Ron KlineRonald Lee KlineBorn: March 9, 1932 in Callery, Penn. Died: June 22, 2002 in Callery, Penn.Debut: 1952 | Pos: PHt: 6’3″ | Wt: 205 | B: R | T: RYrs W L G SV IP SO ERA17 114 144 736 108 2078 989 3.75>> Visit the Ron Kline biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.Ron Kline, a relief pitcher, spent 17 seasons over 19 years in Major League Baseball, compiling a 114-144 record and 108 saves. Much of his career was spent in a Pittsburgh uniform. He died in 2002.”He was a great guy who worked hard and played hard,” said former Pittsburgh teammate Steve Blass in a wire report. “He was a great competitor on the mound and liked to have fun off it.”His career included three stops with the Pirates, the first coming with his debut in 1952. In 1960, the Pirates traded him to the Cardinals for outfielder Gino Cimoli and pitcher Tom Cheney. The Pirates won the World Series that year. From 1952 to 1961, he was used mainly as a starting pitcher. He had just 5 starts over the remainder of his career, becoming a top relief pitcher in baseball. In 1965, he became the closer for Washington and led the league with 29 saves. The following season, he posted 23. In 1968, he was 12-5 with 7 saves and a 1.68 ERA for the Pirates. His final year in the majors was 1970 when he pitched in 5 innings for the Braves. At the start of 2002, he was tied for 81st all-time with 108 career saves.Following his career, he served as mayor of Callery, located north of Pittsburgh.