Although Boston fans said Klobedanz “was as hard to hit as he was to pronounce,” he profited from the fact that the 1897-98 NL-champion Braves had by far the league’s best run-scoring machine. In 1897 he went 26-7 and led the NL in winning percentage. The next year he was 19-10. But in both seasons, his ERA was higher than the league average, he gave up more hits than innings pitched, and he walked many more than he struck out. When the Braves hitters tailed off in 1899, he ceased to win.
