John Bale

John Robert Bale (born May 22, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas City Royals.

Bale, a graduate of Crestview High School in Crestview, Florida, was an All-State selection in baseball his senior season after going 11–2 with a 0.38 ERA. He was inducted into the Crestview High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. Bale is also 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 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.

Career Toronto Blue Jays Bale was selected again by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round (129th overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut that year with the Single-A St. Catharines Stompers, finishing 3–2 with a 4.86 earned run average (ERA) in eight starts. In , Bale compiled a 7–7 record and a 4.30 ERA in 25 starts for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns.

Bale appeared in 21 games (12 starts) with Triple-A Syracuse in , going 3–4 with a 3.19 ERA.

Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets organization On December 11, 2000, Bale was traded from the Blue Jays to the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Jayson Werth.

In 2001, his only season with the Orioles, Bale had a 1–0 record and a 3.04 ERA in 14 relief appearances. He was traded to the New York Mets for Gary Matthews, Jr. on April 3, 2002. For the season, Bale was assigned to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, where he finished 2–2 with a 3.54 ERA in 12 games (two starts). After this game, he moved into the Reds' starting rotation for the remainder of the season. In his first major league start on August 8, Bale tossed scoreless innings, allowing five hits and two walks in a no-decision. On August 13, he posted the best start of his career, tossing six shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out a career-high nine batters. Despite his efforts, Bale earned another no-decision in the 3–1 loss.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp In , the Carp used Bale exclusively as a starting pitcher. He finished the season with an 11–10 record and a 4.21 ERA in 25 starts.

Kansas City Royals On December 8, , it was announced Bale would return to Major League Baseball, after signing a two-year contract with the Kansas City Royals. "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." However, after going 0–3 with a 7.63 ERA in his first three starts, Bale was placed on the disabled list with left shoulder fatigue on April 17.

In one of the more bizarre instances in recent Royals history, Bale, while still on the disabled list due to his shoulder injury, broke his left (pitching) hand in May 2008 when he punched a hotel door. He later apologized for his actions and called it "a moment of frustration." After rehabbing in the Royals' minor league system, Bale was activated when rosters expanded on September 1. He was assigned to a bullpen role upon his return, and did not allow a run in his final 10 appearances. Overall, Bale was 0–3 with a 4.39 ERA in 13 games (three starts) with Kansas City in 2008. In 43 relief appearances with the Royals, he was 0–1 with one save and a 5.72 ERA.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp (second stint) On February 19, 2010, Bale signed a contract to return to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball. He became a free agent following the season.

Detroit Tigers On December 1, 2010, Bale signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. He was released on March 25, 2011.