Michael Joseph Donlin (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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), ...

(MLB)

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

and actor. As a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player, his MLB career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

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 John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...

's 1904 pennant winners and 1905 World Series

champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

. One of the finest hitters of the

dead-ball era In baseball, the dead-ball era was the period from around 1900 to the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1919, when he hit a then-major league record 29 home runs; only three players since 1890 had even hit 20. This era was characterized ...

, his .333 career batting average ranks 28th all time and he finished in the top three in

batting Batting may refer to: * Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs * Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...

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 In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

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 Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

." However,

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

led to friction with club officials and incarceration. Donlin attempted to leverage his popularity as an athlete to launch a career in

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

where he met and married

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

comedian

Mabel Hite Mabel Hite (May 30, 1883 – October 22, 1912) was a vaudeville comedian and musical comedy actress. Life and career Hite was born in Ashland, Kentucky May 30, 1883, the daughter of Lewis and Elsie Hite. Her family relocated to Pocatello, Ida ...

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 MLB 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, where close friend

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

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 California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and was playing for the Santa Cruz Sandcrabs in 1899 when he was purchased by the

St. Louis Perfectos ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

for "little more than train fare." Donlin learned of the transaction while he was locked up in a 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. Despite not joining the team until mid-July, he finished 10th in the

in home runs and batted .323. The following season he hit .326 and finished 3rd 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 The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

of the new

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

in to play for his former teammate in St. Louis,

. "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 , he was sentenced to six months in prison for assaulting two people in Baltimore while drunk and was promptly released by the Orioles. After serving his time, Donlin was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds and hit .287 for them in the last month of the season. In , 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 St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. The Reds first suspended him for 30 days and then traded him to the 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 . 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 5 in several other batting categories. He led the Giants to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

where he hit .263 and scored 4 runs in 5 games as the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Athletics for their first World Series Championship. On April 11, 1906, Donlin was married to

, a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

actress. Tragedy struck early in the 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 John Tomlinson Brush (June 15, 1845 – November 26, 1912) was an American sports executive who is primarily remembered as the principal owner of the New York Giants franchise in Major League Baseball from late in the 1902 season until his death ...

refused, Donlin retired and sat out the entire 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 season without showing any effects from a year-long layoff as he hit .334 and finished 2nd in the league in hitting for the 3rd time in his career. In his first home game back, he hit a game-winning 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. He was also near the league leaders in virtually every other offensive category and turned in an adequate job defensively for the first time.

Comeback

In , 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 line-up 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 season as a reserve for the 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 The Jersey City Skeeters were a minor league baseball team which operated in Jersey City, New Jersey. The club started in the 1860s and by 1870 joined the National Association of Base Ball Players. By 1885, Jersey City had joined the Eastern Lea ...

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 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

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 3 successful years, the play's popularity diminished and with Hite not able to land any successful roles, Donlin did return to baseball. Starting in 1914, Donlin teamed up with

Marty McHale Martin Joseph McHale (October 30, 1886 – May 7, 1979) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball between 1910 and 1916. He also performed prof ...

, for an act they titled, "Right Off the Bat". 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 did appear in a number of movies in small roles, including the silent classic '' The General'' (1926), and in Paramount's first sound feature ''

Warming Up 'Warming up' is a part of stretching and preparation for physical exertion or a performance by exercising or practicing gently beforehand, usually undertaken before a performance or practice. Athletes, singers, actors and others warm up before s ...

'' (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

. Donlin appeared in at least two of the actor's silent pictures, ''

Raffles the Amateur Cracksman ''Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman'' is a 1917 American silent film starring John Barrymore and Evelyn Brent. The movie also co-stars Frank Morgan and Mike Donlin, and was directed by George Irving.

'' (1917) and '' The Sea Beast'' (1926).

Personal life

Born in Peoria, Illinois, Donlin's family soon moved to

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

, where he lost both his father, railroad conductor John Donlin, and mother, Maggie, in a train accident 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 sickly child. At 15 years old he found work selling candy on California-bound train. Once in California, he put down roots. Donlin was a flamboyant playboy, a sharp dresser and a notorious drinker. With his dashing looks and one who was not opposed to 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.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 Admiral George Dewey's victory at the

Battle of Manila Bay The Battle of Manila Bay ( fil, Labanan sa Look ng Maynila; es, Batalla de Bahía de Manila), also known as the Battle of Cavite, took place on 1 May 1898, during the Spanish–American War. The American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore ...

, University of Oregon baseball coach Tom Kelly recalled Donlin using a bat that he had painted red, white and blue and named "Dewey." In October 1914 Donlin married actress Rita Ross, known for her part in the musical comedy team, Ross & Fenton.

Death

Mike Donlin died in his sleep of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on September 24, 1933, at age 55 in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

Popular Culture

The 1949 musical film

Take Me Out to the Ball Game "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of North American baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song ...

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 2nd baseman/Vaudevillian "Dennis Ryan". The

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants ga ...

, the

Single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each ...

affiliate of the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

baseball club, have a BBQ and picnic area, "Turkey Mike's BBQ", named after Donlin.

Partial filmography

*'' Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman'' (1917) *''

The Unchastened Woman ''The Unchastened Woman'' is a 1925 American silent drama film starring vamp Theda Bara, directed by James Young, the former husband of Clara Kimball Young, and released by start-up studio Chadwick Pictures. The film is based on a 1915 Broadwa ...

'' (1918) *'' Woman-Proof'' (1923) * '' Railroaded'' (1923) *''

The Trouble Shooter ''The Trouble Shooter'' is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Jack Conway and starring Tom Mix and Kathleen Key. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Tom Steele, chief electrician for the Ajax Power Company, goes to reg ...

'' (1924) *''

Hit and Run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be a ...

'' (1924) *'' The Sea Beast'' (1925) *''

Fifth Avenue Models ''Fifth Avenue Models'' is a 1925 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Svend Gade and starring Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, and Josef Swickard. It was produced and released by Universal Pictures. Plot As described in a review in a ...

'' (1925) * '' The Unnamed Woman'' (1925) * '' The Primrose Path'' (1925) *'' The General'' (1926) - Union General #2 *'' Her Second Chance'' (1926) *'' The Noose'' (1928) *''

'' (1928) *''

Spite Marriage ''Spite Marriage'' is a 1929 American silent comedy film co-directed by Buster Keaton and Edward Sedgwick and starring Keaton and Dorothy Sebastian. It is the second film Keaton made for MGM and his last silent film, although he had wanted it ...

'' (1929) * ''

Noisy Neighbors ''Noisy Neighbors'' is a 1929 American comedy film directed by Charles Reisner and starring Eddie Quillan, Alberta Vaughn and Jane Keckley. Cast * Eddie Quillan as Eddie Van Revel * Alberta Vaughn as Mary Carstairs * Jane Keckley as Mother * Jos ...

'' (1929) *''

Hot Curves ''Hot Curves'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy-drama film produced and distributed by Tiffany Pictures and directed by Norman Taurog. A print is held by the Library of Congress.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and ...

'' (1930) *''

The Secret Witness ''The Secret Witness'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film, directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Una Merkel, William Collier Jr. and Zasu Pitts.Goble p. 946 It is an adaptation of the novel ''Murder in the Gilded Cage'' by Sam Spewack. ...

'' (1931) *''

One Way Passage ''One Way Passage'' is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic film starring William Powell and Kay Francis as star-crossed lovers, directed by Tay Garnett and released by Warner Bros. The screenplay by Robert Lord won the Academy Award for Best St ...

'' (1932) *''

High Gear High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...

'' (1933) * ''

Swellhead ''Swellhead'' is a 1935 American comedy drama film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and starring Wallace Ford, Dickie Moore and Barbara Kent.Dick p.239 Synopsis A cocky baseball player is forever bragging about his success on the field, and off it w ...

'' (1935)

References

External links

*
Mike Donlin
– Baseballbiography.com

* *
Mike Donlin and Mabel Hite
in

Everitt The Everitt was an American automobile manufactured from 1909 until 1912 by the Metzger Motor Car Company in Detroit. History This company was founded by B F Everitt and W E Metzger with money they received from Studebaker when leaving the E- ...

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