Emerging from the Santa Cruz sandlot scene, Donlin entered professional baseball when the St. Louis Perfectos bought his contract in 1899. A prodigious hitter of the dead-ball era, he posted a .333 career average, ranked among the all-time leaders, and finished in the top three for batting five seasons, contributing to the New York Giants’ 1904 National League pennant and their 1905 World Series t…
