Patsy Donovan
Encyclopedia
Patrick Joseph "Patsy" Donovan (March 16, 1865 – December 25, 1953) was an Irish
-American
right fielder
and manager
in Major League Baseball
who played for several teams from to , most notably the Pittsburgh Pirates
and St. Louis Cardinals
.
He batted
.300 lifetime and set a major league record for career games in right field, as well as retiring among the career leaders in total games (5th, 1813), assists
(9th, 264) and double play
s (5th, 69) as an outfielder. Donovan batted and threw left-handed.
, County Cork
, Donovan established himself as the most successful Irish-born major leaguer. He broke into organized baseball in with the Lawrence, Massachusetts
team in the New England League
.
of the International Association at Tecumseh Park (today's Labatt Park
) in London
, Ontario
, Canada
, where, in his first season in 1888, he led the league in batting with a .359 batting average (according to the Donovan family Web site; however, the London Tecumsehs' official scorer C.J. Moorehead, in a 1903 copy of The London Advertiser, cited Donovan's 1888 batting average as .398), had 201 hits
, scored 103 runs
and stole
80 bases. His second season with the Tecumsehs was less successful due to a leg injury.
(NL) with the Boston Beaneaters
, and moved to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms
in midseason; it would be the only time in his career that he played for a league champion. In he played in the American Association
(AA) for the Louisville Colonels
and Washington Statesmen
; he then returned to the NL in , first with the Senators (the former Statesmen, who had joined the NL in a league merger) before going to the Pirates for most of the year.
Donovan starred with the Pirates from through , notching six consecutive seasons batting .300 and serving as player-manager in and . The team was sold late in 1899, during a time when the league was contracting from twelve teams to eight; new owner Barney Dreyfuss
brought in Fred Clarke
to be manager, with Donovan being sent to the Cardinals. He played for St. Louis from –, sharing the league lead in stolen base
s (45) in his first season, and also managed the team in his last three seasons with them.
By the end of the 1903 season he ranked among the NL's top ten career leaders in hits and at bat
s, though he would drop from among the leaders before his playing career ended. His 64 career double play
s in the NL ranked one behind Jimmy Ryan
's league record. He then played for and managed the American League
's Washington Senators
in 1904, his last season as a regular.
In 1903, he broke Sam Thompson
's major league record of 1401 games in right field; Willie Keeler
passed him in 1906, before Donovan played his last several games and retired with a total of 1620. In , he became manager of the Brooklyn Superbas
, and he made his last few playing appearances that year, along with one more game at the end of the season.
In a 17-season playing career, Donovan had 2246 hits, 1318 runs, 16 home run
s and 736 runs batted in
in 1821 games
, along with 207 doubles
and 75 triples
. An excellent runner, he collected 302 stolen bases from 1890 to 1897, and 216 more after the statistic was revised to its modern definition in 1898.
Donovan joined the Boston Red Sox
as a scout
in , and managed the team in and . As a major league manager, he compiled a 684-879 record (.438) in 11 seasons. He was also instrumental in bringing Babe Ruth
to the Sox in through his acquaintance with one of the Xaverian Brothers
who coached
Ruth at a Baltimore orphans' home. Later he went to the International League
, where he led Buffalo to pennants in and , and also managed Jersey City in 1921-22 and 1925-26. He finished out his career coaching High School baseball at Phillips Academy
in Andover, where he coached the future 41st President, George H.W. Bush.
Donovan died at the age of 88 in Lawrence, Massachusetts
on Christmas Day in 1953, and is interred at St. Mary Cemetery Lawrence.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
right fielder
Right fielder
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...
and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played for several teams from to , most notably the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
.
He batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.300 lifetime and set a major league record for career games in right field, as well as retiring among the career leaders in total games (5th, 1813), assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
(9th, 264) and double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s (5th, 69) as an outfielder. Donovan batted and threw left-handed.
Early years
Born in QueenstownCobh
Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Donovan established himself as the most successful Irish-born major leaguer. He broke into organized baseball in with the Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
team in the New England League
New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
.
Minor league career
In and , Donovan played outfield for the London TecumsehsLondon Tecumsehs
The historic London Tecumsehs were a professional men's baseball team in London, Ontario, Canada, that were first formed in 1868 — a merger of the Forest City Base Ball Club and the London Base Ball Club — which, according to George Railton's 1856 London directory, consisted of officers J.K. Brown,...
of the International Association at Tecumseh Park (today's Labatt Park
Labatt Park
Labatt Memorial Park is a baseball stadium near the forks of the Thames River in central London, Ontario, Canada. It is in size, has 5,200 seats and a natural grass field...
) in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where, in his first season in 1888, he led the league in batting with a .359 batting average (according to the Donovan family Web site; however, the London Tecumsehs' official scorer C.J. Moorehead, in a 1903 copy of The London Advertiser, cited Donovan's 1888 batting average as .398), had 201 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, scored 103 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
and stole
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
80 bases. His second season with the Tecumsehs was less successful due to a leg injury.
On to the major leagues
In 1890 he made his major league debut in the National LeagueNational League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
(NL) with the Boston Beaneaters
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, and moved to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in midseason; it would be the only time in his career that he played for a league champion. In he played in the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
(AA) for the Louisville Colonels
Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891, first as the Louisville Eclipse and later as the Louisville Colonels , the latter name derived from the historic Kentucky colonels...
and Washington Statesmen
Washington Senators (1891-1899)
The Washington Senators were a 19th century baseball team. The team was also known as the Washington Statesmen and the Washington Nationals. The team played at Boundary Field....
; he then returned to the NL in , first with the Senators (the former Statesmen, who had joined the NL in a league merger) before going to the Pirates for most of the year.
Donovan starred with the Pirates from through , notching six consecutive seasons batting .300 and serving as player-manager in and . The team was sold late in 1899, during a time when the league was contracting from twelve teams to eight; new owner Barney Dreyfuss
Barney Dreyfuss
Bernhard "Barney" Dreyfuss was an executive in Major League Baseball who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise from 1900 to 1932....
brought in Fred Clarke
Fred Clarke
Fred Clifford Clarke was a Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.Of the nine pennants in Pittsburgh franchise...
to be manager, with Donovan being sent to the Cardinals. He played for St. Louis from –, sharing the league lead in stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s (45) in his first season, and also managed the team in his last three seasons with them.
By the end of the 1903 season he ranked among the NL's top ten career leaders in hits and at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s, though he would drop from among the leaders before his playing career ended. His 64 career double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s in the NL ranked one behind Jimmy Ryan
Jimmy Ryan (baseball player)
James Edward Ryan , nicknamed ″Pony″, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago White Stockings/Colts/Orphans in the National League, Chicago Pirates in the Players League, and Washington Senators in the American League.A native of Clinton, Massachusetts,...
's league record. He then played for and managed the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
's Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in 1904, his last season as a regular.
In 1903, he broke Sam Thompson
Sam Thompson
Samuel Luther Thompson was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. "Big Sam" was known for his offensive production and was second on the career home runs list at the time of his retirement...
's major league record of 1401 games in right field; Willie Keeler
Willie Keeler
William Henry Keeler in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League.- Biography :Keeler's...
passed him in 1906, before Donovan played his last several games and retired with a total of 1620. In , he became manager of the Brooklyn Superbas
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, and he made his last few playing appearances that year, along with one more game at the end of the season.
In a 17-season playing career, Donovan had 2246 hits, 1318 runs, 16 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 736 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in 1821 games
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
, along with 207 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and 75 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. An excellent runner, he collected 302 stolen bases from 1890 to 1897, and 216 more after the statistic was revised to its modern definition in 1898.
Donovan joined the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
as a scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
in , and managed the team in and . As a major league manager, he compiled a 684-879 record (.438) in 11 seasons. He was also instrumental in bringing Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
to the Sox in through his acquaintance with one of the Xaverian Brothers
Xaverian Brothers
The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier are a religious order founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium in 1839 and named after Saint Francis Xavier...
who coached
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
Ruth at a Baltimore orphans' home. Later he went to the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
, where he led Buffalo to pennants in and , and also managed Jersey City in 1921-22 and 1925-26. He finished out his career coaching High School baseball at Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Andover, where he coached the future 41st President, George H.W. Bush.
Donovan died at the age of 88 in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
on Christmas Day in 1953, and is interred at St. Mary Cemetery Lawrence.
Honors
In the Irish Baseball League, the annual award for best batter is named "The Patsy Donovan Batting Champion Award.See also
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of major league players with 500 stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of players from Ireland in Major League Baseball
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career playing statistics and managing record
- The Donovan family Web site
- BaseballLibrary - career highlights
- Baseball Almanac
- The Deadball Era - obituary
- Baseball Ireland
- Brooklyn Baseball Club, 1907 season photo
| Achievements & Managerial jobs |
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