Bill Kling
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1891-1895)
Bill Kling was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1891 to 1895 for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Louisville Colonels, a span of 5 seasons. Across 15 career appearances, he went 4-4 with a 5.17 ERA and 33 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 190 lb
- Died
- 8/25/1934 in Kansas City, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1891-08-13
- Last Game
- 1895-04-20
Full name: William Kling
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891 | PHI | NL | 4 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75.0 | 91 | 36 | 32 | 26 | 4.32 | 3.52 (-23%) | -29.4 |
| 1892 | BLN | NL | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 11.45 | 3.28 (-249%) | -416.4 |
| 1895 | LS3 | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 4 | 4 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 87.0 | 108 | 50 | 40 | 33 | 5.17 | — | -446 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 36 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 5 | .194 | .341 | .250 | .591 | 0 |
Career AVG .194 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 26.1% below league average.
Career OBP .341 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .250 vs. league average .354 across their career seasons — 29.5% below league average.
Career OPS .591 vs. league average .690 across their career seasons — 14.3% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891 | PHI | NL | 13 | 31 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | .194 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1892 | BLN | NL | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1895 | LS3 | NL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 16 | 36 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 5 | .194 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 15 |
| Center Field | 1 |
Bill Kling: the record in brief
August 13, 1891 and April 20, 1895 bracket Bill Kling's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Phillies (1891), the Baltimore Orioles (1892), and the Louisville Colonels (1895). Kling played primarily as a pitcher and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Born on January 14, 1867, in OH, USA, Kling was listed at 6'0" and 190 pounds. The bio records the death on August 25, 1934, in Kansas City, MO, USA. The given name on file is William Kling.
Kling went 4-4 with a 5.17 ERA in 15 games, 9 of them starts. Kling had 33 strikeouts. The league ERA over Kling's seasons was 3.79, so the 5.17 figure ran 36.4% worse than average. In 1891, one of the busiest seasons, Kling posted a 4.32 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.52.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Kling
- What years did Bill Kling play?
- Bill Kling played in Major League Baseball from 1891 to 1895.
- Was Bill Kling a pitcher?
- Yes. Bill Kling pitched in the major leagues, recording 4 wins and 33 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bill Kling hit?
- Bill Kling hit 0 career home runs with 7 hits.
- What was Bill Kling's career batting average?
- Bill Kling batted .194 over his career, with 7 hits in 36 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Kling have?
- Bill Kling drove in 3 runs in his career.
- What was Bill Kling's career ERA?
- Bill Kling finished with a 5.17 career ERA, going 4-4 with 33 strikeouts.