Donie Bush
From BR Bullpen
Owen Joseph Bush
- Bats Both, Throws Right
- Height 5' 6", Weight 140 lb.
- Debut September 18, 1908
- Final Game September 15, 1923
- Born October 8, 1887 in Indianapolis, IN USA
- Died March 28, 1972 in Indianapolis, IN USA
Owen "Donie" Bush was the long-time shortstop for the Detroit Tigers whose career was during the Ty Cobb years.
Bush made his debut as a 20 year old and was a regular at short for the Tigers for a dozen seasons. He drew copious walks, leading the American League five times between 1909 and 1914. He also stole lots of bases, swiping more than 30 eight times in his career. Additionally he scored at least 90 runs eight times, leading the AL with 112 in 1917. All the while, the Tigers were successful on the field, winning pennants in 1908 and 1909, and finishing second twice.
After the 1921 season, Bush moved on to the Washington Senators and was player/manager of the club in 1923.
Based on the similarity scores method, there are three Hall of Fame players on the list of the ten most similar players to Bush.
After Bush's big league playing days ended, he returned to his hometown and managed the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association from 1924 to 1926. He returned to the majors as skipper of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1927 to 1929 and managed the Chicago White Sox in 1930 and 1931. After managing the Minneapolis Millers in the minors in 1932, he was also manager of the 1933 Cincinnati Reds. Bush returned to the Millers from 1934 to 1938 and during that time managed a young Ted Williams. He also led the Louisville Colonels in 1939.
Bush once again returned to his hometown in 1941 and became co-owner of the Indianapolis Indians. He ran the team until it was sold to the Cleveland Indians in 1952 and also managed the club again in 1943. The team's ballpark was renamed Bush Stadium in his honor in 1967.
Bush later scouted for the Boston Red Sox from 1953 to 1955 and the White Sox from 1969 until his death in 1972. He was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- AL Runs Scored Leader (1917)
- 5-time AL Bases on Balls Leader (1909-1912 & 1914)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 4 (1909, 1911, 1912 & 1917)
- 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 1 (1909)
- NL Pennants: 1 (1927)
| Preceded by Clyde Milan | Washington Senators Manager 1923 | Succeeded by Bucky Harris |
| Preceded by Bill McKechnie | Pittsburgh Pirates Manager 1927-1929 | Succeeded by Jewel Ens |
| Preceded by Lena Blackburne | Chicago White Sox Manager 1930-1931 | Succeeded by Lew Fonseca |
| Preceded by Dan Howley | Cincinnati Reds Manager 1933 | Succeeded by Bob O'Farrell |
[edit] Records Held
- Sacrifice hits, switch hitter, career, 337
- Triple plays, career, 9 (tied)
- Triple plays, shortstop, career, 9
- Putouts, shortstop, season, 425, 1914 (tied)
