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Marty McHale

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Marty McHale
McHale during the 1913 season
Pitcher
Born: (1886-10-30)October 30, 1886
Stoneham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died: May 7, 1979(1979-05-07) (aged 92)
Hempstead, New York, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 28, 1910, for the Boston Red Sox
Last MLB appearance
May 8, 1916, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Win–loss record11–30
Strikeouts131
Earned run average3.57
Teams

Martin Joseph McHale (October 30, 1886 – May 7, 1979) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball between 1910 and 1916. He also performed professionally in vaudeville and worked as a stockbroker.

Baseball career

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McHale was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts, as the third of five children born to Kate and Patrick McHale.[1] He graduated from Stoneham High School.[2] He attended the University of Maine and he played college baseball, college football, and track and field for the Maine Black Bears.[1] While pitching for the baseball team, he threw three consecutive no-hitters in 1910.[1][3]

Out of college, McHale received contract offers from a few different Major League Baseball teams, and chose to sign with the Boston Red Sox in May 1910,[4] for a $2,000 signing bonus.[5] He made his professional debut with the Brockton Shoemakers of the Class B New England League.[6] McHale made his major league debut on September 28, 1910.[1] He had a 0–2 win–loss record and a 4.61 earned run average (ERA) in two games started for Boston in 1910,[7] and a 0–0 record and a 9.64 ERA in four games for the Red Sox in 1911.[8] The Red Sox sold McHale to the Jersey City Skeeters of the Class AA International League before the 1912 season, along with Henri Rondeau, Hap Myers, Billy Purtell, Walter Lonergan, Jack Killilay, and Steve White, for Hugh Bedient.[9][10] He spent the 1912 season with Jersey City.[11]

After beginning the 1913 season with Jersey City, the New York Yankees purchased McHale from the Skeeters for $6,000 in August 1913.[12][13] He pitched to a 2–4 record and a 2.96 ERA for the Yankees in 1913,[14] and a 6–16 record and a 2.97 ERA in 1914.[15]

McHale began the 1915 season with a 3–7 record and a 4.25 ERA,[16] and the Yankees waived McHale in July 1915.[17] The Yankees sold McHale to the Montreal Royals of the International League.[18] He finished the 1915 season with the Richmond Climbers of the International League. He had a 4–9 record with Montreal and Richmond.[1] The Yankees released McHale after the 1915 season.[19] He signed with Boston in February 1916,[20] and made two appearances for Boston[21] before he was released during the season. He signed with the Cleveland Indians in May 1916,[22] and made five appearances, pitching to a 5.56 ERA for Cleveland,[23] before he was released in July.[24]

Vaudeville career

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McHale performed professionally in vaudeville, singing as a tenor.[25] Before he signed with the Red Sox, he performed in minstrel shows and two-act sketch shows in Boston, Wakefield, and Winchester, Massachusetts. When he signed with the Red Sox, he formed the Red Sox Quartette with teammates Buck O'Brien, Hugh Bradley, and Larry Gardner 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.[5] They performed in local venues, including Keith's Theatre, during the baseball offseasons.[26] The group disbanded in 1913.[1]

McHale teamed with Mike Donlin, starting in 1914,[27] for an act they titled, "Right Off the Bat".[5] In 1918, McHale enlisted in the United States Army Air Service, serving as a Lieutenant in the 22nd Regiment of Engineers.[28] After Donlin moved to Hollywood to pursue his acting career, McHale continued to perform in a solo act. Variety once referred to McHale as "baseball's [Enrico] Caruso", and Babe Ruth called McHale "the best goddamn singer I ever heard!".[5]

Later life

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After retiring from baseball, McHale wrote articles for The Evening Sun, which were sold by the Wheeler Syndicate to newspapers around the country.[5] In 1920, he became a stockbroker. He joined a firm before opening his own, which he operated until he retired in 1972.[1] He resided Hempstead, New York, in his later life.[1]

McHale died in his home on May 7, 1979.[3] His brother, John, served on Hempstead's town council.[29]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Berger, Ralph. "Marty McHale". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "13 Jun 1933, 20". The Boston Globe. June 13, 1933. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Martin Joseph McHate, Former Yankee Pitcher". The New York Times. May 10, 1979. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "23 May 1910, 6". Montpelier Morning Journal. May 23, 1910. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c d e Ritter, Lawrence S. (1982). "Ladies and Gentlemen, Presenting Marty McHale". The National Pastime: Premiere Edition. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "1910 Brockton Shoemakers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  7. ^ "1910 Boston Red Sox Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  8. ^ "1911 Boston Red Sox Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  9. ^ "24 Jan 1912, 7". The Boston Globe. January 24, 1912. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "19 Jan 1913, 26". The Anaconda Standard. January 19, 1913. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "1912 Jersey City Skeeters Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  12. ^ "12 Aug 1913, 6". Fall River Globe. August 12, 1913. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "23 Dec 1913, 3". The Bangor Daily News. December 23, 1913. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "1913 New York Yankees Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "1914 New York Yankees Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  16. ^ "1915 New York Yankees Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "14 Jul 1915, 4". The Boston Globe. July 14, 1915. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "14 Jul 1915, 8". The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer. July 14, 1915. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Wholesale Firing of Yankee Players". The Morning News. October 30, 1915. p. 17. Retrieved April 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "16 Feb 1916, 7". The Boston Globe. February 16, 1916. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "1916 Boston Red Sox Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  22. ^ "24 May 1916, 17". The San Francisco Examiner. May 24, 1916. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "1916 Cleveland Indians Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  24. ^ "2 Jul 1916, 13". The Boston Globe. July 2, 1916. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "26 Nov 1911, 56". The Boston Globe. November 26, 1911. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "27 Nov 1911, 10". Hartford Courant. November 27, 1911. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "09 Nov 1914, Page 10". The St. Louis Star and Times. November 9, 1914. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "14 Mar 1918, 7". The Boston Globe. March 14, 1918. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "12 Dec 1924, 24". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 12, 1924. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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