Pitcher, Philadelphia
Phillies
Age: 28
4th season
with Phillies
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’0” Weight: 187
Prior to 1901:
A Connecticut
native, Francis L. Donahue was nicknamed “Red” for his hair color. He first
gained attention as a pitcher/first baseman at Waterbury High School. He
continued to play for amateur and semipro teams after high school. Playing for
a semipro club in New Milford in 1892, Donahue was recommended to the New York
Giants, who gave him an audition in 1893. Sent to Lowell of the minor New
England League, he finished out the season with a 3-1 record and 1.70 ERA in 37
innings pitched. Moving on to Allentown of the Pennsylvania State League in
1894, he compiled a 17-8 tally. Pitching with Rochester of the Eastern League
and Grand Rapids of the Western League in 1895, Donahue produced a combined
record of 8-13 before joining the NL’s St. Louis Browns (now Cardinals) late in
the season and losing his lone start. St. Louis was a poor team and went 40-90
in 1896, with Donahue compiling a 7-24 tally with a 5.80 ERA. With a
cellar-dwelling 29-102 club in 1897, his record was 10-35 with a 6.13 ERA and
he led the NL in complete games (38), hits surrendered (485), earned runs
surrendered (237), and home runs given up (16). Traded to the Philadelphia
Phillies as part of a multi-player deal, his performance improved in 1898 to
16-17 with a 3.55 ERA. He pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Beaneaters
(now Atlanta Braves) along the way, which, according to newspaper reports at
the time he featured his good curve and changeup. Never a hard thrower,
Donahue’s curve was considered his best pitch and he developed good control. He
was outstanding for the Phillies in 1899, producing a 21-8 tally with a 3.39
ERA and 27 complete games. 1900 was another solid year in which he was 15-10
with a 3.60 ERA for a third-place club.
1901 Season Summary
Appeared in 34
games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 34 [18,
tied with Togie Pittinger]
Games Started –
33 [12, tied with Al Orth & Togie Pittinger]
Complete Games
– 33 [5, tied with Jack Powell, Vic Willis & Kid Nichols]
Wins – 20 [6,
tied with four others]
Losses – 13 [17,
tied with Jack Harper & Doc White]
PCT - .606 [11]
Saves – 1 [6,
tied with four others]
Shutouts – 1 [15,
tied with twelve others]
Innings Pitched
– 295.1 [12]
Hits – 299 [12]
Runs – 111
Earned Runs – 85
[19]
Home Runs – 2
Bases on Balls
– 59 [19]
Strikeouts – 88
ERA – 2.59 [7]
Hit Batters – 9
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 3
Midseason
Snapshot: 12-6, ERA – 2.80, SO – 39 in 157.2 IP
---
Most
strikeouts, game – 7 (in 9 IP) vs. NY Giants 8/10
10+ strikeout
games – 0
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 4 (in 9 IP) vs. Bos. Beaneaters 7/24, (in 9 IP) at
Cincinnati 10/2
Batting
PA – 120, AB – 113, R – 11, H – 11, 2B – 2, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 4, SO – 25, SB – 0, CS – N/A, AVG - .097, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 3, SF – N/A
Fielding
Chances – 85
Put Outs – 8
Assists – 73
Errors – 4
DP – 0
Pct. - .953
---
The Phillies went 83-57 to finish second in the NL, 7.5 games behind the pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates. The pitching staff led the league in shutouts (15, tied with Pittsburgh). Despite key player defections to the American League, the Phillies remained competitive through a 38-31 first half. Despite a 16-win September, they could gain no ground on the surging Pirates, who accounted for five of their 9 September losses.
Aftermath of 1901:
In 1902 Donahue made the jump to the upstart American League and a new St. Louis Browns club (relocated from Milwaukee) that proved to be more competitive than the one he had been part of at the outset of his major league career. He had a good season with the second-place Browns, posting a 22-11 record with a 2.76 ERA and 33 complete games with 63 strikeouts in 316.1 innings pitched. In the offseason, the Browns signed Donahue’s brother, Tom, a catcher who had been a standout at Villanova University. His brother was released during spring training and the pitching Donahue got off to a poor start during the 1903 season. He was 8-7 in August when the Browns dealt him to Cleveland. He finished the season with a combined record of 15-16, although his ERA was a respectable 2.59. He went on to a fine season in 1904 in which he posted a 19-14 tally with a 2.40 ERA, 6 shutouts, and 127 strikeouts. Donahue was also known for his humor that included the baiting of gullible rookies. He had a disappointing season in 1905 in which he went 6-12 with a 3.40 ERA. Traded to the Detroit Tigers afterward, his 1906 tally was 13-14 with a 2.73 ERA. By this point the 34-year-old Donahue had bought a saloon-hotel in Philadelphia and retired to devote his energies to this new venture. It was rumored that the failure to be named player/manager of the Washington Senators led to his retirement. Rumors during the summer of 1907 that Donahue would return to Detroit to help the Tigers in their pennant run came to nothing and Donahue remained retired. For his major league career, he produced a 164-175 record with a 3.61 ERA, 312 complete games, 25 shutouts, and 787 strikeouts over the course of 2966.1 innings. Following a dreadful 17-60 start to his career, he went 147-115 the rest of the way. With the Phillies, he was 72-48 with a 3.26 ERA, 114 complete games, 8 shutouts, and 237 strikeouts in 1098.2 innings pitched. Donahue maintained a successful business until he died from the effects of tuberculosis at age 40 in 1913.
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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.
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