Chuck Klein
| Chuck Klein | |||
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| Right fielder | |||
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Born: October 7, 1904 Indianapolis, Indiana |
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Died: March 28, 1958 (aged 53) Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| MLB debut | |||
| July 30, 1928, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 1, 1944, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .320 | ||
| Home runs | 300 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,201 | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Member of the National | |||
 Baseball Hall of Fame
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| Inducted | 1980 | ||
| Vote | Veterans Committee | ||
Charles Herbert "Chuck" Klein (October 7, 1904 – March 28, 1958), nicknamed the "Hoosier Hammer", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies (1928–33, 1936–39, 1940–44), Chicago Cubs (1934–36) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1939). He was one of the most prodigious National League sluggers in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He became the first baseball player to be named to the All-Star Game as a member of two different teams.
Klein was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was known as the "Hoosier Hammer." He worked in a steel mill in his youth and played semipro baseball on his own time. The St. Louis Cardinals noticed his talent and signed him to a minor-league contract. He worked his way up to the Cardinals' farm team in Fort Wayne.
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 played in the same league as Fort Wayne. Landis ordered the Cardinals to sell off the Fort Wayne team and give up the rights to its players. The Phillies outbid the New York Yankees for Klein's services, and Klein joined the Phillies in July.
Klein won the NL home run title in 1929, his first full year in the majors. However, he was helped along by his teammates on the last day of the season. In this game, the Phillies faced the 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 walked Ott five straight times, including once with the bases loaded.
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