Tyrone Alexander Cline is a former Major League Baseball player, primarily a reserve outfielder and pinch-hitter for the Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos and Cincinnati Reds. Cline played for Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference for three seasons, leaving in 1960 after his junior year to sign a professional baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians. He attained All-American status during his college career, during which he played the outfield and was a starting pitcher. He was instrumental in helping the Reds defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the 1970 National League pennant, tripling and scoring the winning run in the 10th inning of the first game of the National League Championship Series, and scoring the game-winning and pennant-clinching run after an eighth-inning walk in game three. He appeared as a pinch hitter in each of the first three matches of the 1970 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, his lone hit being a leadoff single off Moe Drabowsky in the seventh inning of Game 2 at Riverfront Stadium. He also set in motion the most controversial play of the Series when he pinch hit for Woody Woodward with runners Tommy Helms at first base and Bernie Carbo at third, one out and the score tied at three in the sixth inning of Game 1. Cline reached safely on a Baltimore chop off Jim Palmer who, while running towards home plate, immediately signaled to catcher Elrod Hendricks that Carbo was trying to score from third. Hendricks fielded the ball barehanded, spun around to his left and lunged at an oncoming Carbo in an attempt to tag him out, but collided with Burkhart who, while positioning himself to judge whether the batted ball was fair, accidentally blocked the runner's path to the plate. Carbo slid around Burkhart on the outside but missed touching home plate. With his back to the play and after being knocked down, Burkhart ruled Carbo out even though Hendricks made the tag with his mitt while holding the ball in his bare hand. Having not been properly tagged out, Carbo unknowingly stepped on the plate as he was arguing, but the play was dead once Burkhart made his call. Ty Cline officially retired from baseball following the 1971 season. In retirement Cline worked at The Baskin-Robbins ice cream business that he owned.
