Donie Bush

Donie Bush baseball card

Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush (October 8 1887 - March 28 1972) was an American shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball in the American League for the Detroit Tigers (1908-1921) and the Washington Senators (1921-1923). Bush was a solid-hitting leadoff hitter during his playing career, before stepping into the managing role, for which he is perhaps now most remembered. After leading the Senators (1923), he went on to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates (1927-29), Chicago White Sox (1930-31), and Cincinnati Reds (1933).

Playing overview

Bush was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. In his first full season, which was also arguably his best, he made his only World Series appearance but lost. In the 1909 World Series, he was 7 for 22, for a .318 average with 3 RBIs. In 1914, Bush came in third in American League MVP voting behind Eddie Collins and teammate Sam Crawford.

Bush had one of the best batting eyes of his generation. He was among the Top 10 in bases on balls twelve straight years, from1909 through 1920. Known as the king of the base on balls, Bush walked over 80 times in each of his first seven full seasons. In 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, and 1914, he led the league in the category. Oddly enough, when his career high came in 1915 (118), he finished 2nd in the league (behind Eddie Collins). Even more oddly, that year he was also tied with two other players at the mark of 118 (Ty Cobb and Burt Shotton). He finished three seasons with over 110 walks. His career mark of 1,158 walks places him at 55 all time in MLB history.

Considering how many times he walked, it was not hard to believe that his on-base percentage numbers were very good, but his numbers in this category were generally outstanding, especially considering his mediocre batting averages. He made the Top 10 in OBP four times.

Bush also broke up a very noteworthy one-hitter. In what Babe Ruth once called the most thrilling game he played in, he one-hit the Tigers as the starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, giving up just a scratch single to Bush. Ruth also had a single and a triple in the game to help himself, but the Red Sox won 1-0 on a triple by Chick Shorten.

Bush was also the best defensive shortstop of his generation. With his remarkable speed and agility, Bush collected more putous, assists, and chances than any other shortstop of the era. Nearly a century later, his 1914 total of 425 putouts is still the major league record for shortstops. His 1914 total of 969 chances is also still the American League record.

Although which of his seasons was best is arguable, in 1917 Bush batted .281 with 34 stolen bases and 112 runs scored. Although it was his best season as far as batting average, his career-highs in steals and runs came earlier in his career: 53 steals (1909), 126 runs (1911). In 1911, he totaled a remarkable 6.7 total chances per game. Bush was also involved in ten triple plays as a shortstop: May 4, 1910, April 24, 1911, May 20, 1911, September 9, 1911, April 6, 1912, August 23, 1917, August 14, 1919, May 18, 1921, and September 14, 1921.

In addition to his prowess for bases on balls and fielding, Bush's speed also made him a threat on the basebaths. His career total of 405 stolen bases places him 64th on the all-time list. Not until Kenny Lofton stole 66 bases in 1992 as a rookie did Bush's American League rookie record of 52 steals get broken.

Although he played mainly shortstop, he switched to playing second base sometimes in his final year with Detroit, and with Washington he tried out third as well. However, out of 1936 career games, he played shortstop 1867 times. In a 16-season career, he batted .250 with 9 home runs and 436 RBIs in 1946 games. He accumulated 1280 runs scored. He had .356 all-time on-base percentage with 186 doubles, 74 triples, and 1804 hits in 7210 career at bats.

Managerial overview

Although he only managed for 7 seasons, one of them while playing, most say Bush will always be known first for managing.

Bush managed three different teams in his career, most notably the Pirates from 1927 to 1929, where he led them to the 1927 World Series in which they were crushed by the 1927 Yankees – considered one of the best teams of all time. During the Series, he benched future Hall of Famer Kiki Cuyler for a minor spat the two had had. Some said it was a grave mistake.

In his managerial career, he was 497-539 in 1045 career games, a .480 winning percentage. His best time as a manager came in Pittsburgh when he went 246-178 (.580), leading them to a pennant and a 2nd place finish, although he did not complete that year.

Bush went on to manage and own a Triple-A team in his home town of Indianapolis. He later scouted for the Red Sox and worked with the Chicago White Sox, completing 65 years in organized baseball.

Donie Bush died in Indianapolis at St. Vincent's Hospital after becoming ill while visiting spring training camps in Florida. He was 85.

Bush Stadium in Indianapolis used to be named Victory Field. It was changed to honor Donie Bush.

External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career playing statistics and managing record
• The Deadball Era