 Kline was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the seventh round of the 1966 MLB Draft.He was 22 years old when he reached the majors in 1970 with the Yankees, spending four and a half years with them before moving to the Cleveland Indians (1974) and Atlanta Braves (1977).In his rookie season for the Yankees, he went 6–6 with a 3.41 ERA in 15 starts, and won 12 games a year later, including career-numbers with 81 strikeouts and 15 complete games.