John Kling (February 25, 1875 in Kansas City, Missouri - January 31, 1947 in Kansas City) was a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs (the Chicago Orphans until 1903) (1900-1908, 1910-1911), Boston Rustlers & Braves (1911-1912), and Cincinnati Reds (1913).
Kling was an exceptional defensive catcher and also had a decent bat. He was a pivotal member of the Cubs dynasty which won four National League pennants and two World Series titles between 1906 and 1910. In early 1909 he won the World Pocket Billiards Championship and stopped playing baseball for the 1909 season to defend that title.
In 1260 games, he batted .271 with 20 home runs and 513 RBIs all-time. He had 1151 hits in 4241 at bats. In August 1902, Kling put together a Major League Baseball record streak of 12 consecutive hits, a feat that wasn't uncovered until 2009. Walt Dropo later tied the mark in 1952.
In a 1976 Esquire magazine article, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Kling was the catcher on Stein's Jewish team. (A reader, however, wrote in and pointed out that Kling was not Jewish but his wife was; and suggested Harry Danning instead.)
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Bio at BaseballLibrary.com
| Preceded by Fred Tenney |
Boston Braves Managers 1912 |
Succeeded by George Stallings |
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