Dick Donovan, baseball player, 1950-1965

Dick Donovan

Born: 12/7/1927 in Boston, MA, USA

Died: 1/6/1997 in Weymouth, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1950-04-24 | Final Game: 1965-06-12

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Richard Edward Donovan

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Biography

Dick Donovan was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who made his mark during the transformative years of the 1950s and early 1960s. Born in 1927, Donovan began his professional career in 1950 and played until June 12, 1965. Over the course of his career, he amassed a record of 122 wins and 99 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.67. Known for his consistency on the mound, he struck out 880 batters and recorded five saves, demonstrating both his ability to dominate hitters and his versatility as a pitcher. Donovan was selected as an All-Star four times, highlighting his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. He played during a time marked by significant changes in baseball, including the integration of the sport and the evolution of pitching strategies. His contributions to the game are remembered not only for his statistical achievements but also for his competitive spirit and professionalism on the field. Donovan's legacy continues to resonate within the baseball community, serving as a reminder of the talent that flourished in the post-war era of the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
122 99 345 273 101 25 5 2017.3 1988 822 198 495 880 3.67 0

Career ERA 3.67 vs. league average 3.84 across their career seasons — near 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
1950 BSN NL 0 2 10 3 0 0 0 29.7 28 27 34 9 8.19 4.36 (-88%) -2248.1
1951 BSN NL 0 0 8 2 0 0 0 13.7 17 8 11 4 5.27 4.04 (-30%) -92.1
1952 BSN NL 0 2 7 2 0 0 1 13.0 18 8 12 6 5.54 3.70 (-50%) -650.4
1954 DET AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 6.0 9 7 5 2 10.50 — 0.0
1955 CHW AL 15 9 29 24 11 5 0 187.0 186 69 48 88 3.32 4.00 (+17%) -
1956 CHW AL 12 10 34 31 14 3 0 234.7 212 95 59 120 3.64 3.96 (+8%) -
1957 CHW AL 16 6 28 28 16 2 0 220.7 203 68 45 88 2.77 3.83 (+28%) -
1958 CHW AL 15 14 34 34 16 4 0 248.0 240 83 53 127 3.01 3.86 (+22%) -
1959 CHW AL 9 10 31 29 5 1 0 179.7 171 73 58 71 3.66 3.90 (+6%) -
1960 CHW AL 6 1 33 8 0 0 3 78.7 87 47 25 30 5.38 3.82 (-41%) -
1961 WS2 AL 10 10 23 22 11 2 0 168.7 138 45 35 62 2.40 4.03 (+40%) 3232.6
1962 CLE AL 20 10 34 34 16 5 0 250.7 255 100 47 94 3.59 3.96 (+9%) 2035.1
1963 CLE AL 11 13 30 30 7 3 0 206.0 211 97 28 84 4.24 3.46 (-23%) -2088.3
1964 CLE AL 7 9 30 23 5 0 1 158.3 181 80 29 83 4.55 3.58 (-27%) -504.2
1965 CLE AL 1 3 12 3 0 0 0 22.7 32 15 6 12 5.96 3.50 (-70%) -1249.5

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
371 694 67 113 14 0 15 64 0 78 292 0.163 0.257 0.248 0.505 -3038.3

Career AVG .163 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 36.3% below league average.

Career OBP .257 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 21.1% below league average.

Career SLG .248 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 36.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.505 vs. league average 0.712 across their career seasons — 29.2% 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
1950 BSN NL 10 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1951 BSN NL 8 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1952 BSN NL 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1954 DET AL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1955 CHW AL 40 76 10 17 0 0 1 5 0 9 26 0.224 .258 (-13%) .332 (-1%) .393 (-33%) .726 (-18%) -191.0
1956 CHW AL 44 90 10 20 4 0 3 15 0 14 30 0.222 .258 (-14%) .331 (avg) .397 (-8%) .728 (-4%) -47.9
1957 CHW AL 30 83 8 12 1 0 3 10 0 8 32 0.145 .257 (-44%) .323 (-32%) .391 (-32%) .715 (-32%) -449.9
1958 CHW AL 34 80 5 9 0 0 0 1 0 10 33 0.113 .257 (-56%) .324 (-30%) .394 (-71%) .719 (-53%) -679.3
1959 CHW AL 31 61 4 8 4 0 1 5 0 5 32 0.131 .256 (-49%) .323 (-39%) .392 (-37%) .715 (-38%) -403.0
1960 CHW AL 33 23 3 3 1 0 0 2 0 1 13 0.130 — — — — 0.0
1961 WS2 AL 24 56 6 10 1 0 1 7 0 6 23 0.179 .258 (-31%) .328 (-21%) .399 (-37%) .727 (-30%) -275.1
1962 CLE AL 34 89 8 16 1 0 4 9 0 7 32 0.180 .257 (-30%) .326 (-22%) .393 (-17%) .719 (-19%) -288.6
1963 CLE AL 31 69 4 9 1 0 1 2 0 2 31 0.130 .246 (-47%) .308 (-50%) .371 (-49%) .680 (-50%) -549.5
1964 CLE AL 31 48 7 7 0 0 1 8 0 10 27 0.146 — — — — -154.1
1965 CLE AL 12 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1959 WS CHA 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 3 1 1 8.3 4 5 3 5 5.40

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1959 WS CHA 0 1 3 1 1 8.3 4 5 3 5 5.40

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 345 266 144 336 20 25

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1950 BSN P 10 0 1 5 0 1
1951 BSN P 8 0 1 4 0 0
1952 BSN P 7 0 0 6 1 0
1954 DET P 2 0 0 1 0 0
1955 CHA P 29 24 11 33 0 2
1956 CHA P 34 31 11 46 1 4
1957 CHA P 28 28 18 37 0 3
1958 CHA P 34 34 16 34 2 3
1959 CHA P 31 29 11 26 4 1
1960 CHA P 33 8 6 19 1 0
1961 WS2 P 23 22 15 26 4 1
1962 CLE P 34 34 23 36 3 6
1963 CLE P 30 30 20 29 2 1
1964 CLE P 30 23 9 30 1 3
1965 CLE P 12 3 2 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 345

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1962 TSN All-Star P
1962 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1962 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 64.0 280 0
1961 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 5.0 280 0
1958 Most Valuable Player AL 25th 1.0 336 0
1957 Cy Young Award ML 2nd 1.0 16 1
1957 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 19.0 336 0