The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-10-08

WILD BILL
On whom Hughey Jennings. Of
That Jennings meant what he said about
giving Donovan all the work he needed
| the closing days of the race bear evil
dence. In Philadelphia recently he was
/ twice called on 10 subdue the White Ele-
plant, and he succeeded in downing the
! team of his city Of adoption once and
| lighting il 10 a draw the other time in a
game which always viii be memorable in
the annals of the American League.
Donovan is not a Philadelphia. though
many persons think he is. Wild Bill first
saw the light of day in Lawrence, Mass
birthplace of that other Donovan, Man
ager Pat, OF the Superbas-but moved 20
the Quaker City at an early age, and
there was initiated into the mysteries or
the national game He is about thirty
years old, and started 10 play bali pro-
REASONABLY in Sunbury Pa, IN 1885. re-
manning there in 1896.
Was with Washington.
The following season he was with Paw
tuCket. Of the New England League and
Waterbury, of the Connecticut League.
being then grabbed by the Washingtons.
Bill went 10 the Capital City with a rep
utatiOn as wild man. ami with the ad-
diuonal prestige of being a great eater.
If that kid could pitch as well as he
eats" once remarked "a Washington man
ager. che would make RUsie look ike a
back number"
Donovan, whose curves were then Is un-
tanned as his smile now is. lasted out his
Erst season with The Senators despite the
fact that he was victorious IN only one
out of six full games in which ne pitched
Bills first appearance in the National
League was made or day famous in
the annals of the organ!zation-April g.
1S9S-for on that afternoon there were the
no-hit, n0-run games pitched. one by JAY
Hughes of the orioles, and the other by
The" BreiJcnstcin. Of the Reds
Donovan lost his second fun game I'm
the National League in Cincinnati on
June p, the Reds beating him To g.
with still BilI' Hill and Frank Dwyer
Jwirling. He lost 20 the phillieS. % J.
on July z, pitching against Frank DOua-
hue, and TO Cleveland on August s. twirl-
ing against Mig" Cuppy
On August 20 Donovan won his first and
last game of the year. defeating the
Smoky City men. 8 to f. and holding
them 10 seven hits. Donovans last COM
plete game Of that year was on Septem-
Der Z, in Boston, when he lost 20 the
Selee combination by a score Of 8 to /.
"Parson' Ted Lewis being his opponent
on the rubber
Donovan was in the Atlantic League /
at the start Of the season of 1855. when
he was acquired by Ned Hanlon from
Washington as part of the Farrell Casey /
deal BIZ, who was making a reputa-
ton for himself as a wild pitcher with
tremendous speed was recalled by the
Superba chief and was set 20 work first
in 81. Louis on July 90 pitching against I
Pat Tebeaus transplanted Spiders. whom /
he beat, TO ., His opponent on the /
Mound was the great and only Cy Young 1
and one account OF the game said that /
Donovan, the new pitcher, showed up /.
well, while Young was an alluriug tar
get Three days later Hanlon tried /
Donovan again. this TINE in Cincinnati. /
and he was beaten. S 10 s. Jack Taylor /
I, now dead, pitching for the Reds Twice 4
in that month Washington Park fans saw
Donovan in action. lie pitched parts Of /
games against Cincinnati on August Q 4
and against Cleveland on August L. That
was the last big league work Donovan /
was called on TO do in 1853. his record for
the season being one victory and two de-
featS.
On his showing In the league in the
fan Of 1900, Donovan was due for another
trip 70 the one-night stands but with the
Brooklyn pitching corps in sad straits
Hanlon kept his erratic speed dispenser,
and he turned out 10 be Br0oklyn's most
-g.f.r f
out Of forty games, and having a record /
that was surpassed that year by only
five men-Leever. ChesbrO. and Philippe.
Of Pittsburg; Orth, of Philadelphia, and
Sudhoff, Of St. Louis. Donovan's first
game in 1901 was pitched in Philadelphia
on April Is, and was a victory, by a score
Of i to =
Donovan's last season in Brooklyn was
in 1892, when he ranked seventeenth
among the National League boxmen.
winning seventeen and losing fifteen /
games. Wildness still handicapped his
efforts, for there were only four men in
the senior body who had anything on Bill !
10 the line of inaccuracy. Donovan stood I;
second among the strike-0ut artists Of II
the National and was the BROOKLYN /,
pitcher in the longest game played that Il
year by the Superbas, twirling an eigh- h
-een-inning battle against Pat Donovan's
ST. Louis Cardinals. in the Mound CITY on L
August L..
He struck out thirteen men and held
his adversaries TO seven runs and four
teen hits in eighteen innings. Bill was
he least successful hurler Of the HanIon ;
orps. but managed TO grab some Iaurels. IS
pitching one-hit game against Chicago. /
md games OF TWO hits against St. Louis !
md New York
Went to Detroit i'm 1892.
Donovan made the leap from Brooklyn
o Detroit, and he was one OF the three
players whom the Brooklyn Club object /
d strenuously TO losing at the time of {
he peace compact, Keller and Kitson /
icing others. In his first year in the {
american League-1905-Dono made
bsoutely the same record as in his last =
ear In the National-namely. seventeen r
'ins and fifteen losses. He ranked sec r
nj 10 Waddell in the number of strike
uts, but distributed passes with more
lVlsh hand than any one else. thus liv- n
lg up to his nickname. Four OF Dono-
ans games IN that year were shut-outs. Il