In 1921, following a change of managers in Detroit, and with Ty Cobb becoming the team's player-manager, Hale appeared in only nine games for the Tigers and was limited to two plate appearances with no hits. Published reports later claimed that Cobb disfavored Hale because he wore a small fielding glove. The story later evolved with reports that he had unusually small hands that handicapped him as a fielder. One report from 1923 noted:"ome gloom-bird circulated the report that Hale's hands were too small to enable him to field grounders cleanly. Sammy's fins were said to be second cousin to a humming bird's in point of minuteness, and grave doubts were expressed as to his chance to make the grade in big league company."