John Bale (baseball player)

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John Bale (born May 22, 1974, in Cheverly, Maryland) is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the Kansas City Royals. He is an alumnus of the University of Southern Mississippi.

After being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 5th round of the 1996 MLB amateur 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 where he appeared in 10 games. From 2004 to 2006, Bale pitched for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Central League. 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.