during his time in st. louis, kline quickly became a fan favorite, known for the dirty hat he always wore when pitching. it was even inspiration for a cardinals promotion at the ballpark in 2002, which the team called "steve kline hat day," and an espn feature on the subject. kline was also active in the community with charity work, and quickly became known as an "everyman" who enjoyed spending time with fans and signing autographs. kline easily ended up being the catch of that trade as he had his best season to date in 2001, finishing 3-3 with a 1.80 era and again leading all of mlb in relief appearances with 89, setting a new mlb record for a left-hander in a single season. it was the third consecutive season kline had tied or led mlb in appearances. he held left-handed batters to a .149 batting average. additionally, not only did kline not allow a left-handed batter to hit a home run off him all season, he did not allow a single extra base hit to a lefty either. after his strong campaign, kline even received an mvp vote, the only time in his career he did so.