Bill Donovan later helped Detroit win three consecutive American League pennants from 1907 to 1909.
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31 Facts About Bill Donovan
2.
Bill Donovan 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.
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3.
Bill Donovan next served as player-manager of the New York Yankees from 1915 to 1917.
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4.
Bill Donovan served as a pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers in 1918 and managed the Jersey City Skeeters in 1919 and 1920.
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5.
Bill Donovan 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.
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6.
Bill Donovan died in a train crash in December 1923 while traveling to baseball's winter meetings.
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8.
Bill Donovan began playing baseball in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park and became a member of the Park Sparrows baseball team.
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9.
Bill Donovan made his major league debut at age 21 with the Washington Senators on April 22,1898.
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10.
Bill Donovan began the 1899 season in the minor leagues with the Richmond Champions of the Atlantic League.
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11.
Bill Donovan led the National Leagues with 25 wins and 45 pitching appearances and ranked second with 226 strikeouts.
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12.
Bill Donovan started 34 games for the Tigers in 1903 and led the American League with 34 complete games.
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13.
Bill Donovan ranked among the league's leaders with 187 strikeouts, a 7.
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14.
Bill Donovan continued as a workhouse for the Tigers, appearing in 34 games in 1904 and 1905 and 25 games in 1906 while compiling ERAs of 2.
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15.
In 1907, Bill Donovan emerged as one of the best pitchers in the game while leading Detroit to the American League pennant.
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16.
Bill Donovan, who had defeated the Athletics three days earlier, was called on to clinch the pennant for the Tigers.
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17.
Bill Donovan pitched all 17 innings in the clinching game, holding Philadelphia scoreless for the final 10 innings until the game was called as a tie due to darkness.
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18.
Bill Donovan started Game 1 of the 1907 World Series, and the Tigers led in the ninth inning with two outs and Chicago's Harry Steinfeldt on third base; Chicago pinch hitter Del Howard swung on a third strike that should have ended the game, but Detroit's catcher Boss Schmidt "missed the ball, which got by him to the crowd, " allowing Steinfeldt to score the tying run.
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19.
However, in 1911, Bill Donovan appeared in only 20 games, and his ERA increased to 3.
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20.
Bill Donovan managed rookie pitcher Babe Ruth for the final month of the 1914 season.
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21.
In December 1914, at baseball's winter meetings in Chicago, Bill Donovan was hired by the New York Yankees' new owners, Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston, as the club's new manager.
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22.
In February 1918, Bill Donovan returned to the Tigers as a pitching coach and scout.
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23.
Bill Donovan was hired as the manager of the Jersey City Skeeters of the International League.
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24.
Bill Donovan was the manager of the Jersey City team in both 1919 and 1920.
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25.
In December 1920, Bill Donovan was hired as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.
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26.
The dismissal was reportedly based on Baker's suspicion that Bill Donovan had some knowledge of the Chicago White Sox' attempt to throw the 1919 World Series.
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27.
In December 1921, Bill Donovan was hired as the manager of the New Haven Eastern League baseball club.
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29.
Bill Donovan led New Haven to the Eastern League pennant in 1922 and returned as manager for a second season in 1923.
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30.
In December 1923, Bill Donovan was killed in a train wreck while traveling on the 20th Century Limited to attend baseball's winter meetings in Chicago.
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31.
Bill Donovan was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, Pennsylvania.
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