Steve Kline

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1970-1977)

Steve Kline was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1977 for the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Atlanta Braves, a span of 8 seasons. Across 129 career appearances, he went 43-45 with a 3.26 ERA and 240 strikeouts.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 43–45
ERA 3.26
WHIP 1.19
SO 240
Pitcher PIV -3512.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 200 lb
Born
10/6/1947 in Wenatchee, WA, USA
Died
6/4/2018 in Chelan, WA, USA
MLB Debut
1970-07-10
Last Game
1977-07-24

Full name: Steven Jack Kline

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Career Pitching Statistics

Steve Kline — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
43 45 129 105 34 6 1 750.1 708 272 61 184 240 3.26 -3512.9

Career ERA 3.26 vs. league average 3.67 across their career seasons — 11.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Steve Kline (b. 1947) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1970 NYA AL 6 6 16 15 5 0 0 100.1 99 38 24 49 3.41 3.89 (+12%) 1203.4
1971 NYA AL 12 13 31 30 15 1 0 222.1 206 73 37 81 2.96 3.47 (+15%) 110.9
1972 NYA AL 16 9 32 32 11 4 0 236.1 210 63 44 58 2.40 3.26 (+27%) 404.4
1973 NYA AL 4 7 14 13 2 1 0 74.0 76 33 31 19 4.01 3.75 (-7%) -891.4
1974 NYA AL 2 2 4 4 0 0 0 26.0 26 10 5 6 3.46 3.63 (+5%) -443.1
1974 CLE AL 3 8 16 11 1 0 0 71.0 70 40 31 17 5.07 3.63 (-40%) -2837.8
1977 ATL NL 0 0 16 0 0 0 1 20.1 21 15 12 10 6.64 4.00 (-66%) -1059.3
Career · 7 seasons 43 45 129 105 34 6 1 750.1 708 272 184 240 3.26 — -3,513

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Steve Kline — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
129 170 14 21 1 0 0 4 0 12 48 .124 .190 .129 .320 -1,211

Career AVG .124 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 51.4% below league average.

Career OBP .190 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 41.0% below league average.

Career SLG .129 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 65.6% below league average.

Career OPS .320 vs. league average .698 across their career seasons — 54.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Steve Kline — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1970 NYA AL 16 28 3 5 0 0 0 2 0 4 10 .179 — — — — 0.0
1971 NYA AL 31 66 6 9 1 0 0 1 0 4 16 .136 .249 (-45%) .316 (-41%) .365 (-59%) .682 (-51%) -502.2
1972 NYA AL 32 76 5 7 0 0 0 1 0 4 22 .092 .243 (-62%) .310 (-52%) .353 (-74%) .664 (-64%) -709.0
1973 NYA AL 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 NYA AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 CLE AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 ATL NL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 129 170 14 21 1 0 0 4 0 12 48 .124 — — — — -1,211

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (258 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Steve Kline — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home598081002.125
Away709061102.122

Pitching — Home / Away

Steve Kline — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home59373.1310109751292.63
Away70377.03981631091113.89

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Steve Kline — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1977-07-24 ATLPIT — 0.0000000
1977-07-14 ATLCIN — 1.0111111
1977-07-10 ATLSFG — 0.2322100
1977-07-10 ATLSFG — 1.0100010
1977-07-06 ATLCIN — 1.2333201
1977-07-05 ATLCIN — 1.2000100
1977-07-03 ATLHOU — 1.0422010
1977-07-02 ATLHOU SV 1.0000020
1977-06-26 ATLSDP — 0.0011200
1977-06-24 ATLSDP — 2.0000100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Steve Kline — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 129 105 64 144 9 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Steve Kline — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1970 NYA P 16 15 14 14 0 2
1971 NYA P 31 30 24 49 1 1
1972 NYA P 32 32 20 50 7 3
1973 NYA P 14 13 1 12 0 0
1974 NYA P 4 4 0 4 0 0
1974 CLE P 16 11 5 13 0 4
1977 ATL P 16 0 0 2 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Steve Kline — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 129

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Steve Kline (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    José Junco
    43-44, 3.09 ERA
  2. 78
    Fred Newman
    33-39, 3.41 ERA
  3. 67
    Frank Miller
    52-66, 3.01 ERA
  4. 66
    Beany Jacobson
    22-46, 3.19 ERA
  5. 58
    Jake Thielman
    30-28, 3.16 ERA
  6. 52
    Mark Fidrych
    29-19, 3.10 ERA

Steve Kline: the record in brief

Between the debut on July 10, 1970 and the final game on July 24, 1977, Steve Kline built the record summarized on this page. Kline played for the New York Yankees (1970 through 1974), the Cleveland Indians (1974), and the Atlanta Braves (1977). Kline, a pitcher by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds. The birth record reads October 6, 1947, in Wenatchee, WA, USA. The bio records the death on June 4, 2018, in Chelan, WA, USA. Steve Kline was the playing name; the full given name is Steven Jack.

Across 129 games (105 starts), Kline recorded 43 wins against 45 losses with a 3.26 ERA. The same table counts 240 strikeouts, 34 complete games, and 6 shutouts. Against a 3.67 league ERA for the same years, Kline was 11.2% better. 1972 brought Kline a season-high 16 wins. Kline struck out 81 batters in 1971, a career high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Steve Kline

What years did Steve Kline play?
Steve Kline played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1977.
Was Steve Kline a pitcher?
Yes. Steve Kline pitched in the major leagues, recording 43 wins and 240 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Steve Kline hit?
Steve Kline hit 0 career home runs with 21 hits.
What teams did Steve Kline play for?
Steve Kline played for 3 teams: the New York Yankees (1970–1974), the Cleveland Indians (1974), and the Atlanta Braves (1977).
What were Steve Kline's career stats?
In 129 games, Steve Kline went 43-45 with a 3.26 ERA, 240 strikeouts, 750.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
What position did Steve Kline play?
Steve Kline played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Steve Kline and how much did he weigh?
Steve Kline was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds.
What was Steve Kline's career ERA?
Steve Kline finished with a 3.26 career ERA, going 43-45 with 240 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Steve Kline have?
Steve Kline recorded 240 career strikeouts.
Is Steve Kline in the Hall of Fame?
No. Steve Kline has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.