Bill Klem facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bill Klem |
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Bill Klem, the father of baseball umpires, in 1914
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| Umpire | |
| Born: February 22, 1874 Rochester, New York |
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| Died: September 16, 1951 (aged 77) Miami, Florida |
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1953 |
| Election Method | Veterans Committee |
William Joseph Klem, born William Joseph Klimm (February 22, 1874 – September 16, 1951), was a famous National League (NL) umpire in Major League Baseball. He was known as the "Old Arbitrator" and is often called the "father of baseball umpires." Klem worked in the major leagues from 1905 to 1941. He holds the record for umpiring the most World Series games, working in 18 of them. After he passed away, Klem was honored by being added to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
Contents
Who Was Bill Klem?
Early Life and Start in Baseball
Bill Klem was born on February 22, 1874, in Rochester, New York. He changed his last name from "Klimm" to "Klem" because he thought it sounded better. Bill first tried to become a baseball player as a catcher. However, an arm injury stopped him from playing.
After his injury, Klem worked as a bartender. He also traveled around the Northeast, helping to build bridges. One day, he read a newspaper article about a major league umpire named Silk O'Loughlin. This made Klem decide to become an umpire himself.
Beginning His Umpiring Career
Klem started his umpiring journey in the Connecticut League in 1902. He quickly showed he wasn't afraid to make tough calls. In one game, he ejected a player. The team manager, Jim O'Rourke, who was also the league secretary, got very angry. O'Rourke threatened that Klem would never umpire another game in the league. But Klem bravely replied, "Maybe so, but I'll umpire this one!"
He then worked in the New York State League in 1903. In 1904, Klem spent a season in the American Association. Finally, in 1905, he joined the National League (NL), one of the two major leagues in baseball.
Bill Klem's Major League Career
World Series and All-Star Games
Bill Klem holds an amazing record: he umpired in 18 World Series! No other umpire has worked in more than ten. He was part of the World Series in these years: 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934, and 1940.
He also umpired in the very first All-Star Game in 1933. He even worked behind home plate for the second half of that game. Klem also umpired in the 1938 All-Star Game.
Famous Calls and Nicknames
Klem holds the MLB record for the most times an umpire has ejected a player from a game, with 251 ejections!
He was the home plate umpire for five no-hitters, which is an NL record. He was also behind the plate on September 16, 1924. On that day, Jim Bottomley of the St. Louis Cardinals set a record by getting 12 runs batted in in a single game.
Players had a few nicknames for Klem. His favorite was "The Old Arbitrator." However, some players called him "Catfish" because of his face. Klem really disliked this name. He was known for ejecting players he caught using it. In one famous story, Klem ejected a player just for drawing a picture of a catfish with his foot in the dirt!
Another time, Klem ejected Al López, a catcher. López had taped a newspaper clipping onto home plate. The clipping showed Klem making a wrong call involving López. López covered the photo with dirt and waited for Klem to brush off home plate. When Klem saw it, López was out of the game!
Innovations and Retirement
As Klem got older, he faced some health challenges. He once said that being an umpire was very stressful. He felt that insults from fans and players really affected umpires' confidence and well-being.
Klem was a very innovative umpire. He was one of the first to wear a modern, soft chest protector inside his shirt. He successfully pushed for this to be used throughout the National League. He was also the first umpire to stand to the catcher's side of the foul lines. This gave him a better view of the game.
By 1940, Klem retired from regularly umpiring games. He was replaced by future Hall of Fame umpire Al Barlick. Klem was then made the NL's chief of umpires. In 1941, the league started trying out four-umpire crews. Klem appeared in a few games that season to help with this new system.
Klem holds the record for umpiring the most regular season MLB games, with 5,375 games. He also umpired 103 postseason games and two All-Star Games. He had the longest career of any major league umpire, lasting 37 years. He was also the oldest umpire in history at age 67 for a long time. Klem was highly respected for bringing professionalism and skill to umpiring.
Later Life and Legacy
Bill Klem's wife was named Marie, and she often traveled with him. They did not have any children.
Klem passed away on September 16, 1951, at the age of 77, in Coral Gables, Florida. He had been dealing with heart problems for a few years.
In 1953, Bill Klem and Tom Connolly became the first two umpires to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. They are also the only umpires to have worked in five different decades.
In 1962, a special award was created in Bill Klem's honor. The Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America started the Bill Klem Award to recognize outstanding umpires in the National League.
