Hale was born in Glen Rose, the county seat of Somervell County, Texas, in 1896. He later moved to Estelline in the Texas Panhandle. Hale worked "picking cotton and stringing telephone wires" as a young man in Texas.\n', '

In April 1917, Hale began his professional baseball career with the Muskogee Reds of the Western Association. Less than one week after joining the club, Hale was nearly killed by an elevator in the Baltimore Hotel. The elevator began descending unexpectedly, "crushing Hale between the wall and the top of the car," leaving Hale hanging by his finger tips from the fifth floor landing. The impact tore the muscles above Hale\'s left knee and "mashed" the right leg below the knee "so that the skin rested against the bone." Hale went on to appear in 116 games, mostly at shortstop, for Muskogee. He hit 32 doubles, eight triples, 17 home runs, and compiled a .284 batting average. \n', '

In August 1917, Hale was "recalled" by the San Antonio Bronchos of the Texas League. He appeared in 235 games for the Bronchos between 1917 and 1919. In 1919, he compiled a .346 batting average and a .515 slugging percentage while playing at third base for the Bronchos.\n', '

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