Marty McHale

Baseball career

McHale was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts, as the third of five children born to Kate and Patrick McHale. He attended the University of Maine and he played college baseball, college football, and track and field for the Maine Black Bears.

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, for a $2,000 signing bonus. McHale made his major league debut on September 28, 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 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. He spent the 1912 season with Jersey City.

After beginning the 1913 season with Jersey City, the New York Yankees 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 McHale in July 1915. The Yankees sold McHale to the Montreal Royals of the International League. He finished the 1915 season with the Richmond Climbers of the International League. He had a 4–9 record with Montreal and Richmond. He signed with Boston in February 1916, and made two appearances for Boston before he was released during the season. He signed with the Cleveland Indians 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 vaudeville, singing as a tenor. 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. The group disbanded in 1913.

McHale teamed with Mike Donlin, starting in 1914, for an act they titled, "Right Off the Bat". In 1918, McHale enlisted in the United States Army Air Service, serving as a Lieutenant in the 22nd Regiment of Engineers. 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!".

Later life

After retiring from baseball, McHale wrote articles for The Evening Sun, which were sold by the Wheeler Syndicate 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, in his later life.

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

References

References

1. (June 13, 1933). "13 Jun 1933, 20". The Boston Globe.
2. (May 23, 1910). "23 May 1910, 6". Montpelier Morning Journal.
3. "1910 Brockton Shoemakers Statistics".
4. "1911 Boston Red Sox Statistics".
5. (January 24, 1912). "24 Jan 1912, 7". The Boston Globe.
6. (January 19, 1913). "19 Jan 1913, 26". The Anaconda Standard.
7. "1912 Jersey City Skeeters Statistics".
8. (August 12, 1913). "12 Aug 1913, 6". Fall River Globe.
9. (December 23, 1913). "23 Dec 1913, 3". The Bangor Daily News.
10. "1913 New York Yankees Statistics".
11. "1914 New York Yankees Statistics".
12. "1915 New York Yankees Statistics".
13. (July 14, 1915). "14 Jul 1915, 4". The Boston Globe.
14. (July 14, 1915). "14 Jul 1915, 8". The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer.
15. (February 16, 1916). "16 Feb 1916, 7". The Boston Globe.
16. "1916 Boston Red Sox Statistics".
17. (May 24, 1916). "24 May 1916, 17". The San Francisco Examiner.
18. "1916 Cleveland Indians Statistics".
19. (July 2, 1916). "2 Jul 1916, 13". The Boston Globe.
20. (November 26, 1911). "26 Nov 1911, 56". The Boston Globe.
21. (November 9, 1914). "09 Nov 1914, Page 10". The St. Louis Star and Times.
22. Ritter, Lawrence S.. (1982). "Ladies and Gentlemen, Presenting Marty McHale". Society for American Baseball Research.
23. (March 14, 1918). "14 Mar 1918, 7". The Boston Globe.
24. (May 10, 1979). "Martin Joseph McHate, Former Yankee Pitcher". The New York Times.
25. (December 12, 1924). "12 Dec 1924, 24". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.