John Bale (baseball)
| John Bale | |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals – No. 49 | |
| Pitcher | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| debut | |
| September 30, 1999, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Career statistics (through June 9, 2009) | |
| Win-loss | 3-7 |
| Earned run average | 4.51 |
| Strikeouts | 128 |
| Teams | |
| |
John Robert Bale (born May 22, 1974 in Cheverly, Maryland) is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the Kansas City Royals. Bale and his wife, Genevieve, reside in Tampa, Florida, with their daughters Madison and Olivia, and son, Zachary. Genevieve's brother is NHL player Vincent LeCavalier[1].
Bale, a graduate of Crestview (Fla.) High, was an All-State selection in baseball his senior season after going 11-2 with a 0.38 ERA. He is an alumnus of The University of Southern Mississippi, where he went 9-8 with a 4.01 ERA his junior year. He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 12th round of the 1994 MLB Draft, but did not sign.
Early career
After being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 5th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft, Bale made his Major League debut with the Blue Jays on September 30, 1999. On December 11, 2000, Bale was traded from the Blue Jays to the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Jayson Werth.
After one season in Baltimore, he was then traded to the New York Mets for Gary Matthews, Jr., although he never appeared in a game for the Mets.
On May 8, 2003, Bale signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds, with whom he appeared in 10 games.
Japan baseball
From 2004 to 2006, Bale pitched for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Central League.
Return to MLB
On December 8, 2006, it was announced that Bale would return to Major League Baseball, after signing a two-year contract with the Kansas City Royals.
Bale appeared in 26 games for Kansas City in 2007, all in relief. He had a 1-1 record with a 4.05 earned run average, surrendering 45 hits in 40 innings. He began the 2008 season in the Royals' starting rotation after a strong spring training. “Bale earned it,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said to the Kansas City Star on March 25. “Johnny has been outstanding all through spring training. He’s been hit in spots but, pretty much, from day one he’s commanded three pitches."[2]. In one of the more bizarre instances in recent Royals history, Bale, who was already on the disabled list due to a shoulder injury, broke his left (pitching) hand in May 2008 when he punched a hotel door in what Bale called "a moment of frustration." It was later reported that Bale was upset from a rehab pitching session that did not go well.
Bale recorded his first career save on June 24, 2009, pitching a perfect 11th inning against the Houston Astros.
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
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|| UNKNOWN | MISSING = Year of birth missing {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:}}||LIVING=(living people)}}
| #default = 1974 births
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- Living people
- Deaths
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- People from Prince George's County, Maryland
- University of Southern Mississippi alumni
- Major League Baseball players from Maryland
- Hagerstown Suns players
- Dunedin Blue Jays players
- Knoxville Smokies players
- Syracuse SkyChiefs players
- Toronto Blue Jays players
- Gulf Coast Orioles players
- Rochester Red Wings players
- Baltimore Orioles players
- Norfolk Tides players
- Louisville Bats players
- Cincinnati Reds players
- Hiroshima Toyo Carp players
- Wichita Wranglers players
- Omaha Royals players
- Kansas City Royals players
- American expatriate baseball players in Japan