Neil Stephen Fiala is a former Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 player. He played in five games in the majors in September , all as a pinch hitter

Pinch hitter

In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...

. He pinch-hit three times for the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 without a hit, then was traded to the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

 on September 10 along with pitcher Joe Edelen

Joe Edelen

Benny Joe Edelen was touted as one of the all-time great high school athletes in the state of Oklahoma. A recipient of the Jim Thorpe award, Joe excelled in basketball and baseball receiving All-State and All-America honors in both sports. Joe is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who...

 for veteran reliever Doug Bair

Doug Bair

Charles Douglas Bair is a right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of fifteen seasons in the majors, from until , for seven different teams...

.

In his first appearance for the Reds on September 16, Fiala got his one and only major league hit, a single against Mike Rowland

Mike Rowland

Michael Evan "Mike" Rowland is former Major League Baseball pitcher. Rowland played for the San Francisco Giants in and .-External links:*...

 of the San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

. Fiala drove in one run with the hit, and scored another run later in the inning. Coincidentally, the player for whom he was pinch-hitting was Edelen. His final appearance came 12 days later—again pinch-hitting for Edelen—when he struck out against Alan Hargesheimer

Alan Hargesheimer

Alan Robert Hargesheimer is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched in parts of four seasons between and for three different teams. Since his retirement, Hargesheimer has worked as a scout for several teams, including the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres.-Sources:...

.

In the minor leagues, Fiala was used mostly as a second baseman

Second baseman

Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...

. Originally drafted by the Cardinals in , he retired following the season. From until , Fiala served as manager for the River City Rascals

River City Rascals

The River City Rascals are a professional baseball team based in O'Fallon, Missouri, in the United States. The Rascals are a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 1999 season to the present, the Rascals have played their...

 of the independent Frontier League

Frontier League

The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...

.

Sources