Richard Blackwell Gale (born January 19, 1954) is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played with four teams between 1978 and 1984. Listed at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) and 225 lb (102 kg), Gale batted and threw right-handed. During 1992 and 1993, he served as pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox. In 2006, he earned honorable mention for the New Hampshire Athlete of the Century.
In 1979, Gale faded to 9–10, but he resurfaced with a 13–9 mark in 1980, 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 1984.
Gale was a witness to the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse on July 17, 1981. He had been working as a bartender at one of the five bars in the hotel's lobby because of the 1981 MLB strike. He called the disaster "the worst thing I've ever seen or imagined."[5]
