Martin Joseph McHale (October 30, 1886 – May 7, 1979) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 ...

who played for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

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), ...

between 1910 and 1916. He also performed professionally in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and worked as a

stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...

Baseball career

McHale was born in

Stoneham, Massachusetts Stoneham ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, nine miles (14.5 km) north of downtown Boston. Its population was 23,244 at the 2020 census. Its proximity to major highways and public transportation offer convenient access to Bos ...

, as the third of five children born to Kate and Patrick McHale. He graduated from Stoneham High School. He attended the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

and he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

, and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

for the

Maine Black Bears The Maine Black Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of Maine. A member of the America East Conference, the University of Maine sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The men's and women's ice ...

. While pitching for the

baseball team 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 te ...

, he threw three consecutive

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

s in 1910. Out of college, McHale received contract offers from a few different

teams, and chose to sign with the

in May 1910, for a $2,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. He made his professional debut with the Brockton Shoemakers of the Class B

New England League The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...

. McHale made his major league debut on September 28, 1910. He had a 0–2

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

and a 4.61

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in two

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is lis ...

for Boston in 1910, and a 0–0 record and a 9.64 ERA in four games for the Red Sox in 1911. The Red Sox sold McHale to the

Jersey City Skeeters The Jersey City Skeeters were a minor league baseball team which operated in Jersey City, New Jersey. The club started in the 1860s and by 1870 joined the National Association of Base Ball Players. By 1885, Jersey City had joined the Eastern Le ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

before the 1912 season, along with Henri Rondeau,

Hap Myers Ralph Edward "Hap" Myers (April 8, 1887 – June 30, 1967) was a Major League Baseball first baseman. In five seasons Myers played in 377 games and posted a .268 batting average (baseball), batting average (335-for-1251) with 203 run (baseball), ...

Billy Purtell William Patrick Purtell (January 6, 1886 – March 17, 1962) was an American baseball infielder. He played professional baseball for 19 seasons between 1904 and 1928, including five seasons in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Sox from ...

, Walter Lonergan,

Jack Killilay John William Killilay (May 24, 1887 – October 21, 1968) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox during the season. Listed at , 165 lb., Killilay batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Leavenworth, Ka ...

, and Steve White, for

Hugh Bedient Hugh Carpenter Bedient (October 23, 1889 – July 21, 1965) was a starting pitcher who played in the American League for the Boston Red Sox (1912–1914) and with the Buffalo Blues of the Federal League (1915). Bedient batted and threw right-hand ...

. He spent the 1912 season with Jersey City. After beginning the 1913 season with Jersey City, the

purchased McHale from the Skeeters for $6,000 in August 1913. He pitched to a 2–4 record and a 2.96 ERA for the Yankees in 1913, and a 6–16 record and a 2.97 ERA in 1914. McHale began the 1915 season with a 3–7 record and a 4.25 ERA, and the Yankees

waived A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. Regulatory agencies of state departments or the federal government may issue waivers to exempt companies from certain regulations. For example, a United St ...

McHale in July 1915. The Yankees sold McHale to the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...

of the International League. He finished the 1915 season with the

Richmond Climbers The city of Baltimore, Maryland, has been home to two Minor League Baseball teams called the Baltimore Orioles, in addition to the three Major League Baseball teams that have used the name (the first of which played in the American Association i ...

of the International League. He had a 4–9 record with Montreal and Richmond. The Yankees released McHale after the 1915 season. He signed with Boston in February 1916, and made two appearances for Boston before he was released during the season. He signed with the

in May 1916, and made five appearances, pitching to a 5.56 ERA for Cleveland, before he was released in July.

Vaudeville career

McHale performed professionally in

, singing as a

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

. Before he signed with the Red Sox, he performed in

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spe ...

s and two-act sketch shows in Boston,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

, and

Winchester, Massachusetts Winchester is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, located 8.2 miles (13.2 km) north of downtown Boston as part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. It is also one of the List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income, wealt ...

. When he signed with the Red Sox, he formed the Red Sox Quartette with teammates

Buck O'Brien Thomas Joseph "Buck" O'Brien (May 9, 1882 – July 25, 1959) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. O'Brien got a late start in professional baseball. However, as a spitballer, he ...

, Hugh Bradley, and

Larry Gardner William Lawrence Gardner (May 13, 1886 – March 11, 1976) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1908 through 1924, Gardner played for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, and Cleveland Indians. He was a four-time World Series ...

in 1910. Gardner left the group and was replaced by Bill Lyons, who was not a baseball player, but was signed to a contract with the Red Sox "to make the name of the act look proper", according to McHale. They performed in local venues, including Keith's Theatre, during the baseball offseasons. The group disbanded in 1913. McHale teamed with

Mike Donlin Michael Joseph Donlin (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and actor. As a professional baseball player, his MLB career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the National L ...

, starting in 1914, for an act they titled, "Right Off the Bat". In 1918, McHale enlisted in the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

, serving as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the 22nd Regiment of Engineers. After Donlin moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

to pursue his acting career, McHale continued to perform in a solo act. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' once referred to McHale as "baseball's nricoCaruso", and

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

called McHale "the best goddamn singer I ever heard!".

Later life

After retiring from baseball, McHale wrote articles for '' The Evening Sun'', which were sold by the

Wheeler Syndicate John Neville Wheeler (April 11, 1886 – October 13, 1973) was an American newspaperman, publishing executive, magazine editor, and writer. He was born in Yonkers, New York, graduated Columbia University (which holds a collection of his paper ...

to newspapers around the country. In 1920, he became a stockbroker. He joined a firm before opening his own, which he operated until he retired in 1972. He resided

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead, New York, North Hempstead and Oys ...

, in his later life. McHale died in his home on May 7, 1979. His brother, John, served on Hempstead's

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McHale, Marty 1886 births 1979 deaths Boston Red Sox players New York Yankees players Cleveland Indians players Baseball players from Massachusetts People from Stoneham, Massachusetts Maine Black Bears baseball players Brockton Shoemakers players Jersey City Skeeters players Montreal Royals players Richmond Climbers players Major League Baseball pitchers Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Vaudeville performers United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Massachusetts Burials at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood