Pfeiffer’s Jewish identity went unrecognized for over a century in baseball history. In 2025, researcher Zak Kranc uncovered the evidence through cemetery records, genealogical documents, and family testimony, securing Pfeiffer’s place among roughly 200 Jewish major leaguers in history. His great-great-grandnephew, Aric Berg, later pitched for Fordham University, continuing the family’s baseball connection.

Sources: “Monte Pfeiffer,” Jewish Baseball News.
Darren Gibson, “Monte Pfeiffer,” Society for American Baseball Research.
Scott Barancick, “Jewish baseball fans have created an exhaustive list of Jewish players. They missed Monte Pfeiffer.” JTA, (August 14, 2025).