John McHale
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1943-1948)
John McHale was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1948 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 6 seasons. In 64 career games, he hit .193 with 22 hits, 3 home runs, and 12 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 200 lb
- Died
- 1/17/2008 in Stuart, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1943-05-28
- Last Game
- 1948-04-23
Full name: John Joseph McHale
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 114 | 10 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 29 | .193 | .258 | .281 | .539 | -290 |
Career AVG .193 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 26.0% below league average.
Career OBP .258 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 22.1% below league average.
Career SLG .281 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 22.6% below league average.
Career OPS .539 vs. league average .694 across their career seasons — 22.4% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | DET | AL | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1944 | DET | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 19 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | DET | AL | 39 | 95 | 10 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 24 | .211 | .262 (-20%) | .336 (-21%) | .376 (-16%) | .712 (-19%) | -290.0 |
| 1948 | DET | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 64 | 114 | 10 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 29 | .193 | — | — | — | — | -290 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (64 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 27 | 56 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 8 | .161 |
| Away | 37 | 58 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 4 | .224 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-04-23 | DET | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-24 | DET | CHW | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-07 | DET | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-23 | DET | MIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1947-08-22 | DET | MIN | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-21 | DET | MIN | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-20 | DET | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-19 | DET | NYY | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-17 | DET | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-08-15 | DET | CHW | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 28 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Notre Dame | South Bend | IN | 1940, 1941 |
John McHale: the record in brief
John McHale's major league career runs from a debut on May 28, 1943 to a final game on April 23, 1948. Every season row on the page belongs to the Detroit Tigers, from 1943 through 1948. McHale played primarily as a first baseman and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Born on September 21, 1921, in Detroit, MI, USA, McHale was listed at 200 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. McHale's death is recorded on January 17, 2008, in Stuart, FL, USA. On the record, John McHale was born John Joseph McHale.
The batting record for McHale: 64 games, 22 hits in 114 at bats, and a .193 average, plus 3 home runs and 12 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .258 and .281 give McHale a career OPS of .539. Measured against the leagues McHale played in, the .193 career average compares with a .261 league average over the same seasons, 26.0% below the league. The highest hit total in a season was 20, in 1947. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .211 in 1947, did not top the league's .262.
Frequently Asked Questions about John McHale
- What years did John McHale play?
- John McHale played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1948.
- Was John McHale a pitcher?
- No. John McHale was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did John McHale hit?
- John McHale hit 3 career home runs with 22 hits.
- What was John McHale's career batting average?
- John McHale batted .193 over his career, with 22 hits in 114 at bats.
- How many RBI did John McHale have?
- John McHale drove in 12 runs in his career.
- Is John McHale in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John McHale has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.