What years did Rich Gale play?

Rich Gale played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1984.

Was Rich Gale a pitcher?

Yes. Rich Gale pitched in the major leagues, recording 55 wins and 518 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Rich Gale hit?

Rich Gale hit 2 career home runs with 9 hits.

What teams did Rich Gale play for?

Rich Gale played for 4 teams: the Kansas City Royals (1978–1981), the San Francisco Giants (1982), the Cincinnati Reds (1983), and the Boston Red Sox (1984).

What were Rich Gale's career stats?

In 195 games, Rich Gale went 55-56 with a 4.54 ERA, 518 strikeouts, 970.0 innings pitched, and 2 saves.

What position did Rich Gale play?

Rich Gale played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Rich Gale and how much did he weigh?

Rich Gale was listed at 6 feet 7 inches and 225 pounds.

What was Rich Gale's career ERA?

Rich Gale finished with a 4.54 career ERA, going 55-56 with 518 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Rich Gale have?

Rich Gale recorded 518 career strikeouts.

Is Rich Gale in the Hall of Fame?

No. Rich Gale has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rich Gale

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1978-1984)

Rich Gale was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1984 for 4 teams, including the Kansas City Royals, a span of 7 seasons. Across 195 career appearances, he went 55-56 with a 4.54 ERA and 518 strikeouts.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 15, 2026

W–L 55–56

ERA 4.54

WHIP 1.50

SO 518

Pitcher PIV -9070.3

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'7" / 225 lb
Born: 1/19/1954 in Littleton, NH, USA
MLB Debut: 1978-04-30
Last Game: 1984-09-28

Full name: Richard Blackwell Gale

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Career Pitching Statistics

Rich Gale — 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	-9070.3

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

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rich Gale Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1978	KCA	AL	14	8	31	30	9	3	0	192.1	171	66	100	88	3.09	3.69 (+16%)	-1275.6
1979	KCA	AL	9	10	34	31	2	1	0	181.2	197	114	99	103	5.65	4.00 (-41%)	-2982.8
1980	KCA	AL	13	9	32	28	6	1	1	190.2	169	83	78	97	3.92	3.84 (-2%)	-1157.0
1981	KCA	AL	6	6	19	15	2	0	0	101.2	107	61	38	47	5.40	3.58 (-51%)	-2700.9
1982	SFN	NL	7	14	33	29	2	0	0	170.1	193	80	81	102	4.23	3.86 (-9%)	627.8
1983	CIN	NL	4	6	33	7	0	0	1	89.2	103	58	43	53	5.82	3.87 (-50%)	-745.3
1984	BOS	AL	2	3	13	4	0	0	0	43.2	57	27	18	28	5.56	3.81 (-46%)	-836.6
Career · 7 seasons			55	56	195	144	21	5	2	970.0	997	489	457	518	4.54	—	-9,070

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Rich Gale — 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	.132	.213	.250	.463	-313

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 .463 vs. league average .711 across their career seasons — 34.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rich Gale — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1978	KCA	AL	31	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	KCA	AL	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	KCA	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1981	KCA	AL	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1982	SFN	NL	33	48	4	6	1	1	2	5	34	.125	—	—	—	—	-313.4
1983	CIN	NL	33	20	2	3	1	1	3	2	16	.150	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	BOS	AL	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 7 seasons			195	68	6	9	2	2	5	7	50	.132	—	—	—	—	-313

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Rich Gale — 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

Rich Gale — 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

Rich Gale — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	1	2	2	0	6.1	11	3	4	4	4.26

Playoff Pitching by Year

Rich Gale — 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	6.1	11	3	4	4	4.26

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (390 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Rich Gale — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	99	27	3	4	1	2	.148
Away	96	41	3	5	1	3	.122

Pitching — Home / Away

Rich Gale — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	99	487.2	486	239	217	264	4.41
Away	96	482.1	511	250	240	254	4.66

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Rich Gale — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1984-09-28	BOS	BAL	—	6.1	5	4	4	1	7	1
1984-09-23	BOS	BAL	—	2.0	5	2	2	3	1	1
1984-09-18	BOS	TOR	W	5.0	6	2	2	3	1	0
1984-08-07	BOS	DET	L	2.0	3	2	2	1	1	1
1984-08-06	BOS	DET	—	0.2	3	2	2	1	0	1
1984-07-30	BOS	CHW	—	7.1	8	1	1	1	6	0
1984-07-18	BOS	OAK	—	2.1	3	1	1	2	1	0
1984-07-14	BOS	SEA	—	5.1	1	1	1	2	2	1
1984-07-03	BOS	OAK	—	2.0	5	3	3	1	1	0
1984-06-23	BOS	TOR	L	3.0	8	5	5	1	3	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rich Gale — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	195	144	49	129	13	7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rich Gale — 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 Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rich Gale — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	195

Awards & Honors

Rich Gale — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1978	TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year

College History

Rich Gale — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
University of New Hampshire	Durham	NH	1973, 1974, 1975

Award Voting History

Rich Gale — 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

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Rich Gale (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Rich Gale: the record in brief

Rich Gale played a first major league game on April 30, 1978 and a last one on September 28, 1984. Gale played for the Kansas City Royals (1978 through 1981), the San Francisco Giants (1982), the Cincinnati Reds (1983), and the Boston Red Sox (1984). Gale is listed as a pitcher at 225 pounds on a 6-foot-7 frame. The bio says Gale batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is January 19, 1954, in Littleton, NH, USA. Gale's full given name, per the bio, is Richard Blackwell Gale.

Gale went 55-56 with a 4.54 ERA in 195 games, 144 of them starts. The totals include 518 strikeouts, 21 complete games, and 5 shutouts. The league ERA over Gale's seasons was 3.82, so the 4.54 figure ran 18.8% worse than average. 1978 brought Gale a season-high 14 wins. Gale struck out 103 batters in 1979, a career high. In 1978, one of the busiest seasons, Gale posted a 3.09 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.69.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rich Gale

What years did Rich Gale play?: Rich Gale played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1984.
Was Rich Gale a pitcher?: Yes. Rich Gale pitched in the major leagues, recording 55 wins and 518 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Rich Gale hit?: Rich Gale hit 2 career home runs with 9 hits.
What teams did Rich Gale play for?: Rich Gale played for 4 teams: the Kansas City Royals (1978–1981), the San Francisco Giants (1982), the Cincinnati Reds (1983), and the Boston Red Sox (1984).
What were Rich Gale's career stats?: In 195 games, Rich Gale went 55-56 with a 4.54 ERA, 518 strikeouts, 970.0 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
What position did Rich Gale play?: Rich Gale played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Rich Gale and how much did he weigh?: Rich Gale was listed at 6 feet 7 inches and 225 pounds.
What was Rich Gale's career ERA?: Rich Gale finished with a 4.54 career ERA, going 55-56 with 518 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Rich Gale have?: Rich Gale recorded 518 career strikeouts.
Is Rich Gale in the Hall of Fame?: No. Rich Gale has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.