Ron Kline

Born: 3/9/1932 in Callery, PA, USA

Died: 6/22/2002 in Callery, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1952-04-21 | Final Game: 1970-06-13

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Ronald Lee Kline

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Biography

Ron Kline was a professional baseball pitcher who played from 1952 until 1970, leaving an indelible mark on the game during a transformative period in Major League Baseball. Born in 1932, Kline made his debut in the early 1950s, a time when the sport was beginning to embrace a more modern approach to pitching and hitting. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 114 wins and 144 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.75. His career was marked by his ability to strike out batters, amassing a total of 989 strikeouts, alongside securing 108 saves that underscored his role as a reliable late-inning option. Kline's playing style was characterized by his versatility on the mound, often adapting to the needs of his team while contributing as both a starter and reliever. He was known for his consistent performance and durability, qualities that were particularly valuable during his era, which saw the rise of power hitting and increased offensive production. As a respected figure in the game, Kline's contributions in the 1950s and 1960s helped shape the role of the modern pitcher, influencing future generations while navigating the challenges of a competitive league. His legacy remains a testament to the evolution of baseball during a pivotal time in its history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
114	144	736	203	44	8	108	2078.0	2113	866	218	731	989	3.75	0

Career ERA 3.75 vs. league average 3.68 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1952	PIT	NL	0	7	27	11	0	0	0	78.7	74	48	66	27	5.49	3.70 (-48%)	-2486.3
1955	PIT	NL	6	13	36	19	2	1	2	136.7	161	63	53	48	4.15	4.00 (-4%)	-622.3
1956	PIT	NL	14	18	44	39	9	2	2	264.0	263	99	81	125	3.38	3.96 (+15%)	1985.3
1957	PIT	NL	9	16	40	31	11	2	0	205.0	214	92	61	88	4.04	3.83 (-5%)	-2397.5
1958	PIT	NL	13	16	32	32	11	2	0	237.3	220	93	92	109	3.53	3.86 (+9%)	-1426.2
1959	PIT	NL	11	13	33	29	7	0	0	186.0	186	88	70	91	4.26	3.90 (-9%)	-2076.8
1960	STL	NL	4	9	34	17	1	0	1	117.7	133	79	43	54	6.04	3.82 (-58%)	-
1961	LAA	AL	3	6	26	12	0	0	1	104.7	119	57	44	70	4.90	4.03 (-22%)	-1302.0
1961	DET	AL	5	3	10	8	3	1	0	56.3	53	17	17	27	2.72	4.03 (+33%)	1158.7
1962	DET	AL	3	6	36	4	0	0	2	77.3	88	37	28	47	4.31	3.96 (-9%)	-241.8
1963	WS2	AL	3	8	62	1	0	0	17	93.7	85	29	30	49	2.79	3.46 (+19%)	1319.6
1964	WS2	AL	10	7	61	0	0	0	14	81.3	81	21	21	40	2.32	3.58 (+35%)	974.7
1965	WS2	AL	7	6	74	0	0	0	29	99.3	106	29	32	52	2.63	3.50 (+25%)	217.0
1966	WS2	AL	6	4	63	0	0	0	23	90.3	79	24	17	46	2.39	3.52 (+32%)	-706.4
1967	MIN	AL	7	1	54	0	0	0	5	71.7	71	30	15	36	3.77	3.30 (-14%)	-1299.3
1968	PIT	NL	12	5	56	0	0	0	7	112.7	94	21	31	48	1.68	2.98 (+44%)	646.0
1969	PIT	NL	1	3	20	0	0	0	3	31.0	37	20	5	15	5.81	3.61 (-61%)	181.9
1969	SFG	NL	0	2	7	0	0	0	0	11.0	16	5	6	7	4.09	3.61 (-13%)	-
1969	BOS	AL	0	1	16	0	0	0	1	17.0	24	9	17	7	4.76	3.61 (-32%)	-1761.8
1970	ATL	NL	0	0	5	0	0	0	1	6.3	9	5	2	3	7.11	—	0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
743	491	14	45	2	1	0	14	1	15	221	0.092	0.122	0.100	0.222	-3360.7

Career AVG .092 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 63.6% below league average.

Career OBP .122 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 61.8% below league average.

Career SLG .100 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 73.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.222 vs. league average 0.698 across their career seasons — 68.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1952	PIT	NL	27	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1955	PIT	NL	37	38	1	5	0	0	0	0	1	21	0.132	—	—	—	—	0.0
1956	PIT	NL	44	79	2	10	0	0	3	1	4	26	0.127	.258 (-51%)	.331 (-50%)	.397 (-68%)	.728 (-60%)	-830.9
1957	PIT	NL	40	66	0	4	0	0	0	0	1	24	0.061	.257 (-76%)	.323 (-77%)	.391 (-85%)	.715 (-81%)	-905.6
1958	PIT	NL	33	74	2	2	1	0	1	0	4	42	0.027	.257 (-90%)	.324 (-73%)	.394 (-90%)	.719 (-82%)	-1027.2
1959	PIT	NL	38	59	4	8	0	0	6	0	1	23	0.136	.256 (-47%)	.323 (-54%)	.392 (-65%)	.715 (-60%)	-597.0
1960	STL	NL	34	35	1	5	0	0	1	0	0	13	0.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
1961	LAA	AL	26	31	0	3	0	0	0	0	1	17	0.097	—	—	—	—	0.0
1961	DET	AL	10	18	2	3	1	0	2	0	0	8	0.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1962	DET	AL	36	16	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	5	0.125	—	—	—	—	0.0
1963	WS2	AL	62	11	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	7	0.091	—	—	—	—	0.0
1964	WS2	AL	61	6	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	0.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	WS2	AL	74	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	WS2	AL	63	6	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	4	0.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	MIN	AL	54	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1968	PIT	NL	56	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	PIT	NL	20	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	SFG	NL	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	BOS	AL	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1970	ATL	NL	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
P	736	192	147	319	20	24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1952	PIT	P	27	0	3	8	0	2
1955	PIT	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1955	PIT	P	36	19	20	30	2	2
1956	PIT	P	44	39	17	42	4	3
1957	PIT	P	40	31	18	27	1	2
1958	PIT	P	32	32	20	40	3	4
1959	PIT	P	33	29	15	27	2	1
1960	SLN	P	34	17	8	23	0	1
1961	LAA	P	26	12	8	21	3	1
1961	DET	P	10	8	2	7	0	1
1962	DET	P	36	4	13	11	2	2
1963	WS2	P	62	1	3	14	1	2
1964	WS2	P	61	0	2	13	1	1
1965	WS2	P	74	0	3	13	0	1
1966	WS2	P	63	0	6	7	1	0
1967	MIN	P	54	0	2	11	0	0
1968	PIT	P	56	0	4	15	0	0
1969	PIT	P	20	0	1	5	0	0
1969	SFN	P	7	0	1	1	0	0
1969	BOS	P	16	0	1	4	0	1
1970	ATL	P	5	0	0	0	0	0