Born in
Littleton, New Hampshire, Gale went to the
University of New Hampshire on a
basketball scholarship, but made his mark on the baseball diamond. In 1974, he played
collegiate summer baseball for the
Falmouth Commodores of the
Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league
all-star. Selected by the
Kansas City Royals in the
1975 draft, he entered the Majors in with the Royals, playing for them four years before joining the
San Francisco Giants (),
Cincinnati Reds () and
Boston Red Sox (). Gale's most productive season came in his rookie year, when he went 14–8 with 88
strikeouts and a 3.09
ERA, including a 5–0, one-hit
shutout against the
Texas Rangers at
Royals Stadium on June 13, 1978. His
no-hitter bid was broken up by
Al Oliver with a
triple in the fourth inning. Gale finished fourth in the
American League Rookie of the Year vote behind
Lou Whitaker,
Paul Molitor, and
Carney Lansford, and over
Alan Trammell and received an
American League MVP vote, garnering both the
TSN Rookie of the Year and 1978
Topps All-Star Rookie Roster honors. In , Gale faded to 9–10, but he resurfaced with a 13–9 mark in , helping his team the reach the
1980 World Series. He started games three and six of the Series, going 0–1 with a 4.25 ERA against the eventual World Champion
Philadelphia Phillies. During the next three seasons his playing time was limited by arm injuries and he did not pitch again in a major league game after . In a seven-season career, Gale posted a 55–56 record with 518 strikeouts and a 4.54 ERA in 195
appearances, including 144 starts, 21
complete games, 5 shutouts, 13
games finished, 2
saves, and 970.0
innings of work. A good-hitting pitcher who occasionally
pinch-hit, he collected a .150
batting average (9-for-68) with 2
home runs, 2
doubles, 6
runs, and 5
RBI. Following his major league career, Gale played in the
Japan Central League for the 1985
Hanshin Tigers, who won their first-ever
Japan Series with Gale pitching the winning game. He later played with the
Fort Myers Sun Sox of the
Senior Professional Baseball Association 1989–1990 and for Triple-A
Pawtucket 1991. After his playing career ended, Gale worked as a
pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox 1992–1993, Double-A
Carolina Mudcats 2006, Triple-A
Albuquerque Isotopes 2007–2008, and in the
Washington Nationals system 2009. From 2010 through June 2011, he served as pitching coach for the Triple-A
Nashville Sounds. Before joining the Sounds in 2010, Gale was a pitching coach for the
Carolina Mudcats,
Albuquerque Isotopes and the
Hagerstown Suns. Gale resigned as a
Sounds coach in June 2011, citing personal reasons for his departure. ==Personal life==