Edward Frederick "Specs" Klieman (March 21, 1918 – November 15, 1979) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) in all or portions of eight seasons (1943–1950) for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

, Washington Senators,

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

and Philadelphia Athletics. For his career, he compiled a 26–28 won–lost record, with 33 saves, in 222 appearances, with a 3.49

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

and 130 strikeouts. Klieman was a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

on the

1948 World Series The 1948 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1948 season. The 45th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League (AL) champion Cleveland Indians and the National League (NL) champion Boston Br ...

champion Indians, pitching in one

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

game, giving up three runs without recording an out. Klieman was born in

Norwood, Ohio Norwood is the third most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an enclave of the larger city of Cincinnati. The population was 19,207 at the 2010 census. Originally settled as an early suburb of Cincinnati in the wooded c ...

. A

right-hander In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

, he was listed as tall and . His 15-season career began in 1937 in the organization of the Cincinnati Reds, but Klieman would spend the bulk of his career with

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

team, the Indians, working in 197 games (with 32 starts) during his first six MLB seasons. Klieman became a relief specialist starting in 1946. In he led the American League in games pitched (58) and saves (17). In , he teamed with

Russ Christopher Russell Ormand Christopher (September 12, 1917 – December 5, 1954) was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for seven seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics (1942-1947) and Cleveland Indians (1948). In 241 care ...

to give AL champion Cleveland an effective bullpen duo; he worked in 44 games and put up his best ERA (2.60), while contributing four saves. Although he was treated roughly by the Boston Braves in Game 5 of the 1948 Series, his teammates came back the following day to win the sixth game and the world championship. That winter, he was included in a blockbuster trade with Washington that brought the Indians future Baseball Hall of Famer

Early Wynn Early Wynn Jr. (January 6, 1920 – April 4, 1999), nicknamed "Gus", was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox, dur ...

and seven-time AL All-Star

Mickey Vernon James Barton "Mickey" Vernon (April 22, 1918 – September 24, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for the Washington Senators (1939–1948, 1950–1955), Cleveland Indians (1949–1950, 1958), Boston Red ...

. Klieman would appear in only two games for the Senators before his contract was sold to the White Sox in May 1949. He pitched effectively in relief for Chicago, winning his two decisions and posting a 3.00 ERA, but that December he was traded again, this time to the Philadelphia Athletics. However, Klieman was ineffective in five relief appearances and was sent to the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

, where he finished his pro career in 1951. In his 542 innings pitched as a big leaguer, Klieman allowed 525 hits and 239 bases on balls, to go with his 130 strikeouts. In 32 assignments as a starting pitcher, he threw ten complete games and two

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

. Ed Klieman died in Homosassa, Florida, at the age of 61 on November 15, 1979.

References

1918 births 1979 deaths Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Baseball players from Ohio Cedar Rapids Raiders players Charleston Senators players Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians players Columbia Reds players Fremont Reds players Indianapolis Indians players Jacksonville Tars players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Norwood, Ohio Philadelphia Athletics players Sacramento Solons players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1910s-stub

See also

References