1972 Profile: Steve Kline

"There should be footnotes included with Steve Kline's statistics each time they are published. The big right-hander finished with an unimpressive 12-13 record, but he also wound up with a 2.96 ERA and gave up only 10 runs in six of the setbacks he suffered while his teammates tallied all of three runs. No wonder Ralph Houk rates Kline as one of his best pitchers. Although the 6-3, 205-pounder has been in the Yankee organization since 1966, he had never won more than eight games until last season.
He throws a live fastball, a very good slider and a curve, all with great precision and from a smooth, compact motion. When he's sharp, his fastball sinks, which makes for a lot of ground balls."

-Brenda Zanger, Major League Baseball 1972

"Don't let the boyish good looks fool you. When Steve Kline goes to work, he's tough. A hard loser. Tough.
Steve comes from the Mel Stottlemyre school of pitching, and his grades for a year and a half in the big leagues are impressive. His good earned run average is a solid down payment on a brilliant future.
A 24-year-old bachelor, Steve was born in Wenatchee, Washington, population 17,000, moved to Chelan, Washington, population 2,400, and keeps an apartment in New York, population 8,000,000.
Steve is a math major and during this winter took courses at California Polytechnic, working towards his degree. He says he can calculate his ERA in his head.
The fans are attracted to Steve; the girls like his Glen Campbell good looks (and his eligibility), and the boys like his pitching ability. It adds up to a happy romance between the Yankees, New York, and Steve Kline."

-The New York Yankees Official 1972 Yearbook

"Steve has blossomed into one of the top young right-handers in the American League, as he posted an ERA under 3.00 (2.96) in his first full year in the major leagues. A bright young man, he has continued his college education all through his baseball career, attending Washington State, the University of Miami and, this past off-season, California Polytechnic in his quest for a math degree. A product of the state of Washington and scout Eddie Taylor, who also discovered Yankee ace Mel Stottlemyre in the same territory, Kline reminds many of Stottlemyre with his sinkerball style of pitching, his adept fielding and all-around athletic ability, and also his intense concentration while on the mound.
Steve reached the Yankees on July 8, 1970 when he was recalled from Syracuse where he was burning up the AAA International League with an 8-2 record and a 2.54 ERA. He became the Yanks' fourth starter last season and only missed a turn when he had to fulfill military obligations. One of the most eligible bachelors on the Yankees, Steve's hobbies are hunting and fishing."

-1972 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide