| Bill Donovan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: October 13, 1876 Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: December 9, 1923 (aged 47) Forsyth, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 22, 1898, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 2, 1918, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 186–139 |
| Earned run average | 2.69 |
| Strikeouts | 1,552 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As Player
As Manager
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
William Edward Donovan (October 13, 1876 – December 9, 1923), nicknamed "Wild Bill" and "Smiling Bill", was an American right-handed baseball pitcher and manager.
Donovan played Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators (1898), Brooklyn Superbas (1899–1902), and Detroit Tigers (1903–1912). In 1901, he led the National League with 25 wins. He later helped Detroit win three consecutive American League pennants from 1907 to 1909. In 1907, he compiled a 25–4 record with a 2.12 earned run average (ERA). In 18 major league seasons, Donovan appeared in 378 games as a pitcher and compiled a 186–139 win–loss record with 289 complete games and a 2.69 ERA in 2,964+2⁄3 innings pitched.[1]
Donovan was also a better than average hitting pitcher, posting a .193 batting average (251-for-1,302) scoring 142 runs with 7 home runs, 94 RBI and drawing 77 bases on balls.[1]
After retiring as a player, Donovan served as a manager and coach. He was the player-manager of the Providence Grays in 1913 and 1914, leading the club to the International League pennant in 1914 with help from rookie pitcher Babe Ruth. He next served as player-manager of the New York Yankees from 1915 to 1917. He served as a pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers in 1918 and managed the Jersey City Skeeters in 1919 and 1920. He managed the Philadelphia Phillies for the first half of the 1921 season and then concluded his career as manager of the Hartford Eastern League team in 1922 and 1923. He died in a train crash in December 1923 while traveling to baseball's winter meetings.