John Augustine Donahue (July 13, 1879 – July 19, 1913) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, Milwaukee Brewers / Baltimore Orioles,

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

and the Washington Senators between 1900 and 1909. Donahue was born in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County, Ohio, Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approxim ...

. He batted and threw left-handed. Donahue had his greatest success from 1904 to 1908, after switching to first base for the

. Donahue's defensive skills were a key to the White Sox'

1906 World Series The 1906 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1906 season. The third edition of the World Series, it featured a crosstown matchup between the American League champion Chicago White Sox and the National Leagu ...

championship team, and he led American League first basemen in fielding percentage, assists, and putouts for 3 consecutive seasons, from 1905 to 1907.Retrosheet Home Page
at www.retrosheet.org In 1907, Donahue had 1,846 putouts, which is still the major league record for putouts by a first baseman. He also holds the major league single season record for most chances accepted per game with 12.65 in 1907. Pick-off attempt at first, 1906 World Series

Pick-off attempt at first, 1906 World Series

Though known mostly for his fielding, Donahue was also a decent hitter from 1905 to 1907. In 1905, he was among the American League leaders in batting average (.287), on-base percentage (.346), RBIs (76), and stolen bases (32). In 1906, Donahue was among the league leaders in stolen bases (36) and sacrifice hits (36) and was one of only three White Sox starters to bat over .250 for the 1906 World Champion "Hitless Wonders." Donahue hit for a .278 average (5-for-18) with 2 doubles, 1 triple and 4 RBI. On October 10, 1906, Donahue broke up a World Series no-hit bid by Cubs' pitcher Ed Reulbach with a single in the 7th inning. In 1907, Donahue led the league in games played (157) and at bats (609) and was among the leaders in hits (158) and RBIs (68). In Detroit on May 31, 1908, Donahue recorded 21 putouts in a nine-inning game. In 9 seasons, Donahue played in 813 games with 731 hits, 319 runs scored, 327 RBIs, 143 stolen bases, 90 doubles, 31 triples, and a .255 batting average. Donahue contracted

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

and died in 1913 at age 34. He was survived by a brother,

Pat Donahue Patrick William Donahue (November 8, 1884 – January 31, 1966) was an American professional baseball player who was a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He started playing professional baseball in 1902 in the minor leagues when he was only ...

, a major league catcher in the years 1908-10.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Donahue, Jiggs Pittsburgh Pirates players Milwaukee Brewers (1901) players St. Louis Browns players Chicago White Sox players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball first basemen Baseball players from Ohio Sportspeople from Springfield, Ohio 1913 deaths 1879 births Minor league baseball managers Wheeling Nailers (baseball) players Dayton Old Soldiers players Grand Rapids Cabinet Makers players Dayton Veterans players Wheeling Stogies players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Galveston Sand Crabs players 19th-century baseball players Deaths from syphilis