Bob Klinger

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1938-1947)

Bob Klinger was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1947 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 10 seasons. Across 265 career appearances, he went 66-61 with a 3.68 ERA, 357 strikeouts, and 23 saves. He also batted .204 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 4899.3.

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 66–61
ERA 3.68
WHIP 1.39
SO 357
Pitcher PIV 4899.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 180 lb
Born
6/4/1908 in Allenton, MO, USA
Died
8/19/1977 in Villa Ridge, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1938-04-19
Last Game
1947-09-23

Full name: Robert Harold Klinger

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Career Pitching Statistics

Bob Klinger — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
66 61 265 130 48 7 23 1089.2 1,153 445 46 358 357 3.68 4899.3

Career ERA 3.68 vs. league average 3.92 across their career seasons — 6.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Klinger Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1938 PIT NL 12 5 28 21 10 1 1 159.1 152 53 42 58 2.99 4.35 (+31%) 2092.5
1939 PIT NL 14 17 37 33 10 2 0 225.0 251 109 81 64 4.36 4.28 (-2%) 170.6
1940 PIT NL 8 13 39 22 3 0 3 142.0 196 85 53 48 5.39 4.21 (-28%) 742.3
1941 PIT NL 9 4 35 9 3 0 4 116.2 127 51 30 36 3.93 3.94 (avg) 1179.1
1942 PIT NL 8 11 37 19 8 1 1 152.2 151 55 45 58 3.24 3.57 (+9%) 1171.7
1943 PIT NL 11 8 33 25 14 3 0 195.0 185 59 58 65 2.72 3.50 (+22%) 1147.3
1946 BOS AL 3 2 28 1 0 0 9 57.0 49 15 25 16 2.37 3.59 (+34%) -43.5
1947 BOS AL 1 1 28 0 0 0 5 42.0 42 18 24 12 3.86 3.97 (+3%) -1560.6
Career · 8 seasons 66 61 265 130 48 7 23 1,089.2 1,153 445 358 357 3.68 — 4,899

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

Bob Klinger — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
265 348 28 71 5 0 0 21 0 20 41 .204 .247 .218 .466 -1,145

Career AVG .204 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 22.5% below league average.

Career OBP .247 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 25.8% below league average.

Career SLG .218 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 41.3% below league average.

Career OPS .466 vs. league average .705 across their career seasons — 34.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bob Klinger — 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
1938 PIT NL 28 60 5 10 0 0 0 3 0 2 13 .167 .272 (-39%) .341 (-43%) .392 (-58%) .734 (-51%) -493.1
1939 PIT NL 37 84 9 17 0 0 0 6 0 5 12 .202 .274 (-26%) .342 (-28%) .393 (-49%) .735 (-39%) -519.2
1940 PIT NL 39 42 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .143 — — — — 0.0
1941 PIT NL 35 32 1 8 2 0 0 3 0 2 4 .250 — — — — 0.0
1942 PIT NL 37 40 3 8 1 0 0 3 0 5 4 .200 — — — — 0.0
1943 PIT NL 33 65 5 16 2 0 0 4 0 5 2 .246 .255 (-4%) .324 (-8%) .346 (-20%) .671 (-14%) -132.9
1946 BOS AL 28 16 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 .312 — — — — 0.0
1947 BOS AL 28 9 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .111 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 265 348 28 71 5 0 0 21 0 20 41 .204 — — — — -1,145

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Bob Klinger — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Bob Klinger — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1946 WS BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Bob Klinger — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 1 0 0 0.2 2 1 1 0 13.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Bob Klinger — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1946 WS BOS 0 1 1 0 0 0.2 2 1 1 0 13.50

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (530 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bob Klinger — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1361841543017.234
Away129162132807.173

Pitching — Home / Away

Bob Klinger — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home136594.16002041871863.09
Away129494.15552411731724.39

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bob Klinger — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1947-09-23 BOSPHAL 000000000
1947-09-18 BOSSLAW 200000000
1947-09-15 BOSCHWL 000000000
1947-09-10 BOSDETL 000000000
1947-09-06 BOSPHAW 000000000
1947-09-03 BOSNYYL 000000000
1947-08-25 BOSCLEL 000000000
1947-08-22 BOSCHWL 000000000
1947-08-03 BOSDETL 000000000
1947-07-30 BOSCLEL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bob Klinger — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1947-09-23 BOSPHA — 1.0000000
1947-09-18 BOSSLA W 5.0400300
1947-09-15 BOSCHW — 1.0000000
1947-09-10 BOSDET — 1.0111100
1947-09-06 BOSPHA SV 0.1000100
1947-09-03 BOSNYY — 2.0511010
1947-08-25 BOSCLE — 1.1311000
1947-08-22 BOSCHW — 1.0000000
1947-08-03 BOSDET — 1.0222101
1947-07-30 BOSCLE — 0.1332200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bob Klinger — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 265 0 54 241 6 13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bob Klinger — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 PIT P 28 0 4 34 0 2
1939 PIT P 37 0 7 62 3 5
1940 PIT P 39 0 6 33 0 1
1941 PIT P 35 0 4 25 1 3
1942 PIT P 37 0 14 35 1 0
1943 PIT P 33 0 14 37 0 2
1946 BOS P 28 0 1 11 1 0
1947 BOS P 28 0 4 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bob Klinger — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 265

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bob Klinger (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Johnny Morrison
    103-80, 3.65 ERA
  2. 94
    Johnny Humphries
    52-63, 3.78 ERA
  3. 90
    Hugh McQuillan
    88-94, 3.83 ERA
  4. 88
    Brooks Lawrence
    69-62, 4.25 ERA
  5. 88
    Huck Betts
    61-68, 3.93 ERA
  6. 87
    Art Ditmar
    72-77, 3.98 ERA

Bob Klinger: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 19, 1938 and the final game on September 23, 1947, Bob Klinger built the record summarized on this page. By club, Klinger's seasons break down as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1938 through 1943) and the Boston Red Sox (1946 through 1947). Klinger played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on June 4, 1908, in Allenton, MO, USA, Klinger was listed at 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds. The bio records the death on August 19, 1977, in Villa Ridge, MO, USA. Klinger's full given name, per the bio, is Robert Harold Klinger.

Across 265 games (130 starts), Klinger recorded 66 wins against 61 losses with a 3.68 ERA. Klinger had 357 strikeouts, 48 complete games, 7 shutouts, and 23 saves. The leagues Klinger pitched in allowed 3.92 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 6.3% better than average. No season topped the 14 wins of 1939. Klinger struck out 65 batters in 1943, a career high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Klinger

What years did Bob Klinger play?
Bob Klinger played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1947.
Was Bob Klinger a pitcher?
Yes. Bob Klinger pitched in the major leagues, recording 66 wins and 357 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bob Klinger hit?
Bob Klinger hit 0 career home runs with 71 hits.
What teams did Bob Klinger play for?
Bob Klinger played for 2 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1938–1943) and the Boston Red Sox (1946–1947).
What were Bob Klinger's career stats?
In 265 games, Bob Klinger went 66-61 with a 3.68 ERA, 357 strikeouts, 1,089.2 innings pitched, and 23 saves. At the plate he had 71 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Bob Klinger play?
Bob Klinger played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bob Klinger and how much did he weigh?
Bob Klinger was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
What was Bob Klinger's career ERA?
Bob Klinger finished with a 3.68 career ERA, going 66-61 with 357 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bob Klinger have?
Bob Klinger recorded 357 career strikeouts.
Is Bob Klinger in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bob Klinger has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.