Lefty Hayden

Eugene Franklin "Lefty" Hayden (April 14, 1935 – June 13, 2003) was an American professional baseball player who had a brief career in Major League Baseball as a relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1958. The native of San Francisco was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg).

Hayden entered pro baseball in 1954, signing with the unaffiliated Seattle Rainiers of the Open-Classification Pacific Coast League. When the Rainiers became an affiliate of the Redlegs in 1956, he joined the Cincinnati organization. He was recalled from the minor leagues in the middle of the 1958 campaign, and pitched in three games pitched for Cincinnati. He was effective in his first two outings, hurling 2​¹⁄₃ scoreless innings on June 26 and June 30 against the first-division San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Braves. But in his third appearance, against the second-division Philadelphia Phillies, he gave up four hits, a base on balls and two earned runs in only one inning pitched. It was his last game in the majors.

Hayden retired from baseball after the 1958 campaign. He died in Lodi, California, at age 68 in 2003.