Atley Donald, baseball player, 1938-1945

Atley Donald

Born: 8/19/1910 in Morton, MS, USA

Died: 10/19/1992 in West Monroe, LA, USA

MLB Debut: 1938-04-21 | Final Game: 1945-07-13

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 186 lbs

Full name: Richard Atley Donald

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Biography

Atley Donald was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1945. Born in 1910, Donald established himself as a reliable arm during a pivotal era in baseball, just before and during World War II. Over his career, he compiled a record of 65 wins and 33 losses, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.52. Donald's ability to strike out batters was evident, as he recorded 369 strikeouts throughout his time in the league, along with a single save, reflecting his role primarily as a starting pitcher. Donald’s playing style was characterized by a blend of skill and tenacity, traits that were essential for pitchers of his time. His contributions came during a period when baseball was navigating the challenges of wartime, impacting player participation and team rosters. Despite these challenges, Atley Donald's performances left a lasting impression in the hearts of fans and in the annals of baseball history. His career, though relatively brief, was marked by significant achievements that highlighted his talent and the competitive spirit of the game during the 1930s and 1940s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
65 33 153 115 54 6 1 932.3 907 365 66 369 369 3.52 0

Career ERA 3.52 vs. league average 3.88 across their career seasons — 9.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1938 NYY AL 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 12.0 7 7 14 6 5.25 4.35 (-21%) -
1939 NYY AL 13 3 24 20 11 2 1 153.0 144 63 60 55 3.71 4.28 (+14%) -
1940 NYY AL 8 3 24 11 6 1 0 118.7 113 40 59 60 3.03 4.21 (+28%) -
1941 NYY AL 9 5 22 20 10 0 0 159.0 141 63 69 71 3.57 3.94 (+9%) -
1942 NYY AL 11 3 20 19 10 1 0 147.7 133 51 45 53 3.11 3.57 (+13%) -
1943 NYY AL 6 4 22 15 2 0 0 119.3 134 61 38 57 4.60 3.50 (-31%) -
1944 NYY AL 13 10 30 19 9 0 0 159.0 173 59 59 48 3.34 3.57 (+7%) -
1945 NYY AL 5 4 9 9 6 2 0 63.7 62 21 25 19 2.97 3.67 (+19%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
153 356 27 57 6 1 1 23 0 11 90 0.160 0.185 0.191 0.376 -1728.7

Career AVG .160 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 39.2% below league average.

Career OBP .185 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 44.2% below league average.

Career SLG .191 vs. league average .369 across their career seasons — 48.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.376 vs. league average 0.701 across their career seasons — 46.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1938 NYY AL 2 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1939 NYY AL 24 60 7 15 1 1 0 7 0 4 15 0.250 .274 (-9%) .342 (-13%) .393 (-24%) .735 (-19%) -193.9
1940 NYY AL 24 41 2 6 0 0 0 2 0 1 11 0.146 — — — — 0.0
1941 NYY AL 22 62 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 2 22 0.081 .262 (-69%) .332 (-67%) .373 (-74%) .705 (-71%) -721.0
1942 NYY AL 20 61 4 9 1 0 0 3 0 1 16 0.148 .253 (-42%) .323 (-50%) .349 (-53%) .672 (-52%) -497.7
1943 NYY AL 22 47 3 6 1 0 0 5 0 0 7 0.128 — — — — 0.0
1944 NYY AL 30 55 3 10 2 0 0 4 0 3 15 0.182 .261 (-30%) .325 (-31%) .357 (-39%) .683 (-35%) -316.0
1945 NYY AL 9 24 4 5 0 0 1 2 0 0 4 0.208 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1942 WS NYA 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1941 WS NYA 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 2 1 0 7.0 9 6 5 3 7.71

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1942 WS NYA 0 1 1 0 0 3.0 3 2 2 1 6.00
1941 WS NYA 0 0 1 1 0 4.0 6 4 3 2 9.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 153 0 29 133 11 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 NYA P 2 0 1 4 0 0
1939 NYA P 24 0 3 22 0 2
1940 NYA P 24 0 2 12 4 0
1941 NYA P 22 0 8 28 2 2
1942 NYA P 20 0 7 21 2 1
1943 NYA P 22 0 3 15 0 0
1944 NYA P 30 0 4 24 0 4
1945 NYA P 9 0 1 7 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 153

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Louisiana Tech University Ruston LA 1931, 1932