Andy Oyler

Andrew Paul "Pepper" Oyler (May 5, 1880 – October 24, 1970) was an American professional baseball player who played one season in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles in . In 27 games as a third baseman, shortstop, and outfielder for the Orioles, he had 77 at-bats with 17 hits and one home run.

He was born in Newville, Pennsylvania and attended Washington & Jefferson College. He batted and threw right-handed. He was small in stature and was an excellent fielder, but not a good hitter. He died in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania.

Shortest home run in history

In 1953, sportswriter Jocko Maxwell published an article in Baseball Digest and item in Catholic Digest describing the shortest home run in baseball history. Another version of the story, as told by Halsey Hall, had Oyler chopping at a low pitch and sticking the ball into the mud 2 feet from home plate.

Controversy Baseball historian Stew Thornley is skeptical of the story of Oyler's home run, pointing out there was no contemporary news report which described the incident. Other modern reference sources recount the story without caveat.

In popular culture The story was the subject of a book of baseball lore by Michael G. Bryson called The Twenty-Four-Inch Home Run. It was also the inspiration for the children's book, Mudball by Matt Tavares, which won the 2005 Parents' Choice Awards Gold Award. In the "Author's Note" Tavares describes the story of Oyler's home run as being folklore*. The ball's value was assessed at $3,000 to $5,000.