however, kline began to take big strides forward as a left handed reliever during the 1998 season. he held left handed batters to a .178 average, and proved that his arsenal of pitches could be successful against both righty and lefty batters as even righties hit only .253 off him. he earned his first major league save on august 9 against the arizona diamondbacks, entering the game to start the 8th inning in a save situation (ahead 5-2), and finishing off what became an 8-2 victory. he finished 1998 with a 2.76 era in 78 appearances. his 78 appearances tied for second in the national league with robb nen and chuck mcelroy, and sixth in baseball.