Rich Gale, baseball player, 1978-1984

Rich Gale

Born: 1/19/1954 in Littleton, NH, USA

MLB Debut: 1978-04-30 | Final Game: 1984-09-28

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'7" | Weight: 225 lbs

Full name: Richard Blackwell Gale

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Biography

Rich Gale, born in 1954, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1978 to 1984. Gale made his mark in Major League Baseball during an era characterized by a shift towards more offensive play, known as the free-swinging age of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Over the course of his career, he recorded a win-loss record of 55-56 and maintained an earned run average (ERA) of 4.54, with a total of 518 strikeouts to his name. His versatility on the mound was highlighted by his ability to close games, as evidenced by his 2 saves. Gale's talent was recognized early in his career when he was honored as The Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year, a testament to his potential and impact in his debut season. Although his career did not reach the heights of some contemporaries, his contributions to the teams he played for were significant, and he remained a reliable option on the pitching staff throughout his time in the league. Rich Gale's journey through professional baseball remains a noteworthy chapter in the history of the sport, reflecting the challenges and triumphs faced by pitchers during an evolving era in the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
55 56 195 144 21 5 2 970.0 997 489 82 457 518 4.54 0

Career ERA 4.54 vs. league average 3.82 across their career seasons — 18.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1978 KCR AL 14 8 31 30 9 3 0 192.3 171 66 100 88 3.09 3.69 (+16%) -
1979 KCR AL 9 10 34 31 2 1 0 181.7 197 114 99 103 5.65 4.00 (-41%) -
1980 KCR AL 13 9 32 28 6 1 1 190.7 169 83 78 97 3.92 3.84 (-2%) -
1981 KCR AL 6 6 19 15 2 0 0 101.7 107 61 38 47 5.40 3.58 (-51%) -
1982 SFG NL 7 14 33 29 2 0 0 170.3 193 80 81 102 4.23 3.86 (-9%) -
1983 CIN NL 4 6 33 7 0 0 1 89.7 103 58 43 53 5.82 3.87 (-50%) -759.1
1984 BOS AL 2 3 13 4 0 0 0 43.7 57 27 18 28 5.56 3.81 (-46%) -844.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
195 68 6 9 2 0 2 5 0 7 50 0.132 0.213 0.250 0.463 -332.6

Career AVG .132 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 49.3% below league average.

Career OBP .213 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 34.3% below league average.

Career SLG .250 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 35.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.463 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — 34.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1978 KCR AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 KCR AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 KCR AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 KCR AL 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 SFG NL 33 48 4 6 1 0 1 2 0 5 34 0.125 — — — — -332.6
1983 CIN NL 33 20 2 3 1 0 1 3 0 2 16 0.150 — — — — 0.0
1984 BOS AL 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1980 WS KCA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 2 2 0 6.3 11 3 4 4 4.26

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1980 WS KCA 0 1 2 2 0 6.3 11 3 4 4 4.26

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 195 144 49 129 13 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1978 KCA P 31 30 3 26 4 1
1979 KCA P 34 31 9 25 4 3
1980 KCA P 32 28 10 26 1 1
1981 KCA P 19 15 6 8 1 1
1982 SFN P 33 29 10 31 1 1
1983 CIN P 33 7 7 10 2 0
1984 BOS P 13 4 4 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 195

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1978 TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of New Hampshire Durham NH 1973, 1974, 1975

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1978 Most Valuable Player AL 34th 2.0 392 0
1978 Rookie of the Year AL 4th 1.0 28 1