George Kahler
| George Kahler | |||
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: September 6, 1889 Athens, Ohio |
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Died: February 7, 1924 (aged 34) Battle Creek, Michigan |
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| MLB debut | |||
| August 13, 1910, for the Cleveland Naps | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| May 4, 1914, for the Cleveland Naps | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 32-43 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.17 | ||
| Strikeouts | 285 | ||
| Teams | |||
George Runnells "Krum" Kahler (September 6, 1889 – February 7, 1924) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from Athens, Ohio. He played for the Cleveland Naps from 1910 to 1914.
The spelling of Kahler's last name has varied in different newspapers, yearbooks and publications throughout his entire life. Kahler is sometimes spelled "Kaler" depending on the publication. The origin and spelling of his nickname "Krum" is unknown. It was occasionally spelled "Crum" in some articles.
Kahler attended Athens High School and Ohio University of his hometown. His sister also became a faculty member in OU's English department later in her life. He grew up as a three-sport athlete, playing baseball, football and basketball. He was originally a third baseman, but eventually made the move to pitcher. In football, Kahler was a remarkable fullback. A local newspaper named him the "best OU fullback of the past twenty-five years" in the 1920s.
The student body admired Kahler for his athletic ability and good character. An article about him in the 1909 Ohio University Athena yearbook described him as talented at a young age: "At the age of 2 months he could walk. At the age of 2 years he could throw a stone from his back window hitting 4 out of 6 passersby. At the age of 4 years he never missed."
Upon his graduation from OU, Kahler signed with Lima, a semi-professional baseball team. In late 1909 he moved to the Columbus Senators of the American Association, making $150 per month to start. He had an outstanding 20-7 record starting for the Senators. In 1910 he was sold to the Cleveland Naps, boosting his salary to $300 per month and making him the first OU graduate to make it to the MLB.
Kahler was the second pitcher to use the emery ball, after Russ Ford. This now-illegal pitch consisted of scarring the ball to be able to achieve unnatural movement. He learned this trick while playing in the minors.
Kahler had a relatively large stature for a pitcher; he was listed as about 6 feet tall and weighed approximately 183 pounds. This was sometimes a disadvantage for him. His large stature delayed his pitching delivery, making base stealing much easier for base runners.
Kahler joined the majors during a period known as the dead-ball era, a time when pitching dominated and batting was more strategic. In 1911 he was awarded a $600 bonus for finishing the season with an even or above pitching record.
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