A knuckleball relief pitcher, he pitched for six Major League teams during a ten-year MLB career that stretched between 1952 and 1968: the St. Louis Cardinals (1952, 1955, 1961), Cleveland Indians (1960, 1965–67), Houston Colt .45s (1962), Milwaukee Braves (1963–65), New York Yankees (1965) and Chicago Cubs (1968).

Tiefenauer was born in Desloge, Missouri; he threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg).

Tiefenauer signed with the Cardinals in 1948, beginning his 21-year pitching career, but spent only two full seasons (1962 and 1964) on a major league roster.

In 1964, with the Milwaukee Braves, he had one of his better seasons, saving 13 games (eighth best in the National League) with an earned run average of 3.21.

The hit occurred in the fourth inning of the game between the Houston Colt .45s and the San Francisco Giants on September 29, 1962, and it was an extra base hit, a double, struck off one of the best pitchers in baseball that year, Jack Sanford, who would win 24 games for the pennant-winning 1962 Giants.