Baseball Briefs (1977)
This article was written by L. Robert Davids
This article was published in 1977 Baseball Research Journal
Mike Donlin played only 34 games for the Reds in 1902. What was the reason? He had hit .341 for the American League Orioles in 1901 and was looking forward to the next season with Cincinnati. But in March 1902 the flamboyant Irishman was arrested for assaulting an actress on a Baltimore street. He was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $250. He signed a Cincinnati contract in May 1902 while in the Baltimore City Jail. His fine was raised among the ball players and other friends. He was released August 20 (from jail) with a month off for good behavior. Donlin practiced with the Baltimore Orioles for a few days and then joined the Reds for the remainder of the 1902 season.
Going into the 1977 season, Jim Palmer, Baltimore’s Cy Young Award winner, had not given up a grand slam homer in his major league career. He had allowed 173 roundtrippers in 2504 innings, but none with the bases full.