Richard Edward Donovan was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Boston Braves, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators and Cleveland Indians.
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28 Facts About Dick Donovan
2.
Dick Donovan was an All-Star in his first major league season, winning 15 games with only nine losses.
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3.
Dick Donovan pitched in the 1959 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing Game 3 but earning the save in Game 5.
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4.
Dick Donovan struggled in 1960 and was moved to the bullpen, then got selected in the expansion draft by the Senators after the season.
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5.
Dick Donovan had his best year with the new club in 1961, leading the AL with a 2.
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6.
Dick Donovan pitched three more years for the Indians after that before getting released midway through 1965.
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7.
Dick Donovan was unusually good at hitting for a pitcher, homering 15 times in his big-league career.
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8.
Dick Donovan grew up in Boston and attended North Quincy High School, where he played shortstop until his senior year, when he switched positions and became a pitcher.
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9.
Dick Donovan graduated during World War II, though, and he served three years in the United States Navy before beginning his professional career in 1947.
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10.
Dick Donovan's career started far south of his home, with the Fort Lauderdale Braves of the Class C Florida International League.
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11.
Dick Donovan lost his next start, moved to the bullpen, then went to Milwaukee after appearing in two more games.
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13.
Dick Donovan got his wish after the season, when the Braves sold his contract to the Detroit Tigers.
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14.
Dick Donovan was happy to accept another assignment to Atlanta, where Wyatt was now the manager.
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15.
Dick Donovan managed to hit well for the Crackers, slugging 12 home runs and having 32 runs batted in.
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16.
Dick Donovan made the White Sox out of spring training in 1955, as a reliever.
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17.
Dick Donovan threw a shutout against Cleveland on May 25,1957, allowing a second-inning double to Eddie Robinson that was the only hit for the Indians.
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18.
Dick Donovan finished 13th in AL Most Valuable Player Award voting and came in second to the National League's Warren Spahn in Cy Young Award voting, in an era where the Cy Young was only presented to one pitcher for both leagues.
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19.
Dick Donovan was part of the "Go-Go Sox" team that won Chicago's first AL pennant since 1919.
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21.
Dick Donovan got the start in Game 3 and held the Dodgers to one baserunner through the first six innings.
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22.
Dick Donovan got Furillo to hit into a pop fly, then got Don Zimmer to fly out to left field before pitching a scoreless ninth to earn the save for the White Sox.
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23.
Dick Donovan's ERA improved somewhat in the bullpen, but it was still 5.
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24.
Dick Donovan was selected to the AL All-Star team in both games, allowing a run over two innings in the first one and not pitching in the second one.
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25.
Dick Donovan was rewarded for his performance in 1962, when he won 20 games for the first time in his career.
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26.
Dick Donovan had not made it through the sixth inning in either of his starts, and the Indians wanted to give more starts to prospects like Sonny Siebert and Luis Tiant.
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27.
Dick Donovan threw three pitches: a fastball, a curveball, and a slider.
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28.
Dick Donovan learned the slider while pitching for Atlanta, when coach and later manager Whitlow Wyatt helped teach it to him.
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