Walter William "Chip" Hale (born December 2, 1964) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

, and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

. Hale played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) from 1989 through 1997, and managed in MLB from 2015 through 2016. He was named head coach of the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

of the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

in July 2021. Hale played in MLB for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, mostly as a

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

. He became a

for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

in 2007, then later on was named team manager for 2015-2016 and also served as a coach for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

, and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

Playing career

Born in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, Hale played baseball for

Campolindo High School Campolindo High School is a public high school located in Moraga, California, United States, and is in the Acalanes Union High School District. In 2022, Campolindo was ranked 27th in California (and 221st nationally) by '' U.S. News & World Re ...

Moraga, California Moraga is a town in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the town is named in honor of Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family. As of 2020, Moraga had a total population of 16,870 ...

. He attended the

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

. He was a part of the 1986 College World Series champions. He also set school records in

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

and walks for a career. In 1984 and 1985, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Orleans Cardinals The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

and was named a league all-star in 1985. 1988 Best - Chip Hale

The

selected Hale in the 17th round, with the 425th overall selection, of the

1987 Major League Baseball draft The 1987 Major League Baseball draft is the process by which Major League Baseball (MLB) teams select athletes to play for their organization. High school seniors, college juniors and seniors, and anyone who had never played under a professiona ...

. Hale made his major league debut with the Twins in , and played in parts of six seasons with the team. He signed with the

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

prior to the season, then appeared in only 14 games for the team, in what would be his final major league season. Hale is associated with one of the most famous

bloopers A blooper, or gag reel, is short clip from a film, television program or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast o ...

in baseball history. On May 27, 1991, while playing for the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams h ...

, Hale hit a deep fly ball to

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...

where

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bail ...

outfielder Rodney McCray ran through the outfield wall attempting to catch the ball.

Coaching career

Hale joined the

organization as the

of the

Missoula Osprey The Missoula PaddleHeads are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Missoula, Montana, and play their home games at Ogren Pa ...

for the 2000 season. He managed the

El Paso Diablos "El Paso Diablos" refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, wh ...

in 2002 and the

Tucson Sidewinders Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson metropolitan s ...

from 2004 to 2006. Under Hale's leadership the

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

Sidewinders finished the regular season with a record of 91–53, a new franchise record; and Hale was named

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

Manager of the Year. Chiphale1964stl

For the 2007

season, Hale served as a coach for the

under manager

Bob Melvin Robert Paul Melvin (born October 28, 1961) is an American professional baseball manager and former catcher who is the manager of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). Melvin has been named Manager of the Year three times. S ...

. In 2009, Hale was hired as the third base coach for the

. He was a candidate to become manager of the Mets after

Jerry Manuel Jerry Lorenzo Manuel Sr. (born December 23, 1953), nicknamed "the Sage", is an American former professional baseball second baseman and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos, and San Diego Padres ...

was fired at the end of the 2010 season; however, the position went to

Terry Collins Terry Lee Collins (born May 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball manager. He managed the Houston Astros, the Anaheim Angels and New York Mets in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball ...

. On October 5, 2011, Hale signed a two-year deal to become bench coach of the

. On the same day, the Mets announced that Hale would not be returning to the league club for the 2012 season and would be replaced by

Tim Teufel Timothy Shawn Teufel (born July 7, 1958) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and coach. He played Major League Baseball from to , most notably as a member of the New York Mets, with whom he won a world championship in . He ...

. On May 29, 2013, Hale was ejected for the first time in his MLB playing or coaching career for arguing a

spectator interference In baseball, interference occurs in situations in which a person illegally changes the course of play from what is expected. Interference might be committed by players on the offense, players not currently in the game, catchers, umpires, or spec ...

and runner placement call.

Brian Knight Brian Michael Knight (born October 2, 1974) is an American professional baseball umpire. He has worked as a full-time Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire since 2011. He wears uniform number 91. Umpiring career From 2001 to 2010, Knight was a mi ...

was the ejecting

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...

. Hale then went back to the

during the 2015 and 2016 seasons as the club's manager, compiling a 148–176 record. He was fired from the managerial position on October 3, 2016. Hale was re-hired by the Oakland Athletics on October 18, 2016, this time as the team's third-base coach. Then, in November 2017, the

hired Hale as their bench coach. On October 29, 2019, in Game 6 of the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

, he became the acting manager for the Nationals after

Dave Martinez David Martinez (born September 26, 1964) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder who is the manager for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as the bench coach for the Tampa Bay ...

was ejected in the 7th inning. Hale and the Nationals maintained their lead, garnering a 7-2 win to force a Game 7, thus paving the way to winning the franchise’s first

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

, the following night. On November 7, 2020, Hale was named the third base coach for the

. On July 5, 2021, Hale left the Tigers so he could become the head baseball coach at the

Managerial record

Head coaching record

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hale, Chip 1964 births Living people Albuquerque Dukes players 20th-century American sportsmen Arizona Diamondbacks coaches Arizona Diamondbacks managers Arizona Wildcats baseball players Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from San Jose, California Detroit Tigers coaches Kenosha Twins players Los Angeles Dodgers players Minnesota Twins players Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball third base coaches Major League Baseball third basemen Memphis Redbirds players Minor league baseball managers New York Mets coaches Oakland Athletics coaches Orlando Twins players Orleans Firebirds players Portland Beavers players Salt Lake Buzz players Washington Nationals coaches Arizona Wildcats baseball coaches