John Bale
Free Agent — No. --
Pitcher
Born: May 22, 1974 (1974-05-22) (age 35) Cheverly, Maryland
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
MLB debut
September 30, 1999 for the Toronto Blue Jays
Career statistics (through 2009 season)
Win-loss	3-7
Earned run average	4.66
Strikeouts	148
Teams
Toronto Blue Jays (1999-2000) Baltimore Orioles (2001) Cincinnati Reds (2003) Hiroshima Toyo Carp (2004-2006) Kansas City Royals (2007-2009)

John Robert Bale (born May 22, 1974 in Cheverly, Maryland) is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent. 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Japan baseball

From 2004 to 2006, Bale pitched for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Central League.

[edit] 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.

Bale was released by the Royals on December 10, 2009.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)