View source for Chuck Klein

{{Short description|American baseball player (1904–1958)}}
{{For|the author|Chuck Klein (author)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Chuck Klein
|image=Chuck Klein 1936 Goudey.jpg
| caption = Klein in 1936
|position=[[Right fielder]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1904|10|7}}
|birth_place=[[Indianapolis]], Indiana, U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1958|3|28|1904|10|7}}
|death_place=Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=July 30
|debutyear=1928
|debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=June 1
|finalyear=1944
|finalteam=Philadelphia Phillies
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.320
|stat2label=[[Hits (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=2,076
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=300
|stat4label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=1,201
|teams=
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1928}}–{{mlby|1933}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1934}}–{{mlby|1936}})
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1936}}–{{mlby|1939}})
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{mlby|1939}})
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1940}}–{{mlby|1944}})
|highlights=
* 2× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1933]], [[1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1934]])
* [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|NL MVP]] (1932)
* [[Triple Crown (baseball)|Triple Crown]] (1933)
* [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions|NL batting champion]] (1933)
* 4× [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|NL home run leader]] (1929, 1931–1933)
* 2× [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders|NL RBI leader]] (1931, 1933)
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders|NL stolen base leader]] (1932)
* Hit [[List of Major League Baseball single-game home run leaders|4 home runs in one game]] on July 10, 1936
* [[Philadelphia Phillies#Retired numbers|Philadelphia Phillies jersey]] retired
* [[Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame|Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1980 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1980]]
|hofvote=Veterans Committee
}}
'''Charles Herbert Klein''' (October 7, 1904 – March 28, 1958), nicknamed "'''the Hoosier Hammer'''" because of his Indiana roots,  was an [[Americans|American]] professional [[baseball]] [[outfielder]]. Klein played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) for the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{baseball year|1928}}–{{baseball year|1933}}, {{baseball year|1936}}–{{baseball year|1939}}, {{baseball year|1940}}–{{baseball year|1944}}), [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{baseball year|1934}}–{{baseball year|1936}}), and [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{baseball year|1939}}).

Klein led the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) in home runs four times, and won the [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|NL Most Valuable Player Award]] in 1932.<ref name="Complete">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kleinch01.shtml|title=Chuck Klein Statistics and History|access-date=August 30, 2019|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref><ref name="sabr">{{sabrbio|8dd27865|James Lincoln Ray|August 30, 2019}}</ref> In 1933 he became one of six (at the time) NL players to win a batting [[Triple Crown (baseball)|Triple Crown]]. In 1930 he set the [[National League (baseball)|NL]] record for [[extra-base hits]] with 107. On July 10, 1936, he hit four home runs in a game, becoming the fourth player to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1936/B07100PIT1936.htm|title=Chuck Klein 4-home run game at retrosheet.org|website=retrosheet.org|access-date=October 2, 2022}}</ref> He was the first player to be selected to the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] as a member of two different teams (Phillies and Cubs). Klein was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[1980 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1980]].<ref name="hof news">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19800803&id=bJYyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6653,336993|title=Making Hall Harder for Snider, it Still Looks Easy for Kaline|work=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|date=August 3, 1980|page=9|access-date=September 1, 2019}}</ref>

==Early life==
Klein was born in [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]], on October 7, 1904, the son of immigrant farmers Frank and Margaret Klein.<ref name="Wagner, Steven K. pp.32">[[#Wag18|Wagner, Steve K.]], pp. 32</ref> After finishing high school at [[Southport High School]], he began working at a [[steel mill]]<ref name="Porter, David L. pp.818">[[#Port00|Porter, David L.]], pp. 818</ref> instead of attending college due to his poor grades at school. As a result, Klein's talents were not noticed by the major league clubs until his early 20s.<ref name="Wagner, Steven K. pp.33">[[#Wag18|Wagner, Steve K.]], pp. 33</ref> He was picked up by a semi-pro team and played for them for a few years earning $200 a week ({{Inflation|US|200|1927|fmt=eq}}).<ref name="Wagner, Steven K. pp.33"/> The [[St. Louis Cardinals]] noticed his talent and signed him to a minor-league contract. Within a year, he worked his way up to the Cardinals' farm team in [[Fort Wayne]], which played in the Class B [[Central League (baseball)|Central League]] (roughly equivalent to today's Double-A).

After hitting 26 homers in 88 games in 1928, Klein was slated to be called up to St. Louis midway through the season. However, [[Baseball Commissioner]] [[Kenesaw Mountain Landis]] discovered that the Cardinals owned a team in [[Dayton, Ohio]], that also played in the Central League with Fort Wayne. Landis ordered the Cardinals to sell off the Fort Wayne team and give up the rights to its players. The Phillies purchased Klein's contract for a sum of $5,000<ref name="Jordan, David pp.51">[[#Jord12|Jordan, David]], pp. 51</ref> ({{Inflation|US|5000|1928|fmt=eq}}) and in the process outbid the [[New York Yankees]] for Klein's services. Klein joined the Phillies in July.

==MLB career==
===Peak years===
Klein hit .356 in 1929, his first full season, and won the NL [[home run]] title. In the middle of the season, the Phillies added a 15-foot screen on top of the short right-field wall of [[Baker Bowl]]. The timing was peculiar as Klein was coming off of a torrid July where he hit 14 home runs,<ref name="1929 Batting splits">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=kleinch01&t=b&year=1929|title=1929 Batting Game Logs|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=October 22, 2019}}</ref> and was making a run at the home run record. However, [[William Baker (baseball)|William Baker]], the Phillies' notoriously miserly owner, defended the addition of the screen, stating, "a number of accidents happen[ing] on Broad street owing to the balls going over the fence and hitting pedestrians, also damaging automobiles, breaking windshields, etc."<ref name="Jordan, David pp.53">[[#Jord12|Jordan, David]], pp. 53</ref> For the remainder of the season, due to the new height of the right field wall, Klein only hit 4 home runs in the 25 games he played at Baker Bowl after August 1.<ref name="1929 Batting splits"/> In those 25 home games however, he hit 12 doubles.<ref name="1929 Batting splits"/> On the last day of the season, the Phillies played a doubleheader against the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]]. The Giants' star slugger, [[Mel Ott]], was tied with Klein for the lead with 42. In the first game, Klein homered to put him one ahead of Ott, who was held to a single. In the second game, the Phillies' pitchers [[walk (baseball)|walked]] Ott five straight times, including once with the bases loaded. Early in the 1930 season before their season debut with the Giants, New York press acknowledged that Klein's home run record was tainted, because of what happened with Ott in the last game the previous season. "He calls me the pop fly home run champ." Klein said in referring to Ott. "Say, I can hit a ball farther with one hand than that little runt can with two. Bring on those Giants. I'll eat them up!"<ref name="Jordan, David pp.54">[[#Jord12|Jordan, David]], pp. 54</ref>

In 1930, Klein enjoyed one of the best offensive years in baseball history, batting .386 with 250 [[hit (baseball)|hit]]s and 158 [[run (baseball)|run]]s scored,<ref name="Complete"/> all career highs. He also set career bests and still-standing Phillies records with 59 [[double (baseball)|double]]s, 170 [[runs batted in]] (RBI), a .687 [[slugging percentage]] and 445 [[total bases]]. No player has had as many total bases in a season since. His 107 [[extra-base hits]] that year are a National League record, tied by [[Barry Bonds]] in 2001.<ref name="Porter, David L. pp.819">[[#Port00|Porter, David L.]], pp. 819</ref> Along with his batting prowess, Klein was also a good defensive [[right fielder]]; he is tenth on the all-time list for assists for a right fielder.<ref name="Assists RF">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/A_rf_career.shtml|title=Right Field Assists Career|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=October 22, 2019}}</ref> 1930 marked the second straight season where Klein had collected at least 200 hits, along with his hitting records he set the single season mark for assists by a right fielder with 44.<ref name="Assist RF Season">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/A_rf_season.shtml|title=Right Field Assists Season|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=October 22, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Cava, Pete pp.107">[[#Cava15|Cava, Pete]], pp. 107</ref> This is due to the height that was added to the right field wall in 1929 which caused more balls to fall in right field.<ref name="Dewey, Donald, pp.228">[[#Dew02|Dewey, Donald]], pp. 228</ref> On July 1, 1931, in a game against the Chicago Cubs, Klein [[Hitting for the cycle|hit for the cycle]], going 4-for-5 with five RBI.<ref name="1931 Batting">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=kleinch01&t=b&year=1931|title=1931 Batting Logs|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=October 22, 2019}}</ref> At the end of the season, he led the National League in runs scored with 121 and RBI with 121. He also led the league in home runs for the second time in his career with 31,<ref name="Cava, Pete pp.107"/> and amassed at least 200 hits for the third season in a row.

[[File:ChuckKleinbaseballcard.jpg|thumb|190px|left|Klein's 1933 [[Goudey]] baseball card]]
After the 1932 season, Klein was awarded the National League MVP award. During the season, he led the league in home runs for the third time, as well as hits and runs scored,<ref name="Complete"/> he also became the first player in the live-ball era to lead the league in both home runs and [[stolen base]]s.<ref name="Cava, Pete pp.107"/> No player since has led the league in both categories in the same year. He finished the season with 226 hits, marking the fourth year in a row that he exceeded the 200 hit mark. On May 26, 1933, the Phillies lost a 14 inning game to the [[St. Louis Cardinals]],<ref name="cycle game">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193305260.shtml|title=1931 May 26 Game Log|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=October 22, 2019}}</ref> during this game Klein hit for the cycle for the second time in his career.<ref name="Cava, Pete pp.107"/> On [[1933 in baseball|July 6]], 1933, he became the first Phillies player ever to bat in an [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] after receiving a majority of the fans’ votes.<ref name="Jordan, David pp.57">[[#Jord12|Jordan, David]], pp. 57</ref> At the end of the season, he became the fourth NL player since 1901 to win the [[triple crown (baseball)|Triple Crown]] with a batting average of .368, and led the NL in home runs with 28 and RBI with 120.<ref name="Jordan, David pp.57"/><ref name="Complete"/> At the end of the season, due in part to [[Carl Hubbell]]'s brilliant pitching season, and the Giants winning the [[1933 World Series]], Klein finished second in MVP voting behind Hubbell. 
{{MLBBioHon
|Image = PhilsKlein.PNG
|Name  = Chuck Klein
|Team  = Philadelphia Phillies
|Year  = 2001
|}}

===Later career===
On November 21, 1933, Klein was traded to the Cubs for $65,000 ({{Inflation|US|65000|1933|fmt=eq}}) and three other players,<ref name="Complete"/><ref name="Jordan, David pp.58">[[#Jord12|Jordan, David]], pp. 58</ref><ref name="Porter, David L. pp.819"/> Klein hit 20 and 21 home runs in his two full seasons with the Cubs (1934, 1935) and batted .301 and .293 in those seasons respectively. As good as those numbers were, they were nowhere near what Klein had posted in Philadelphia, leading to claims that he would not have hit nearly as many homers had he not played in notoriously hitter-friendly Baker Bowl. The Phillies reacquired him on May 21, 1936. On [[1936 in baseball|July 10, 1936]], in the spacious [[Forbes Field]], against the 42-34 Pirates, Klein became the first NL player to hit [[List of Major League Baseball single-game home run leaders|four home runs in a game]] in the 20th century, and only the 4th player in major league history to accomplish the feat. His fourth home run that game was a leadoff home run in the top of the tenth inning, the Phillies scored 2 more runs to win the game 9–6 after ten innings.<ref name="4 hr game">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT193607100.shtml|title=July 10 1936 Game Log|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=October 22, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Wagner, Steven K. pp.35">[[#Wag18|Wagner, Steve K.]], pp. 35</ref>

Klein went to the Pirates during the 1939 season, but was back in Philadelphia in 1940 for what proved to be his last year as a regular player. From 1941 onward, he never played in more than 50 games in a season, and was often used as a [[pinch hitter]]. In his last eight seasons, from 1937 to 1944, he averaged 69 games played, batted .253 and hit 43 home runs.<ref name="Complete"/> He retired midway through the 1944 season after getting one hit in seven [[At bat|at-bats]].

==Later life==
After retiring, he owned and operated a bar in [[Kensington, Philadelphia]], until 1947.<ref name="Porter, David L. pp.819"/> He endured some difficult financial times, largely due to a drinking problem. He would later suffer a stroke which left one leg paralyzed. By 1947, Klein was living with his brother, and his wife in [[Indianapolis, Indiana]].<ref name="Porter, David L. pp.819"/> He died there in 1958.<ref name=TTN>{{cite news|title=Chuck Klein succumbs|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1665&dat=19580327&id=O0MaAAAAIBAJ&pg=4699,3927873|access-date=December 24, 2014|work=[[Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina)|Times-News]]|date=March 27, 1958}}</ref>

==Legacy==
In his 17-year major league career, Klein played in 1,753 games, batted .320, with 1,201 RBI, 1,168 [[Run (baseball)|runs]], 2,076 [[Hit (baseball)|hits]], 398 [[Double (baseball)|doubles]], 74 triples, 300 home runs, .379 [[on-base percentage]], .543 slugging percentage, and an OPS of .922. Klein was known for exploiting the Phillies home park, the [[Baker Bowl]], and its short right field wall.<ref name="baker">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19310505&id=yJUwAAAAIBAJ&pg=1755,4699698&hl=en|work=[[Kentucky New Era]]|title=Power of Klein's Swing Developed in Steel Mills|date=May 5, 1931|page=3|access-date=August 30, 2019}}</ref> In his career he hit for a .395 average and slugged 164 home runs in only 581 career games at the Baker Bowl.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=kleinch01&year=Career&t=b|title=Chuck Klein Batting Splits|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=August 30, 2019}}</ref> Klein recorded five five-hit games, 36 four-hit games in his career and 28 multi-home run games.

After never receiving more than 28% on the ballot, a campaign was started to get Klein elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] via the [[Veterans Committee]].<ref name="Wagner, Steven K. pp.37">[[#Wag18|Wagner, Steve K.]], pp. 37</ref> He was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1980 via the Veterans Committee. [[Richard Nixon]] listed Klein on his all-time baseball team.<ref name="Wagner, Steven K. pp.37"/> In 1999, he ranked number 92 on ''[[The Sporting News]]''' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/lisn100.shtml|title=100 Greatest Baseball Players by The Sporting News : A Legendary List by Baseball Almanac|website=www.baseball-almanac.com}}</ref> and was a nominee for the [[Major League Baseball]] All-Century Team.

As with another Philadelphia legend from the pre-numbers era of baseball, [[Grover Cleveland Alexander]], the Phillies simply honored Klein with his name and an Old English-style "P" where a retired uniform number would go on the outfield wall of [[Veterans Stadium]]. The Phillies began using numbers in 1932, and in that season and 1933, Klein wore number 3. He was then traded to the [[Chicago Cubs]], and when he returned to the Phillies in 1936, he wore 32 (later retired by the Phillies for [[Steve Carlton]]), and soon switched to 36 (later retired by the Phillies for [[Robin Roberts (baseball)|Robin Roberts]]) for that season and 1937. In 1938, he wore number 1 (later retired by the Phillies for [[Richie Ashburn]]), wore 26 and then 14 (later retired by the Phillies for [[Jim Bunning]]) in 1939, wore 29 in 1940 and 1941, 3 again in 1942, 8 in 1943 and 26 again in 1944, his last major league season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1227109-philadelphia-phillies-retired-numbers-whos-next#slide0|title=Philadelphia Phillies Retired Numbers: Who's Next?|work=Blearcher Report|access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
{{div col}}
* [[Philadelphia Phillies award winners and league leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball single-game home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball home run records]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball doubles records]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders]]
* [[Major League Baseball titles leaders]]
* [[Triple Crown (baseball)|Major League Baseball Triple Crown]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S06nCgAAQBAJ|title=Indiana-Born Major League Baseball Players: A Biographical Dictionary, 1871-2014|last=Cava|first=Pete|year=2015|isbn=9781476622705|publisher=McFarland|access-date=October 21, 2019|ref=Cava15}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XTW4AQAAQBAJ&q=chuck+klein+hall|title=The New Biographical History of Baseball: The Classic—Completely Revised
|last=Dewey|first=Donald|year=2002|isbn=9781572435674|publisher=Triumph Books|access-date=October 23, 2019|ref=Dew02}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fIO9bQOyt48C|title=Occasional Glory: The History of the Philadelphia Phillies|last=Jordan|first=David M.|year=2012|isbn=9781476600543|publisher=McFarland|access-date=October 21, 2019|ref=Jord12}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aChCBw-PmHQC&q=chuck+klein+baseball+biography|title=Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: G-P|last=Porter|first=David L.|year=2000|isbn=9780313311758|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|access-date=October 21, 2019|ref=Port00}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YMlgDwAAQBAJ|title=The Four Home Runs Club: Sluggers Who Achieved Baseball's Rarest Feat|last=Wagner|first=Steven K|year=2018|isbn=9781538115435|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|access-date=August 30, 2019|ref=Wag18}}

==External links==
*{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|klein-chuck}}
*{{baseballstats|mlb=117141|espn=23798|br=k/kleinch01|fangraphs=1006991|brm=klein-001cha|retro=K/Pkleic101}}
*{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|8dd27865}}
*[https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=kleinch01 Chuck Klein] at Baseball Almanac
*{{find a Grave}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{Succession box| before = [[Babe Herman]]<br>[[Pepper Martin]] | title = [[Hitting for the cycle]]| years = July 1, 1931<br>May 26, 1933 | after = [[Babe Herman]]<br>[[Arky Vaughan]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Rogers Hornsby]] | title = [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[Major League Baseball Triple Crown|Triple Crown]]| years = 1933 | after = [[Joe Medwick]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Lou Gehrig]] | title = [[Batters with 4 home runs in one game]]| years = July 10, 1936 | after = [[Pat Seerey]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{NL MVPs}}
{{NL batting title}}
{{NL home run champions}}
{{NL RBI champions}}
{{NL stolen base champions}}
{{MLB Triple Crowns (batters)}}
{{4 HR game}}
{{Philadelphia Phillies}}
{{Philadelphia Phillies retired numbers}}
{{Philadelphia Phillies HOF}}
{{Philly Baseball Wall of Fame}}
{{1980 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Chuck}}
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1958 deaths]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Indianapolis]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball right fielders]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:National League batting champions]]
[[Category:National League home run champions]]
[[Category:National League RBI champions]]
[[Category:National League stolen base champions]]
[[Category:National League hitting Triple Crown winners]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies coaches]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:National League Most Valuable Player Award winners]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]