Once Upon A Summer 10/15/1918: John Donaldson Leaves For Home in Kansas City

From the desk: DEM BARNSTORMERS & THE DONALDSON NETWORK

The Standard Union (Brooklyn, NY), Wednesday, October 9, 1918

On Tuesday, October 15, 1918, the 28-year old Midwestern star John Donaldson sets back for home in Kansas City, where he soon becomes a founding member of the Kansas City Monarchs.  In fact, Donaldson suggested the team name to owner J.L. Wilkinson who in his later years would say the southpaw was the greatest pitcher colored or white he's ever seen.

Before his playing career ended in the 1940s, John Donaldson achieved over 400 verified wins, over 5,000 verified strikeouts, pitches 14 no-hitters and two perfect games, and twice struck out 30 batters in a single game.  

In 1949, he became major league baseball's first colored full-time talent scout for the Chicago White Sox.  

Please, delve deeper into his brilliant career at The Donaldson Network, spread the word, and let's together help this man gain the recognition he deserves with enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  

I offer my humblest thanks and appreciation to the Network for personally helping me put together this Once Upon A Summer Series and presenting John Donaldson's season with the Royal Giants to baseball fans here in Brooklyn and afar.

I'll be following up with a podcast soon joined by Donaldson Network founder Peter Gorton and Negro baseball historian/author Phil Dixon.  Stay tuned; you surely don't want to miss that.

... AND JOHN DONALDSON

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1918 BROOKLYN ROYAL GIANTS

ONCE UPON A SUMMER 1918: JOHN DONALDSON'S LONE SEASON WITH THE BROOKLYN ROYAL GIANTS

• 6/28 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Acquire Midwest Pitching Great, John Donaldson
• 6/30 - John Donaldson Loses Brooklyn Royal Giants Debut To New York Lincoln Giants
• 7/3 - John Donaldson Poised To Make Brooklyn/Queens Debut At Dexter Park
• 7/4 - John Donaldson Twirls Shutout Over Cuban Stars In Dexter Park Debut
• 7/7 - Joe Williams Wins Second Straight Decision Over John Donaldson; Lincoln Giants and Royal Giants Split Twin Bill
• 7/13 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Glendale at Farmer's Oval, Queens
• 7/14 - John Donaldson Defeats Bushwick; Royal Giants Split Twin Bill At Dexter Park
• 7/15 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Take Series Opener From Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
• 7/16 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Take Game Two from Bacharach Giants; John Donaldson Earns The Victory
• 7/17 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Wrap Up Series With Bacharach Giants at Atlantic City
• 7/18 - N.Y. Ship League Team Defeat Brooklyn Royal Giants at Camden, New Jersey
• 7/21 - Cuban Stars Double-Up Brooklyn Royal Giants; John Donaldson Takes Loss at Dexter Park
• 7/24 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Bow To Stan Baumgartner and Bethlehem Steel at Allentown, PA
• 7/27 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Camp Dix Soldiers*
• 7/28 - Silk Sox Clout John Donaldson's Offerings; Brooklyn Royal Giants Fall at Doherty's Oval
• 8/3 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Prospect Heights at Hackensack*
• 8/4 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Forfeit Game To Glendale at Farmer's Oval
• 8/7 - Bethlehem Steel Team Hosts a Scoreless Tie Against Brooklyn Royal Giants
• 8/11 - New York Lincoln Giants and Royal Giants Split Twin Bill at Olympic Field; Joe "Cyclone" Williams Wins Opener, John Donaldson Wins Game Two
• 8/17 - New York Ship Wins Second Contest Against Brooklyn Royal Giants at Camden, N.J.
• 8/18 - The Tietjen & Lang Shipyard Nine Defeat John Donaldson and the Brooklyn Royal Giants, North Bergen, N.J.
• 8/24 - Morse Dry Dock BBC Defeat Royal Giants in John Donaldson's True Brooklyn Debut
• 8/25 - Irvin Brooks Twirls Shutout; Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Glendale at Farmer Oval, Queens
• 9/1 - New York Lincoln Giants Sweep Twin Bill From Royal Giants at Olympic Field; Joe "Cyclone" Williams Earns Dual Victory, John Donaldson Suffers Loss in Second Tilt
• 9/2 - Brooklyn Royal Giants and Cuban Stars Split Games of a Doubleheader at Dexter Park
• 9/4 - Southpaw John Donaldson Hands Camp Mills Their First Loss This Season; Brooklyn Royal Giants Win, 7 to 6
• 9/8 - John Donaldson's Return Match Against Morse Dry Dock Along Brooklyn Waterfront Likely Rained Out
• 9/12 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Glendale in Eleven Innings at Farmer's Oval, Queens
• 9/14 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Tietjen and Lang Club; John Donaldson and the Backdrop of WWI
• 9/15 - Bushwick Sweeps Both Ends of Doubleheader Against Brooklyn Royal Giants at Dexter Park
• 9/22 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Stage Doubleheader Against New York Giants Players at Jersey City
• 9/29 - Smokey Joe Williams Outlasts Irvin Brooks and John Donaldson in Lincoln Giants Decisive Series Win Over Brooklyn Royal Giants
• 10/6 - John Donaldson Hurls a Gem; Brooklyn Royal Giants Sweep Doubleheader From Long Island City at Recreation Park
• 10/12 - John Donaldson Wins Duel Against Joe "Cyclone" Williams; Royal Giants and Lincoln Giants Split Twin Bill at Dexter Park
• 10/13 - Bushwick Sweeps Twin Bill From Brooklyn at Dexter Park; John Donaldson Plays Last Games With Royal Giants

LHP - JOHN DONALDSON'S PITCHING RECORD w/ BROOKLYN:

1. 6/30/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 2 runs, 7 hits, 2 W, 2 K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
2. 7/4/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 0 RUNS, 5 hits, 1 W, 6 K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
3. 7/7/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 3 runs, 9 hits, 2 W, 2 K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
4. 7/14/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 1 run, 7 hits, 1 W, 5 K (Bushwick; Dexter Park)
5. 7/16/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 4 runs, 14 hits, (?) W, 6 K (Atlantic City; Bacharach Park, N.J.)
6. 7/21/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 6 runs, 10 hits, 4 W, 1 K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
7. 7/28/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 9 runs, 16 hits, 2 W, 3 K (Silk Sox; Doherty's Oval, N.J.)
8. 8/11/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 2 runs, 13 hits, (?) W, (?) K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
9. 8/18/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 5 runs, 5 hits, (?) W, 4 K (Tietjen & Lang; Nurge's Field, N.J.)
10. 8/24/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 8 runs, 19 hits, 1 W, 2 K (Morse Dry Dock; Brooklyn)
11. 9/1/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 4 runs, 14 hits, (?) W, (?) K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
12. 9/2/1918 - (L) 2 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 W, 1 K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
13. 9/4/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 6 runs, 7 hits, (?) W, (?) K (Camp Mills; Garden City, N.Y.)
14. 9/14/1918 - (W) No game account vs. Tietjen and Lang Ship Club (Nurge's Field, N.J.)
15. 9/22/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 7 runs, 10 hits, (?) W, (?) K (New York Giants; Jersey City)
16. 9/29/1918 - (ND) 4 innings, 3 runs, 6 hits, 1 W, 5 K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
17. 10/6/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 0 RUNS, 4 hits, 1 W, 6 K (Long Island City; Recreation Park)
18. 10/12/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 1 run, 6 hits, 1 W, 5 K (Lincoln Giants; Dexter Park)

• LINE: 141 innings, 62 runs, 154 hits, 16 walks, 47 strikeouts, 3.95 ERA

BEDFORD & SULLIVAN PODCAST:

Restoring Baseball Great John Donaldson's Lost Legacy With Negro Leagues Historian and Founder of The Donaldson Network, Peter Gorton.

Minnesota native Peter Gorton leads a group of historians dedicated to discovering the lost legacy of John Wesley Donaldson.  In this episode, we discuss the man, baseball career, and life of one of the more incredible and inspiring athletes to ever play the game, and how his amazing legacy became lost to a nation, most particularly Baseball's Hall of Fame.  

original airdate: March 13, 2021