Nick Kahl

Nicholas Alexander Kahl

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut May 2, 1905
• Final Game August 2, 1905
• Born April 10, 1879 in Coulterville, IL USA
• Died July 13, 1959 in Sparta, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Nick Kahl, the keystone guardian, is not a swift runner but he hits consistently and plays ball all the time." - Sporting Life of May 21, 1910, when Nick was with Grand Rapids. That day's issue showed Kahl hitting clean-up in a variety of recent box scores

Nick Kahl played one season in the major leagues, getting 142 plate appearances. He was primarily a second baseman.

Kahl was born in Coulterville, IL, 50 miles southeast of St. Louis, MO. He played minor league ball a number of seasons before coming to the majors in 1905. In 1904 he had been with Colorado Springs, for whom he hit .304.

Kahl played the same position as did Nap Lajoie, the star of the Cleveland team, but Nap was seriously injured in 1905 and thus limited to 65 games. In addition to Kahl, George Stovall (normally a first baseman) also filled in for significant numbers of games at second base.

After his time in the majors, Kahl played minor league ball through 1915. From 1911-15 he was with Quincy, in his home state of Illinois. His brother Bob Kahl also played in the minors, and the two were teammates on a few occasions.

Through 2024, he is the only major leaguer with the last name Kahl, although there have been a couple players with similar names: Bob Kahle and George Kahler.

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1906	Leavenworth Old Soldiers	Western Association		6th			replaced Bill Zink on August 8
1908	Lima Cigarmakers	Ohio State League		--	none		replaced by James Jackson
1913	Streator Boosters	Illinois-Missouri League		--	none		replaced by Bob Coyle
	Quincy Gems	Illinois-Iowa-Illinois League		1st	none	League Champs	replaced Thomas Hackett
1914	Quincy Gems	Illinois-Iowa-Illinois League	61-71	6th	none