Bill Klem: Difference between revisions

Bill Klem
Bill Klem
	Klem in 1914
Born	February 22, 1874; Rochester, New York, U.S.
Died	September 16, 1951 (aged 77); Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	National League Umpire
Years active	1905–1941
Spouse	Marie Kranz (m. 1910)
	Baseball career
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1953
Election method	Veterans Committee

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William Joseph Klem (born Klimm; February 22, 1874 – September 16, 1951), known as "the Old Arbitrator", was an American baseball umpire who worked in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1941, spending his entire career in the National League (NL).^[1] He worked 18 World Series, which is a major league record. Klem was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.

Biography

Early life

Klem was born on February 22, 1874, in the "Dutchtown" area of Rochester, New York. He had changed the spelling of his last name from "Klimm" to "Klem" because he thought it had a better sound. Klem pursued a baseball career as a catcher until he sustained an arm injury. He then worked as a bartender and traveled through the Northeast building bridges. He decided to pursue umpiring after reading a newspaper article about major league umpire Silk O'Loughlin.^[2]

His umpiring career began in the Connecticut League in 1902. That year, Klem had a run-in with league secretary and team manager Jim O'Rourke after Klem ejected one of the manager's players. O'Rourke threatened that Klem would not umpire another game in the league, but Klem responded, "Maybe so, but I'll umpire this one."^[3]

He worked in the New York State League the following year. Klem spent the 1904 season in the American Association before joining the NL in 1905.^[4]

MLB career

He worked a record 18 World Series:^[5] 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1934 and 1940. No other umpire has worked in more than ten Series. Of the 16 major league teams in existence during his career, all but one—the St. Louis Browns, who would not win a pennant until 1944—appeared in a World Series that he officiated; the only other teams which did not win a championship with Klem on the field were the Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies (neither of which won a title during Klem's lifetime) and the Detroit Tigers. He was also one of the umpires for the first All-Star Game in 1933, and worked behind the plate for the second half of the game; he later umpired in the 1938 All-Star Game as well.

Klem holds the MLB record for most career ejections by an umpire with 279.^[6]

He called balls and strikes in five no-hitters, an NL record later tied by Harry Wendelstedt. He was also the home plate umpire on September 16, 1924, when Jim Bottomley of the St. Louis Cardinals had a record 12 runs batted in. Klem had a number of nicknames amongst the players: his favorite was "the Old Arbitrator", but his jowly appearance also led to some players calling him "Catfish". Klem despised the latter name, and was notorious for ejecting players whom he caught using it.^[7] One particular incident involved a player whom Klem ejected after he caught the player drawing a picture of a catfish with his foot in the infield dirt.^[8]

Klem also dismissed catcher Al López from a game after López pasted a newspaper clipping onto home plate which showed Klem clearly in error calling a play involving López. The catcher had covered the photo with dirt and waited for Klem to brush off home plate.^[9]

As Klem got older, he began to experience a skin condition that he said related to his nerves. He once commented on the toll that umpiring took on him, saying, "Most baseball fans... feel that these verbal and physical public humiliations [umpires endure] go in one ear and out the other. Well, they don't. They go in one ear and go straight to the nervous system, eating away coordination, self-confidence and self-respect."^[2] Late in his life, Klem stated in interviews that he had originated the use of hand signals for umpiring calls. It was difficult to challenge Klem at the time because so many years had passed. Recent research does not yield a clear answer to the origin of hand signals, with credit often going to umpire Cy Rigler.^[10]

By 1940, Klem had retired and had been replaced by future Hall of Fame umpire Al Barlick.^[11] At that time, Klem was appointed the NL's chief of umpires. The league began experimenting with four-man umpire crews in 1941 and Klem appeared in a few games that season so that those games would have four umpires.^[12] Klem held the record for most MLB games umpired for over 70 years – at his retirement in 1941, he had umpired 5,375 games, the record until 2021 when it was surpassed by Joe West.^[13]^[14] He finished his career having umpired 5,375 regular season MLB games (all in the National League), 103 postseason games (all in World Series), and two MLB All-Star Games.^[15]

He had the longest career of any major league umpire (37 years) before Bruce Froemming tied that mark in 2007, and was also the oldest umpire in history at age 67 until Froemming surpassed that mark as well. Klem was widely respected for bringing dignity and professionalism to umpiring, as well as for his high skill and good judgment. Klem was also an innovative umpire: he was one of the first to wear a modern, somewhat pliable chest protector inside his shirt, a move which he successfully campaigned to have adopted throughout the NL, although Jocko Conlan and Beans Reardon used the outside protector. He was the first to straddle foul lines and stand to the catcher's side for better perspective. Finally, he was the last umpire to work the plate exclusively (traditionally the crew chief always worked the plate; today umpire crews rotate base/plate assignments).

Personal life

Klem's wife was named Marie. She often traveled with him to games that he worked. They had no children.^[2]

Death and legacy

Klem died on September 16, 1951, at age 77, at Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida.^[1] He died of a heart attack after suffering from heart problems for two to three years. He had been hospitalized for over a month when he died. About a week before his death, Klem seemed to know that his death was coming, commenting to his attorney, "This is my last game and I'm going to strike out this time."^[16] His wife was his only survivor.^[16]

Klem and Tom Connolly were the first two umpires inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.^[5] They are also the only umpires to have worked in five different decades. In 1946 Klem and Connolly had also been named to the Honor Rolls of Baseball.

In 1962, the Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America established the Bill Klem Award to honor outstanding NL umpires.^[17]

References

^ ^a ^b "Bill Klem, 77, Dies. Dean of Umpires. 'Old Arbitrator,' Who Served National League 35 Years, Worked 18 World Series A 'Likely Young Man' Always 'On Top' of Play In Seventeen World Series. Honored by Writers". The New York Times. September 17, 1951. Retrieved 2013-12-27. William J. Klem, dean of major league baseball umpires, died here early today in Doctors Hospital of a heart ailment, with which he became afflicted two years ago when his eyesight also began to fail.
^ ^a ^b ^c Fitzpatrick, Frank (September 2, 1999). "Klem, The Old Arbitrator, was father of umpiring. He was the first umpire elected To Baseball's Hall Of Fame. but his career was not without controversy". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ Roer, Mike (2006). Orator O'Rourke: The Life of a Baseball Radical. McFarland. p. 234. ISBN 0786423552. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
^ "Bill Klem". New York Historical Society. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
^ ^a ^b Bill Klem at Baseball Hall of Fame Archived December 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine accessed 18 December 2007
^ "Umpire Ejection Fantasy League Polls: He Gone". Close Call Sports. August 1, 2011.
^ Anderson, David. Bill Klem. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ "Human umpires important part of baseball". The Ponca City News. March 1, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
^ Baseball's Greatest Managers, 1961.
^ Miller, Stuart (July 25, 2010). "Umpires' signs: The movie". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ "Hall-of-fame Ump Barlick Dies". Chicago Tribune. December 28, 1995. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ Chuck, Bill; Kaplan, Jim (2007). Walkoffs, Last Licks and Final Outs: Baseball's Grand (and Not-so-grand) Finales. ACTA Publications. p. 163. ISBN 978-0879463427. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ Katherine Acquavella; R.J. Anderson (May 25, 2021). "Joe West breaks MLB record for most games umpired". CBS. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
^ "Umpire Joe West works 5,164th game — the second most in major league history". StarTribune. August 16, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
^ "Bill Klem". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Bill Klem, veteran umpire, dies of heart attack at 77". Chicago Tribune. September 17, 1951. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ ""Bill Klem" Award set". The Spokesman-Review. November 25, 1962. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

External links

Bill Klem at the Baseball Hall of Fame
Career statistics and umpire information from The Baseball Cube, or Retrosheet
Bill Klem at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
The Deadball Era
Bill Klem at Find a Grave

[tdb-1] "Bill Klem, 77, Dies. Dean of Umpires. 'Old Arbitrator,' Who Served National League 35 Years, Worked 18 World Series A 'Likely Young Man' Always 'On Top' of Play In Seventeen World Series. Honored by Writers". The New York Times. September 17, 1951. Retrieved 2013-12-27. William J. Klem, dean of major league baseball umpires, died here early today in Doctors Hospital of a heart ailment, with which he became afflicted two years ago when his eyesight also began to fail.

[Philly-2] Fitzpatrick, Frank (September 2, 1999). "Klem, The Old Arbitrator, was father of umpiring. He was the first umpire elected To Baseball's Hall Of Fame. but his career was not without controversy". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

[Orator-3] Roer, Mike (2006). Orator O'Rourke: The Life of a Baseball Radical. McFarland. p. 234. ISBN 0786423552. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[NYHS-4] "Bill Klem". New York Historical Society. Retrieved September 5, 2013.

[bbhof-5] Bill Klem at Baseball Hall of Fame Archived December 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine accessed 18 December 2007

[6] "Umpire Ejection Fantasy League Polls: He Gone". Close Call Sports. August 1, 2011.

[sabr-7] Anderson, David. Bill Klem. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

[8] "Human umpires important part of baseball". The Ponca City News. March 1, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

[9] Baseball's Greatest Managers, 1961.

[NYT-10] Miller, Stuart (July 25, 2010). "Umpires' signs: The movie". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

[Barlick-11] "Hall-of-fame Ump Barlick Dies". Chicago Tribune. December 28, 1995. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

[Walkoffs-12] Chuck, Bill; Kaplan, Jim (2007). Walkoffs, Last Licks and Final Outs: Baseball's Grand (and Not-so-grand) Finales. ACTA Publications. p. 163. ISBN 978-0879463427. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

[13] Katherine Acquavella; R.J. Anderson (May 25, 2021). "Joe West breaks MLB record for most games umpired". CBS. Retrieved May 26, 2021.

[mostgames-14] "Umpire Joe West works 5,164th game — the second most in major league history". StarTribune. August 16, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.

[15] "Bill Klem". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 17, 2019.

[Death-16] "Bill Klem, veteran umpire, dies of heart attack at 77". Chicago Tribune. September 17, 1951. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

[Award-17] ""Bill Klem" Award set". The Spokesman-Review. November 25, 1962. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|American baseball umpire}}
+{{Short description|American baseball umpire (1874-1951)}}
+{{infobox person
-{{Infobox baseball biography
 | name   = Bill Klem
 | image     = Billklem.jpg
 | image_size     =
-| caption  = Bill Klem, the father of baseball umpires, in 1914
+| caption  = Klem in 1914
 | birth_date  = {{birth date|1874|2|22}}
-| birth_place = [[Rochester, New York]]
+| birth_place = [[Rochester, New York]], U.S.
 | death_date = {{death date and age|1951|9|16|1874|2|22}}
-| death_place = [[Miami, Florida]]
+| death_place = [[Miami, Florida]], U.S.
+|occupation = [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[Umpire (baseball)|Umpire]]
-| position      = Umpire
+|years_active =1905–1941
-| bats =
+|spouse          = {{marriage|Marie Kranz|1910}}
-| throws =
+|module= {{Infobox baseball biography
 |hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
 |hoftype = National
-|hofdate={{Baseball year|1953}}
+|hofdate=[[1953 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1953]]
 |hofmethod=Veterans Committee
+|embed = yes
 }}
+}}
-'''William Joseph Klem''', born '''William Joseph Klimm''' (February 22, 1874 – September 16, 1951), known as the "Old Arbitrator" and the "father of [[baseball]] [[umpire (baseball)|umpires]]", was a [[National League]] (NL) umpire in [[Major League Baseball]] from 1905 to 1941.<ref name=tdb/> He worked 18 World Series, which is a major league record. Klem was posthumously inducted into the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1953.
+'''William Joseph Klem''' (born '''Klimm'''; February 22, 1874 – September 16, 1951), known as "'''the Old Arbitrator'''", was an American [[baseball umpire]] who worked in [[Major League Baseball]] from 1905 to 1941, spending his entire career in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL).<ref name=tdb/> He worked 18 World Series, which is a major league record. Klem was posthumously inducted into the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1953.
 ==Biography==
 ===Early life===
-Klem was born on February 22, 1874 in the "Dutchtown" area of [[Rochester, New York]]. He had changed the spelling of his last name from "Klimm" to "Klem" because he thought it had a better sound. Klem pursued a baseball career as a catcher until he sustained an arm injury. He then worked as a bartender and traveled through the Northeast building bridges. He decided to pursue umpiring after reading a newspaper article about major league umpire [[Silk O'Loughlin]].<ref name=Philly>{{cite web|last1=Fitzpatrick|first1=Frank|title=Klem, The Old Arbitrator, was father of umpiring. He was the first umpire elected To Baseball's Hall Of Fame. but his career was not without controversy|url=http://articles.philly.com/1999-09-02/sports/25487317_1_umpire-bill-klem-nickname|publisher=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|accessdate=November 30, 2014|date=September 2, 1999}}</ref>
+Klem was born on February 22, 1874, in the "Dutchtown" area of [[Rochester, New York]]. He had changed the spelling of his last name from "Klimm" to "Klem" because he thought it had a better sound. Klem pursued a baseball career as a [[catcher]] until he sustained an arm injury. He then worked as a bartender and traveled through the Northeast building bridges. He decided to pursue umpiring after reading a newspaper article about major league umpire [[Silk O'Loughlin]].<ref name=Philly>{{cite web|last1=Fitzpatrick|first1=Frank|title=Klem, The Old Arbitrator, was father of umpiring. He was the first umpire elected To Baseball's Hall Of Fame. but his career was not without controversy|url=http://articles.philly.com/1999-09-02/sports/25487317_1_umpire-bill-klem-nickname|publisher=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|access-date=November 30, 2014|date=September 2, 1999}}</ref>
-His umpiring career began in the [[Connecticut League]] in 1902. That year, Klem had a run-in with league secretary and team manager [[Jim O'Rourke (baseball)|Jim O'Rourke]] after Klem ejected one of the manager's players. O'Rourke threatened that Klem would not umpire another game in the league, but Klem responded, "Maybe so, but I'll umpire this one."<ref name=Orator>{{cite book|last1=Roer|first1=Mike|title=Orator O'Rourke: The Life of a Baseball Radical|date=2006|publisher=McFarland|isbn=0786423552|page=234|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DzTv-wj6ey8C|accessdate=January 19, 2015}}</ref>
+His umpiring career began in the [[Connecticut League]] in 1902. That year, Klem had a run-in with league secretary and team manager [[Jim O'Rourke (baseball)|Jim O'Rourke]] after Klem ejected one of the manager's players. O'Rourke threatened that Klem would not umpire another game in the league, but Klem responded, "Maybe so, but I'll umpire this one."<ref name=Orator>{{cite book|last1=Roer|first1=Mike|title=Orator O'Rourke: The Life of a Baseball Radical|date=2006|publisher=McFarland|isbn=0786423552|page=234|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DzTv-wj6ey8C|access-date=January 19, 2015}}</ref>
-He worked in the [[New York State League (1885–1917)|New York State League]] the following year. Klem spent the 1904 season in the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]] before joining the NL in 1905.<ref name=NYHS>{{cite web|title=Bill Klem|url=http://sports.nyhistory.org/bill-klem/|publisher=New York Historical Society|accessdate=September 5, 2013}}</ref>
+He worked in the [[New York State League (1885–1917)|New York State League]] the following year. Klem spent the 1904 season in the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]] before joining the NL in 1905.<ref name=NYHS>{{cite web|title=Bill Klem|url=http://sports.nyhistory.org/bill-klem/|publisher=New York Historical Society|access-date=September 5, 2013}}</ref>
 ===MLB career===
 He worked a record 18 [[World Series]]:<ref name=bbhof/> [[1908 World Series|1908]], [[1909 World Series|1909]], [[1911 World Series|1911]], [[1912 World Series|1912]], [[1913 World Series|1913]], [[1914 World Series|1914]], [[1915 World Series|1915]], [[1917 World Series|1917]], [[1918 World Series|1918]], [[1920 World Series|1920]], [[1922 World Series|1922]], [[1924 World Series|1924]], [[1926 World Series|1926]], [[1929 World Series|1929]], [[1931 World Series|1931]], [[1932 World Series|1932]], [[1934 World Series|1934]] and [[1940 World Series|1940]]. No other umpire has worked in more than ten Series. Of the 16 major league teams in existence during his career, all but one&mdash;the [[St. Louis Browns]], who would not win a pennant until 1944&mdash;appeared in a World Series that he officiated; the only other teams which did not win a championship with Klem on the field were the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]], [[Philadelphia Phillies]] (neither of which won a title during Klem's lifetime) and the [[Detroit Tigers]]. He was also one of the umpires for the first [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] in [[1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1933]], and worked behind the plate for the second half of the game; he later umpired in the [[1938 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1938 All-Star Game]] as well.
-Klem holds the [[MLB]] record for most career ejections by an umpire with 251.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.closecallsports.com/2011/08/polls-she-gone.html|title=Umpire Ejection Fantasy League Polls: He Gone|work=Close Call Sports|date=August 1, 2011}}</ref>
+Klem holds the [[MLB]] record for most career ejections by an umpire with 279.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.closecallsports.com/2011/08/polls-she-gone.html|title=Umpire Ejection Fantasy League Polls: He Gone|work=Close Call Sports|date=August 1, 2011}}</ref>
-He called balls and strikes in five no-hitters, an NL record later tied by [[Harry Wendelstedt]]. He was also the home plate umpire on September 16, 1924, when [[Jim Bottomley]] of the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] had a record 12 [[run batted in|runs batted in]]. Klem had a number of nicknames amongst the players: his favorite was "The Old Arbitrator", but his jowly appearance also led to some players calling him "Catfish". Klem despised the latter name, and was notorious for ejecting players whom he caught using it.<ref name=sabr>Anderson, David. [http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/31461b94 Bill Klem]. [[Society for American Baseball Research]]. Retrieved November 30, 2014.</ref> One particular incident involved a player whom Klem ejected after he caught the player drawing a picture of a catfish with his foot in the infield dirt.{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}}
+He called balls and strikes in five no-hitters, an NL record later tied by [[Harry Wendelstedt]]. He was also the home plate umpire on September 16, 1924, when [[Jim Bottomley]] of the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] had a record 12 [[run batted in|runs batted in]]. Klem had a number of nicknames amongst the players: his favorite was "the Old Arbitrator", but his jowly appearance also led to some players calling him "Catfish". Klem despised the latter name, and was notorious for ejecting players whom he caught using it.<ref name=sabr>Anderson, David. [http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/31461b94 Bill Klem]. [[Society for American Baseball Research]]. Retrieved November 30, 2014.</ref> One particular incident involved a player whom Klem ejected after he caught the player drawing a picture of a catfish with his foot in the infield dirt.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated-->|date=March 1, 2023 |title=Human umpires important part of baseball |url=https://www.poncacitynews.com/sports/human-umpires-important-part-baseball |work=The Ponca City News |access-date=June 5, 2024}}</ref>
+[[File:Umpires for the World Series of 1924 lined up before the game with Geo. Phillips, left, official announcer. L. to rt.- Phillips, Umpires Dineen, Klem, Quigley, and Connolly LCCN2016887767.jpg|thumb|Umpires for the [[1924 World Series|World Series of 1924]] lined up before the game with George Phillips, left, official announcer. Left to Right: Phillips, Umpires [[Bill Dinneen]], Bill Klem, [[Ernest C. Quigley]], and [[Tom Connolly (umpire)|Tom Connolly]].]]
 Klem also dismissed catcher [[Al López]] from a game after López pasted a newspaper clipping onto home plate which showed Klem clearly in error calling a play involving López. The catcher had covered the photo with dirt and waited for Klem to brush off home plate.<ref>''Baseball's Greatest Managers'', 1961.</ref>
-As Klem got older, he began to experience a skin condition that he said related to his nerves. He once commented on the toll that umpiring took on him, saying, "Most baseball fans... feel that these verbal and physical public humiliations [umpires endure] go in one ear and out the other. Well, they don't. They go in one ear and go straight to the nervous system, eating away coordination, self-confidence and self-respect."<ref name=Philly/> Late in his life, Klem stated in interviews that he had originated the use of hand signals for umpiring calls. It was difficult to challenge Klem at the time because so many years had passed. Recent research does not yield a clear answer to the origin of hand signals, with credit often going to umpire [[Cy Rigler]].<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Stuart|title=Umpires' signs: The movie|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/sports/baseball/25umpire.html?_r=0|accessdate=November 30, 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 25, 2010}}</ref>
+As Klem got older, he began to experience a skin condition that he said related to his nerves. He once commented on the toll that umpiring took on him, saying, "Most baseball fans... feel that these verbal and physical public humiliations [umpires endure] go in one ear and out the other. Well, they don't. They go in one ear and go straight to the nervous system, eating away coordination, self-confidence and self-respect."<ref name=Philly/> Late in his life, Klem stated in interviews that he had originated the use of hand signals for umpiring calls. It was difficult to challenge Klem at the time because so many years had passed. Recent research does not yield a clear answer to the origin of hand signals, with credit often going to umpire [[Cy Rigler]].<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Stuart|title=Umpires' signs: The movie|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/sports/baseball/25umpire.html?_r=0|access-date=November 30, 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 25, 2010}}</ref>
-By 1940, Klem had retired and had been replaced by future Hall of Fame umpire [[Al Barlick]].<ref name=Barlick>{{cite news|title=Hall-of-fame Ump Barlick Dies|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-12-28/sports/9512280160_1_umpire-bill-klem-hall|accessdate=November 30, 2014|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=December 28, 1995}}</ref> At that time, Klem was appointed the NL's chief of umpires. The league began experimenting with four-man umpire crews in 1941 and Klem appeared in a few games that season so that those games would have four umpires.<ref name=Walkoffs>{{cite book|last1=Chuck|first1=Bill|last2=Kaplan|first2=Jim|title=Walkoffs, Last Licks and Final Outs: Baseball's Grand (and Not-so-grand) Finales|date=2007|publisher=ACTA Publications|isbn=0879463422|page=163|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EX2iPhcpza0C&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163|accessdate=November 30, 2014}}</ref> To this day, Klem holds the record for MLB games umpired<ref name ="mostgames">{{ref web|url=http://www.startribune.com/umpire-joe-west-works-5-164-game-the-second-most-in-major-league-history/490981771/?refresh=true||title=Umpire Joe West works 5,164th game — the second most in major league history|publisher=StarTribune|date=August 16, 2019|accessdate=October 25, 2019}}</ref> - he finished his career having umpired 5,370 regular season MLB games (all in the National League), 103 postseason games (all in World Series), and two MLB All-Star Games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/K/Pklemb901.htm |title=Bill Klem |website=[[Retrosheet]] |accessdate=August 17, 2019}}</ref>
+By 1940, Klem had retired and had been replaced by future Hall of Fame umpire [[Al Barlick]].<ref name=Barlick>{{cite news|title=Hall-of-fame Ump Barlick Dies|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/12/28/hall-of-fame-ump-barlick-dies/|access-date=November 30, 2014|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=December 28, 1995}}</ref> At that time, Klem was appointed the NL's chief of umpires. The league began experimenting with four-man umpire crews in 1941 and Klem appeared in a few games that season so that those games would have four umpires.<ref name=Walkoffs>{{cite book|last1=Chuck|first1=Bill|last2=Kaplan|first2=Jim|title=Walkoffs, Last Licks and Final Outs: Baseball's Grand (and Not-so-grand) Finales|date=2007|publisher=ACTA Publications|isbn=978-0879463427|page=163|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EX2iPhcpza0C&pg=PA163|access-date=November 30, 2014}}</ref> Klem held the record for most MLB games umpired for over 70 years – at his retirement in 1941, he had umpired 5,375 games, the record until 2021 when it was surpassed by [[Joe West (umpire)|Joe West]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/joe-west-ties-mlb-record-for-most-games-umpired/ |title=Joe West breaks MLB record for most games umpired |author1= Katherine Acquavella |author2=R.J. Anderson |date=May 25, 2021 |publisher=CBS |accessdate=May 26, 2021}}</ref><ref name ="mostgames">{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/umpire-joe-west-works-5-164-game-the-second-most-in-major-league-history/490981771/?refresh=true|title=Umpire Joe West works 5,164th game — the second most in major league history|publisher=StarTribune|date=August 16, 2019|access-date=October 25, 2019}}</ref> He finished his career having umpired 5,375 regular season MLB games (all in the National League), 103 postseason games (all in World Series), and two MLB All-Star Games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/K/Pklemb901.htm |title=Bill Klem |website=[[Retrosheet]] |access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref>
-He had the longest career of any major league umpire (37 years) before [[Bruce Froemming]] tied that mark in 2007, and was also the oldest umpire in history at age 67 until Froemming surpassed that mark as well. Klem was widely respected for bringing dignity and professionalism to umpiring, as well as for his high skill and good judgment. Klem was also an innovative umpire; he may have been the first major league umpire to use arm signals while working behind home plate,<ref name=bbhof/> and was one of the first to wear a modern, somewhat pliable chest protector inside his shirt, a move which he successfully campaigned to have adopted throughout the NL, although [[Jocko Conlan]] and [[Beans Reardon]] used the outside protector. He was the first to straddle foul lines and stand to the catcher's side for better perspective. Finally, he was the last umpire to work the plate exclusively (traditionally the crew chief always worked the plate; today umpire crews rotate base/plate assignments).
+He had the longest career of any major league umpire (37 years) before [[Bruce Froemming]] tied that mark in 2007, and was also the oldest umpire in history at age 67 until Froemming surpassed that mark as well. Klem was widely respected for bringing dignity and professionalism to umpiring, as well as for his high skill and good judgment. Klem was also an innovative umpire: he was one of the first to wear a modern, somewhat pliable chest protector inside his shirt, a move which he successfully campaigned to have adopted throughout the NL, although [[Jocko Conlan]] and [[Beans Reardon]] used the outside protector. He was the first to straddle foul lines and stand to the catcher's side for better perspective. Finally, he was the last umpire to work the plate exclusively (traditionally the crew chief always worked the plate; today umpire crews rotate base/plate assignments).
 ===Personal life===
@@ Line 47: / Line 52: @@
 ===Death and legacy===
-Klem died on September 16, 1951, at age 77, at [[Doctors Hospital (Coral Gables, Florida)|Doctors Hospital]] in [[Coral Gables, Florida]].<ref name=tdb>{{cite news |author= |coauthors= |title=Bill Klem, 77, Dies. Dean of Umpires. 'Old Arbitrator,' Who Served National League 35 Years, Worked 17 World Series A 'Likely Young Man' Always 'On Top' of Play In Seventeen World Series. Honored by Writers |url=http://thedeadballera.com/Obits/Umpires/Klem.Bill.Obit.html |quote=William J. Klem, dean of major league baseball umpires, died here early today in Doctors Hospital of a heart ailment, with which he became afflicted two years ago when his eyesight also began to fail. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 17, 1951 |accessdate=2013-12-27 }}</ref> He died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] after suffering from heart problems for two to three years. He had been hospitalized for over a month when he died. About a week before his death, Klem seemed to know that his death was coming, commenting to his attorney, "This is my last game and I'm going to strike out this time."<ref name=Death>{{cite news|title=Bill Klem, veteran umpire, dies of heart attack at 77|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1951/09/17/page/69/article/bill-klem-veteran-umpire-dies-of-heart-attack-at-77|accessdate=November 30, 2014|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=September 17, 1951}}</ref> His wife was his only survivor.<ref name=Death/>
+Klem died on September 16, 1951, at age 77, at Doctors Hospital in [[Coral Gables, Florida]].<ref name=tdb>{{cite news |title=Bill Klem, 77, Dies. Dean of Umpires. 'Old Arbitrator,' Who Served National League 35 Years, Worked 18 World Series A 'Likely Young Man' Always 'On Top' of Play In Seventeen World Series. Honored by Writers |url=http://thedeadballera.com/Obits/Umpires/Klem.Bill.Obit.html |quote=William J. Klem, dean of major league baseball umpires, died here early today in Doctors Hospital of a heart ailment, with which he became afflicted two years ago when his eyesight also began to fail. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 17, 1951 |access-date=2013-12-27 }}</ref> He died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] after suffering from heart problems for two to three years. He had been hospitalized for over a month when he died. About a week before his death, Klem seemed to know that his death was coming, commenting to his attorney, "This is my last game and I'm going to strike out this time."<ref name=Death>{{cite news|title=Bill Klem, veteran umpire, dies of heart attack at 77|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1951/09/17/page/69/article/bill-klem-veteran-umpire-dies-of-heart-attack-at-77|access-date=November 30, 2014|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=September 17, 1951}}</ref> His wife was his only survivor.<ref name=Death/>
+Klem and [[Tom Connolly (umpire)|Tom Connolly]] were the first two umpires inducted into the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1953.<ref name=bbhof>[http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=427281 Bill Klem at Baseball Hall of Fame] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222024732/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=427281 |date=December 22, 2007 }} accessed 18 December 2007</ref> They are also the only umpires to have worked in five different decades. In 1946 Klem and Connolly had also been named to the [[Honor Rolls of Baseball]].
-Klem and [[Tom Connolly]] were the first two umpires inducted into the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1953.<ref name=bbhof>[http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=427281 Bill Klem at Baseball Hall of Fame] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222024732/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=427281 |date=December 22, 2007 }} accessed 18 December 2007</ref> They are also the only umpires to have worked in five different decades. In 1962, the Houston chapter of the [[Baseball Writers' Association of America]] established the Bill Klem Award to honor outstanding NL umpires.<ref name=Award>{{cite news|title="Bill Klem" Award set|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19621125&id=GThWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0OgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2419,3618944|accessdate=November 30, 2014|work=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|date=November 25, 1962}}</ref>
+In 1962, the Houston chapter of the [[Baseball Writers' Association of America]] established the Bill Klem Award to honor outstanding NL umpires.<ref name=Award>{{cite news|title="Bill Klem" Award set|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19621125&id=GThWAAAAIBAJ&pg=2419,3618944|access-date=November 30, 2014|work=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|date=November 25, 1962}}</ref>
 == See also ==
@@ Line 57: / Line 64: @@
 ==References==
-{{reflist}}
+{{Reflist}}
 ==External links==
-{{commonscat|William Joseph Klem|Bill Klem}}
+{{Commons category|William Joseph Klem|Bill Klem}}
-{{bbhof|klem-bill}}
+*{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|klem-bill}}
 *Career statistics and umpire information from [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=188796 The Baseball Cube], or [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/K/Pklemb901.htm Retrosheet]
+* {{SABR Baseball Biography Project|31461b94}}
-* [https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/31461b94 Bill Klem] at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
-*[https://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Umpires/Klem.Bill.Obit.html The Deadball Era]
+*[https://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Klem.Bill.Obit.html The Deadball Era]
-*{{findagrave|10682}}
+*{{Find a Grave|10682}}
 {{1953 Baseball HOF}}
 {{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
+{{Honor Rolls of Baseball}}
+{{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Klem, Bill}}
@@ Line 76: / Line 85: @@
 [[Category:Sportspeople from Rochester, New York]]
 [[Category:Major League Baseball umpires]]
+[[Category:National League umpires]]

v t e Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1953
BBWAA Vote	Dizzy Dean (79.2%) Al Simmons (75.4%)
Veterans Committee	Ed Barrow Chief Bender Tom Connolly Bill Klem Bobby Wallace Harry Wright

v t e Members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Pitchers	Alexander Bender Blyleven M. Brown R. Brown Bunning Carlton Chesbro Clarkson Cooper Coveleski Day Dean Dihigo Drysdale Eckersley Faber Feller Fingers Ford B. Foster Galvin B. Gibson Glavine Gomez Gossage Grimes Grove Haines Halladay Hoffman Hoyt Hubbell Hunter Jenkins R. Johnson W. Johnson Joss Kaat Keefe Koufax Lemon Lyons Maddux Marichal Marquard P. Martínez Mathewson McGinnity Méndez Morris Mussina Newhouser Nichols Niekro Paige Palmer Pennock Perry Plank Radbourn Rivera Rixey Roberts Rogan Ruffing Rusie Ryan Seaver H. Smith L. Smith Smoltz Spahn Sutter Sutton Vance Waddell Walsh Welch Wilhelm J. Williams Willis Wynn Young
Catchers	Bench Berra Bresnahan Campanella Carter Cochrane Dickey Ewing Ferrell Fisk J. Gibson Hartnett Lombardi Mackey Mauer Piazza Rodríguez Santop Schalk T. Simmons
First basemen	Anson Bagwell Beckley Bottomley Brouthers Cepeda Chance Connor Foxx Gehrig Greenberg Helton Hodges G. Kelly Killebrew Leonard McCovey McGriff Mize Murray Pérez Sisler Suttles Taylor Terry Thomas Thome
Second basemen	Alomar Biggio Carew E. Collins Doerr Evers Fox Frisch Gehringer Gordon Herman Hornsby Lajoie Lazzeri Mazeroski McPhee Morgan J. Robinson Sandberg Schoendienst
Third basemen	Baker Beltré Boggs Brett J. Collins Dandridge J. Johnson Jones Kell Lindstrom Mathews Molitor B. Robinson Rolen Santo Schmidt Traynor D. White J. Wilson
Shortstops	Aparicio Appling Bancroft Banks Boudreau Cronin Davis T. Jackson Jennings Jeter Larkin Lloyd Maranville Reese Ripken Jr. Rizzuto Sewell O. Smith Tinker Trammell Vaughan Wagner Wallace Ward Wells Yount
Left fielders	Brock Burkett Clarke Delahanty Goslin Hafey Henderson Irvin Kelley Kiner Manush Medwick Miñoso Musial O'Rourke Raines J. Rice A. Simmons Stargell Wheat B. Williams T. Williams Yastrzemski
Center fielders	Ashburn Averill Bell W. Brown Carey Charleston Cobb Combs DiMaggio Doby Duffy Griffey Jr. Hamilton Hill Mantle Mays Puckett Roush Snider Speaker Stearnes Torriente L. Waner H. Wilson
Right fielders	Aaron Clemente Crawford Cuyler Dawson Flick Guerrero Gwynn Heilmann Hooper R. Jackson Kaline Keeler K. Kelly Klein T. McCarthy Oliva Ott S. Rice F. Robinson Ruth Slaughter Thompson Walker P. Waner Winfield Youngs
Designated hitters	Baines E. Martínez Ortiz
Managers	Alston Anderson Cox Durocher R. Foster Hanlon Harris Herzog Huggins La Russa Lasorda Leyland López Mack J. McCarthy McGraw McKechnie W. Robinson Selee Southworth Stengel Torre Weaver D. Williams
Executives and pioneers	Barrow Bulkeley Cartwright Chadwick Chandler Comiskey Cummings Dreyfuss Fowler Frick Giles Gillick Grant Griffith Harridge Hulbert B. Johnson Kuhn Landis La. MacPhail Le. MacPhail Manley Miller O'Malley O'Neil Pompez Posey Rickey Ruppert Schuerholz Selig Spalding Veeck Weiss S. White Wilkinson G. Wright H. Wright Yawkey
Umpires	Barlick Chylak Conlan Connolly Evans Harvey Hubbard Klem McGowan O'Day

v t e Honor Rolls of Baseball
Selected, 1946 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
Executives	Ernest Barnard Ed Barrow John E. Bruce John T. Brush Barney Dreyfuss Charles Ebbets August Herrmann John Heydler Bob Quinn Arthur Soden Nicholas Young
Managers	Bill Carrigan Ned Hanlon Miller Huggins Frank Selee John Montgomery Ward
Umpires	Tom Connolly Bill Dinneen Bob Emslie Billy Evans John Gaffney Tim Hurst Kick Kelly Bill Klem Thomas Lynch Silk O'Loughlin Jack Sheridan
Sportswriters	Walter Barnes Harry Cross William B. Hanna Frank Hough Sid Mercer Tim Murnane Francis Richter Irving Sanborn John B. Sheridan William J. Slocum George Tidden Joe Vila
Italics (later elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame)

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States