John Robert Bale (born May 22, 1974) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. Bale and his wife, Genevieve, reside in

Niceville, Florida Niceville is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States, located near Eglin Air Force Base on Boggy Bayou that opens into Choctawhatchee Bay. The population was 11,684 at the 2000 census. The 2010 census population for Niceville was 12,7 ...

, with their daughters, Madison and Olivia, and their son, Zachary. Genevieve's brother is

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

player

Vincent LeCavalier Vincent "Vinny" Lecavalier (born April 21, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who is currently a special advisor to hockey operations for the Montreal Canadiens. Lecavalier, played seventeen seasons in the National Hockey ...

. Bale, a graduate of Crestview High School,

Crestview, Florida Crestview is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 27,134 at the 2020 census, up from 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Okaloosa County. With an elevation of above sea level, it is one of the h ...

, was an All-State selection in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

his senior season after going 11–2 with a 0.38

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

. He is an alumnus of

The University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

, where he went 9–8 with a 4.01 ERA his junior year. He was selected by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

in the 12th round of the

MLB Draft The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...

, but did not sign.

Career

Toronto Blue Jays

After being drafted by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

in the 5th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft, Bale made his Major League debut with the Blue Jays on September 30, .

Baltimore Orioles

On December 11, , Bale was traded from the Blue Jays to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

for

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Jayson Werth Jayson Richard Gowan Werth (born May 20, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2002 to 2017. His 15-season career was split among the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, P ...

. In

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, his only season with the Orioles, he had a 1–0 record and a 3.04 earned run average (ERA) in fourteen

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

appearances. He was dealt to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

for Gary Matthews, Jr. on April 3, 2002. He never appeared in a game for the Mets.

Cincinnati Reds

On May 8, , Bale signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, with whom he appeared in 10 games.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

From to , Bale pitched for the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

in Japan's

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

Kansas City Royals

On December 8, , 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 , all in relief. He had a 1–1 record with a 4.05 earned run average, surrendering 45

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

in 40 innings. He began the season in the Royals' starting rotation after a strong

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. "Bale earned it," Royals manager

Trey Hillman Thomas Brad "Trey" Hillman (born January 4, 1963) is an American professional baseball coach. He has also served as the manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League, the Kansas City Royals in the American League and the SK ...

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."Kansas City Star, March 25, 2008.
/ref> In one of the more bizarre instances in recent Royals history, Bale, who was already on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

due to a shoulder injury, broke his left (pitching) hand in May 2010 when he punched a hotel door in what Bale called "a moment of frustration." Bale recorded his first career save on June 24, 2010, pitching a perfect 11th inning against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

. Bale was released by the Royals on December 10, 2009. On September 14, 2012 he will be inducted into the Crestview High School sports hall of fame.

Second stint with the Carp

On February 19, 2010, Bale signed a contract with the

in Japan's

Detroit Tigers

On December 3, 2010, Bale signed a minor league contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

References

External links

, o
RetrosheetPelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bale, John 1974 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Maryland Camden Riversharks players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Cincinnati Reds players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Orioles players Hagerstown Suns players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Jefferson Davis Warhawks baseball players Kansas City Royals players Knoxville Smokies players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Royals players People from Cheverly, Maryland People from Niceville, Florida Rochester Red Wings players Southern Miss Golden Eagles baseball players Sportspeople from the Washington metropolitan area St. Catharines Stompers players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Toronto Blue Jays players Wichita Wranglers players