View source for Mike Donlin

{{Short description|American baseball player (1878–1933)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Mike Donlin
|image=Mike_Donlin_Baseball.jpg
|caption=Donlin as a [[Cincinnati Reds|Cincinnati Red]], 1903
|position=[[Outfielder]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1878|5|30}}
|birth_place=[[Peoria, Illinois]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1933|9|24|1878|5|30}}
|death_place=[[Hollywood, California]], U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Left
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=July 19
|debutyear=1899
|debutteam=St. Louis Perfectos
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 1
|finalyear=1914
|finalteam=New York Giants
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.333
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=51
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=543
|teams=
* [[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis Perfectos / Cardinals]] ({{baseball year|1899}}–{{baseball year|1900}}) 
* [[Baltimore Orioles (1901–02)|Baltimore Orioles]] ({{baseball year|1901}})
* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{baseball year|1902}}–{{baseball year|1904}})
* [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] ({{baseball year|1904}}–{{baseball year|1906}}, {{baseball year|1908}}, {{baseball year|1911}})
* [[Boston Rustlers]] ({{baseball year|1911}})
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{baseball year|1912}})
* [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] ({{baseball year|1914}})
|highlights=
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1905}})
}}
'''Michael Joseph Donlin''' (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an American professional [[baseball]] [[outfielder]] and actor. His [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] for seven teams over 12 seasons. His most notable time was with the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]], where he starred in the outfield for [[John McGraw]]'s [[1904 New York Giants season|1904]] [[List of National League pennant winners|pennant winners]] and [[1905 World Series]] [[List of World Series champions|champions]]. One of the finest hitters of the [[dead-ball era]], his [[List of Major League Baseball career batting average leaders|.333 career batting average]] ranks 28th all time and he finished in the top three in [[Batting average (baseball)|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 run]]s.

Donlin, who was given the nickname "'''Turkey Mike'''" for his unique strut, was a controversial character— 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.

Between the waning popularity of the play in 1911 and Hite's death the following year, Donlin attempted short-lived comebacks with the Giants, [[Boston Rustlers]], and [[Pittsburgh Pirates]]. His forays into acting cut short an undeniable talent that could have been a much more successful major league career; he reached 100 games in just five of his major league seasons. After convincing McGraw to sign him for the last time in 1914, Donlin endured a disappointing 35-game cameo with the Giants, leading him to devote his efforts to launch his acting career. He migrated to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], where close friend [[John Barrymore]] helped him attain work. Although he made at least 53 appearances on film, the prospects of stardom never materialized. Donlin remained in Hollywood continuing in his acting career until his death in 1933.

== Baseball career ==
Donlin made his way to [[California]] and was playing for the Santa Cruz Sandcrabs in [[1899 in baseball|1899]] when he was purchased by the [[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis Perfectos]] for "little more than train fare." Donlin learned of the transaction while he was locked up in a [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]] jail for drunkenness. He gained admittance when he first arrived at St. Louis' [[League Park]] by pointing the gatekeeper to a newspaper photograph of himself which he had pinned to his lapel.<ref name=SABR>{{cite web|last1=Betzold|first1=Michael|title=Mike Donlin|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/3b51e847|publisher=[[Society of American Baseball Research]]|access-date=30 April 2015}}</ref>

Despite not joining the team until mid-July, he finished 10th in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] in home runs and batted .323. The following season he hit .326 and finished third in home runs with 10 while only playing in about half of St. Louis' games. On a team full of good hitters, Donlin found it difficult to get regular playing time because of his poor defense and decided to jump to the [[Baltimore Orioles (1901–02)|Baltimore Orioles]] of the new [[American League]] in {{Baseball year|1901}} to play for his former teammate in St. Louis, [[John McGraw]].

"Turkey Mike", nicknamed because of his gait while walking, hit .340 with Baltimore, which was good for second in the league. But in March of {{Baseball year|1902}}, he was sentenced to six months in prison for assaulting two people in Baltimore while drunk and was promptly released by the Orioles.<ref>{{cite news |title=Donlin Goes to Jail |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94547957/donlin-goes-to-jail/ |access-date=9 February 2022 |work=The Wilkes-Barre Record |date=20 March 1902 |page=1}}</ref> After serving his time, Donlin was picked up by the [[Cincinnati Reds]] and hit .287 for them in the last month of the season.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1902.shtml Baseball Reference – 1902 Cincinnati Reds]</ref> In {{Baseball year|1903}}, he finished third in the league in hitting at .351 and placed in the top five in the National League in virtually every offensive category.

Donlin hit .356 in 1904, when he had another drunken episode in [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]]. The Reds first suspended him for 30 days and then traded him to the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]], where he was once again reunited with John McGraw who was now managing the team. Donlin finished out the 1904 season hitting a respectable .280 after the trade and helped the Giants win the National League pennant. His combined batting average for 1904 ended up at .329, good enough for second in the league for the second time in the career of the 26-year-old.

Donlin followed up with the best season of his career in {{Baseball year|1905}}. Playing a full season for the first time, Donlin hit .356, good for third in the National League, and led the league in runs scored as well as finishing in the top five in several other batting categories. He led the Giants to the [[World Series]] where he hit .263 and scored 4 runs in 5 games as the Giants defeated the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] for their first [[1905 World Series|World Series Championship]].

On April 11, 1906, Donlin was married to [[Mabel Hite]], a vaudeville and [[Musical theatre|Broadway]] actress. Tragedy struck early in the {{Baseball year|1906}} season, however, as he broke his ankle sliding into second base and was lost for the remainder of the season. Cocky and brash as ever, Donlin demanded his same salary for the 1907 season as well as a $600 bonus incentive for staying sober throughout the year. When Giants owner [[John T. Brush]] refused, Donlin retired and sat out the entire {{Baseball year|1907}} season. Donlin spent the time traveling with his wife and became interested in the theater and the high-society lifestyle that came with it.

Donlin returned to the Giants for the {{Baseball year|1908}} season without showing any effects from a year-long layoff as he hit .334 and finished second in the league in hitting for the third time in his career. In his first home game back, he hit a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. He was also among the league leaders in virtually every other offensive category and turned in an adequate job defensively for the first time.

=== Comeback ===
In {{Baseball year|1911}}, Donlin returned to his old team and manager, John McGraw, after a two-year break for acting.

Donlin's talents had declined and was no longer worth the problems he created and was sold to the [[Boston Rustlers]], having only played 12 games for his former New York team. Boston immediately inserted him into their starting lineup and Donlin responded by hitting .315 for them.

Unwilling to negotiate with a hard-bargaining, poor defensive outfielder on a poor team, Boston traded him to Pittsburgh, where he played the {{Baseball year|1912}} season as a reserve for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pirates]], batting .316. In the fall of 1912, Hite was diagnosed with cancer and died in October. In December Pittsburgh placed Donlin on waivers and he was claimed by the [[Philadelphia Phillies]]. Donlin refused to go to the Phillies and instead retired, once again, from baseball.

He had a change of heart and attempted a comeback late in 1913 with the minor league [[Jersey City Skeeters]] and convinced his old friend, John McGraw, to select him to a traveling team that barnstormed in Europe, Asia and Africa in the winter of 1913. Encouraged by his hitting, McGraw gave Donlin a roster spot on the {{Baseball year|1914}} Giants but the magic in his bat was gone. Hitting only .161 in 35 games, Donlin called it quits, this time for good.

==Career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
! [[Games played|G]] !! [[At bat|AB]] !! [[Run (baseball)|R]] !! [[Hit (baseball)|H]] !! [[Double (baseball)|2B]] !! [[Triple (baseball)|3B]] !! [[Home run|HR]] !! [[Runs batted in|RBI]] !! [[Stolen base|SB]] !! [[Base on balls|BB]] !! [[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]] !! [[On-base percentage|OBP]] !! [[Slugging percentage|SLG]] !! [[Fielding percentage|FLD%]]
|-
| 1049 || 3854 || 669 || 1282 || 176 || 97 || 51 || 543 || 213 || 312 || .333 || .386 || .468 || .936
|}

== Acting career ==
On October 26, 1908, Donlin made his stage debut in ''Stealing Home'', a one-act play written by Donlin and Hite. Although the reviews for Donlin were mixed, critics raved over his wife's performance and the show became a smash hit. Claiming he made more money from his play, Donlin left baseball and vowed never to return to baseball but after three successful years, the play's popularity diminished and with Hite not able to land any successful roles, Donlin returned to baseball.

Starting in 1914, Donlin teamed up with [[Marty McHale]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/204503999/?terms=%22marty%20mchale%22%20%22mike%20donlin%22&match=1 |title=09 Nov 1914, Page 10 – The St. Louis Star and Times at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=November 9, 1914 |accessdate=February 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/147005943/?terms=%22marty%20mchale%22%20vaudeville&match=1 |title=25 Feb 1921, Page 13 - Reno Gazette-Journal at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=1921-02-25 |accessdate=2022-06-05}}</ref> for an act they titled, "Right Off the Bat".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/ladies-and-gentlemen-presenting-marty-mchale/|title=Ladies and Gentlemen, Presenting Marty McHale|first=Lawrence S.|last=Ritter|work=The National Pastime: Premiere Edition |year=1982|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|accessdate=February 17, 2021}}</ref>

Donlin later made the career change once again from baseball to acting, gradually switching from stage to screen. He had more success on the baseball field than in the entertainment industry, although he appeared in a number of movies in small roles, including the [[silent film|silent]] classic ''[[The General (1926 film)|The General]]'' (1926), and in Paramount's first sound feature ''[[Warming Up (1928 film)|Warming Up]]'' (1928). He was also retained as an advisor on a number of baseball movies. One of Donlin's great friends and drinking buddies was renowned actor [[John Barrymore]]. Donlin appeared in at least two of the actor's silent pictures, ''[[Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1917 film)|Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman]]'' (1917) and ''[[The Sea Beast (1926 film)|The Sea Beast]]'' (1926). One of his many cinematic appearances was in an uncredited role as a [[Hong Kong]] [[bartender]] in ''[[One Way Passage]]''.<ref name="acastrovincemlb">[https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-donlin-baseball-hollywood-career Castrovince, Anthony. "The baseball &ndash; and Hollywood &ndash; star who’s been lost to history," MLB.com, Saturday, January 18, 2025.] Retrieved January 19, 2025.</ref><ref>[https://www.tcm.com/video/292668/one-way-passage-movie-clip-paradise-cocktail ''One Way Passage'' (Movie Clip): Paradise Cocktail &ndash; TCM.com.] Retrieved January 19, 2025.</ref>

== Personal life ==
[[Image:Mike Donlin+Mabel Hite.jpg|right|thumb|Mike Donlin and his first wife, [[Mabel Hite]], around 1910.]]
Born in [[Peoria, Illinois]], Donlin's family soon moved to [[Erie, Pennsylvania]], where he lost both his father, [[railroad conductor]] John Donlin, and mother, Maggie, in a train accident<ref>{{cite news|title=A Frightful Accident|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/826242/death_of_margaret_cayton_donlin/|newspaper=The Weekly Wisconsin|date=8 July 1885|page=6|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = August 6, 2014 }} {{Open access}}</ref> when he was a young boy. He was forced to hustle to survive from a young age, worked as a [[machinist]] in his youth and was resultantly a sickly child. At 15 years old he found work selling candy on a California-bound train. Once in California, he put down roots.<ref name=SABR />

Donlin was a flamboyant playboy, a sharp dresser and a notorious drinker. With his dashing looks and penchant for finding trouble, he was equally popular with women and men and was one of the most popular players in baseball for a short time at the peak of his career.<ref>[http://www.thedeadballera.com/BeerDrinkersMikeDonlin.html Mike Donlin obituary]</ref> As a young minor leaguer in California, Donlin asked a ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' employee to run a photograph of him in the paper, saying, "I know I'll get a break. I know I'm going to be great." A month after [[George Dewey|Admiral George Dewey]]'s victory at the [[Battle of Manila Bay]], [[Oregon Ducks baseball|University of Oregon baseball]] coach Tom Kelly recalled Donlin using a bat that he had painted red, white and blue and named "Dewey."<ref name=SABR />

In October 1914 Donlin married actress [[Rita Ross]], known for her part in the musical comedy team Ross and Fenton.

=== Death ===
Donlin died in his sleep of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on September 24, 1933, at age 55 in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles, California|Hollywood, California]].

=== Popular culture ===
The 1949 musical film ''[[Take Me Out to the Ball Game (film)|Take Me Out to the Ball Game]]'' may have been influenced by Donlin's life story.
The story involves a reigning World Series championship Major League Baseball team (the fictitious "Chicago Wolves") whose two star players moonlight in the off-season as vaudeville performers, the commitment to which causes them to arrive late to spring training, thus angering their team manager and owner.

The script was written by [[Gene Kelly]], who portrays Wolves' star shortstop/Vaudevillian "Eddie O'Brien". [[Frank Sinatra]] co-stars as second baseman/vaudevillian "Dennis Ryan".

The [[San Jose Giants]], the [[Single-A]] affiliate of the [[San Francisco Giants]] baseball club, have a BBQ and picnic area, "Turkey Mike's BBQ", named after Donlin.

==Partial filmography==
{{Div col}}
*''[[Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1917 film)|Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman]]'' (1917)
*''[[The Unchastened Woman (1918 film)|The Unchastened Woman]]'' (1918)
*''[[Woman-Proof]]'' (1923)
* ''[[Railroaded (film)|Railroaded]]'' (1923)
*''[[The Trouble Shooter]]'' (1924)
*''[[Hit and Run (1924 film)|Hit and Run]]'' (1924)
*''[[The Sea Beast (1926 film)|The Sea Beast]]'' (1925)
*''[[Fifth Avenue Models]]'' (1925)
* ''[[The Unnamed Woman]]'' (1925)
* ''[[The Primrose Path (1925 film)|The Primrose Path]]'' (1925)
*''[[The General (1926 film)|The General]]'' (1926) - Union General #2
*''[[Her Second Chance (1926 film)|Her Second Chance]]'' (1926)
*''[[The Noose (film)|The Noose]]'' (1928)
*''[[Warming Up (1928 film)|Warming Up]]'' (1928)
*''[[Spite Marriage]]'' (1929)
* ''[[Noisy Neighbors]]'' (1929)
*''[[Hot Curves]]'' (1930)
*''[[The Secret Witness]]'' (1931)
*''[[One Way Passage]]'' (1932)
*''[[High Gear (1933 film)|High Gear]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Swellhead]]'' (1935)
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball career batting average leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mike Donlin}}
{{Baseballstats|br=d/donlimi01|brm=donlin001mic}}
*{{sabrbio|3b51e847|Michael Betzold|October 17, 2013}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0232592|name=Mike Donlin}}
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{1901 Baltimore Orioles}}
{{1904 New York Giants}}
{{1905 New York Giants}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donlin, Mike}}
[[Category:1878 births]]
[[Category:1933 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century baseball players]]
[[Category:19th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Peoria, Illinois]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles (1901–02) players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Boston Rustlers players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Reds players]]
[[Category:Jersey City Skeeters players]]
[[Category:Kalamazoo Celery Pickers players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball center fielders]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball left fielders]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball managers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball right fielders]]
[[Category:Memphis Chickasaws players]]
[[Category:New York Giants (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:American people convicted of assault]]
[[Category:American sportspeople convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Maryland]]