Mike Donlin | |||
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Outfielder | |||
Born: Peoria, Illinois |
May 30, 1878|||
Died: September 24, 1933 Hollywood, California |
(aged 55)|||
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MLB debut | |||
July 19, 1899, for the St. Louis Perfectos | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
October 1, 1914, for the New York Giants | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .333 | ||
Home runs | 51 | ||
Runs batted in | 543 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Michael Joseph Donlin (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and actor. As a professional baseball player, his MLB career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the National League for seven teams over 12 seasons. His most notable time was with the New York Giants, where he starred in the outfield for John McGraw's 1904 pennant winners and 1905 World Series champions. One of the finest hitters of the dead-ball era, his .333 career batting average ranks 28th all time and he finished in the top three in batting five times. In each of those same seasons, he also finished in the top ten in the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and home runs.
A controversial character – Donlin, also known as "Turkey Mike" for his unique strut – his entertaining personality, flamboyant style of dress, and prodigious talent as a hitter caused him to be lionized as "the baseball idol of Manhattan." However, alcoholism led to friction with club officials and incarceration. Donlin attempted to leverage his popularity as an athlete to launch a career in Broadway theatre where he met and married Vaudeville comedian Mabel Hite in 1906. Together, they performed in the baseball-themed play Stealing Home for about three years.