Charles Herbert Klein was born on October 07, 1904 on a farm near Southport, Indiana, United States, the son of Frank Klein and Margaret Vacker. His father, a farmer, had been a deputy sheriff and held other minor political jobs in Indianapolis.
Klein entered Silver Nock Grammar School when he was six years old. In 1919, he entered Southport High School, and distinguished himself there as a star athlete. He graduated from the school in 1923.
Klein went to work at a local steel mill in 1923. In the summer of 1927 he was spotted by a prohibition agent, who recommended him to the Evansville club of the 3-I League. Klein performed well in his tryout, and was given a contract; but his season ended abruptly after fourteen games when he sprained his ankle. He was sold in 1928 for $200 to Fort Wayne of the Central League, where he batted . 331 with twenty-six home runs. He was purchased for $7, 500 on July 30 by the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League. Klein performed brilliantly, averaging . 360 in sixty-four games.
During 1929, his first full year in the majors, Klein hit . 356. He took advantage of the short 280-foot right-field fence in his home park, Baker Bowl, to establish a new league record for home runs (43). A year later he hit . 386, third highest in the National League, and led in total bases (445), extra-base hits (107), runs (158), and doubles (59), the last three new league records. He was also second in home runs (43), hits (250), runs batted in (RBI; 170), and slugging (. 687). This was the height of the lively ball era, and the entire team averaged . 315, second highest in the National League. Yet the Phillies still came in last, with 102 losses, because of poor fielding and pitching. Klein's average fell to . 337 in 1931, when a less lively ball was used, but he led the league in home runs (31), runs (121), RBI (121), slugging (. 584), and total bases (347).
The next season he hit . 348 third highest in the National League; he also led in runs (152), hits (226), slugging (. 646), total bases (420), stolen bases (20), and tied Mel Ott in home runs (38). Klein reached his peak in 1933, winning the triple crown by batting . 368 with 28 home runs and 120 RBI. He also led in slugging (. 602), total bases (365), doubles (44), and hits (223). Despite his brilliant performance, the club came in seventh.
Desperately in need of cash and believing they could not do much worse without him, the Phillies sold Klein to the Chicago Cubs for $65, 000 and three players. The Cubs expected that Klein would lead them to a pennant in 1934, but he was never the same after leaving the friendly confines of Baker Bowl. A chronic charley horse kept him on the bench for weeks, and he appeared in only 115 games, batting . 301 with 20 home runs. In 1935 Klein's batting average dropped to . 293; he was benched for most of September, and contributed very little to the Cubs' thrilling twenty-one-game winning streak that brought them the pennant.
He appeared in five games during the World Series, won by the Detroit Tigers, four games to two, starting the final two games. Klein had four hits, including a home run, in twelve plate appearances. Klein's performance greatly disappointed the Cubs. Some sportswriters felt that the pressure of playing for a contender might have been too great for him. Others argued that he was finally forced to see first-rate pitching every day, which had not been the case with the Phillies.
Klein was traded back to Philadelphia early in the 1936 season along with a pitcher and $50, 000 for three men, primarily hurler Curt Davis, who was needed to bolster up a depleted Cubs pitching staff. Klein batted . 306 that year, with 25 home runs and 308 total bases. On July 10 he hit four home runs in a ten-inning game, the first time that feat had been accomplished in the National League since the 1890's. Klein's last good year was 1937, when he batted . 325. He was unconditionally released by the Phillies in June 1939 and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who released him at the end of the season. He rejoined the Phillies in 1940, mainly as a pinch hitter, until he retired as a player in 1944.
He coached from 1942 to 1945, and scouted in 1946. Klein operated a tavern after leaving baseball. A heavy drinker, he was stricken in 1948 with a disease of the nervous system, and was a semi-invalid for the rest of his life. He died at Indianapolis.
Chuck Klein played seventeen years in the majors, appearing in 1, 753 games, batting . 320 with 2, 076 hits and 300 home runs. He made his mark as a batting star. Several of his accomplishments in 1930 rank high as all-time single season records: extra-base hits (third), total bases (fourth), and hits (fifth). Klein was not well regarded as a fielder, leading the National League in errors in 1936 and tying for the lead in 1932; but he did have a very strong arm, and led in assists three times, including the major league record of forty-four, which he set in 1930. Klein was twice named Most Valuable Player by Sporting News (1931 and 1932), and was a starter in the first All-Star game in 1933. In his time he was one of the highest-paid players in the majors, earning $23, 000 in 1934, the top salary in the National League. He was also elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Klein was a strong man, six feet tall and weighing 185 pounds, and used a heavy thirty-eight-ounce bat.
Klein married Mary Torpey in 1936 whom he had in 1956. They had no children.
