Richard Edward Donovan (December 7, 1927 – January 6, 1997) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Boston Braves (1950–1952), Detroit Tigers (1954), Chicago White Sox (1955–1960), Washington Senators (1961) and Cleveland Indians (1962–1965).

A Boston native, Donovan graduated from North Quincy High School and served in the United States Navy during and after World War II.

While pitching for the minor league Atlanta Crackers, he learned how to throw a slider, and this helped him claim a spot in the White Sox' rotation in 1955.

He grew up in Boston and attended North Quincy High School, where he played shortstop until his senior year, when he switched positions and became a pitcher.

Ken Coleman, broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians, told the story that once, Donovan was invited to pitch for the American Legion All-Star team in an exhibition game.

Donovan graduated during World War II, though, and he served three years in the United States Navy before beginning his professional career in 1947.

[1] Donovan's career started far south of his home, with the Fort Lauderdale Braves of the Class C Florida International League.

He had a 7–15 record and a 4.17 earned run average (ERA) in his first professional season but still got promoted to the Class B Evansville Braves of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League.

[2] By 1950, Donovan was one of three rookie pitching prospects looking to make it with the Boston Braves, along with Norman Roy and George Uhle, Jr.

[1][4] He made his major league debut on April 24, giving up six runs (five earned) in 6+2⁄3 innings and taking the loss in a 6–4 defeat to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

However, he failed to make the team out of spring training this time, and the Braves tried to send him to their new AAA affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens.

[11] However, he was quickly added to the rotation after Bob Keegan, an All-Star who had won 16 games with the White Sox the year before, developed a bone spur on his heel.

[13] At the plate, he hit his first career home run July 3 against Hall of Famer Bob Lemon in a 14–9 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

[15] Donovan finished his first full season in Major League Baseball (MLB) with a 15–9 record, a 3.32 ERA, five shutouts, 88 strikeouts, and 48 walks in 187 innings.

[21] On July 20, Donovan threw another one-hit shutout in a game against the Red Sox, with Ted Williams's fourth-inning single being the only hit for Boston.

[1][31] In late-August, the White Sox faced Cleveland, a competitive team that trailed them by 1.5 games in the standings, for a four-game series.

[32] The White Sox took a 5.5 game lead after sweeping the Indians, and 10,000 appreciative fans showed up to welcome them back to Midway International Airport when they returned to Chicago.

After getting two outs in the seventh, though, he walked Norm Larker and Gil Hodges on nine pitches, prompting manager Al López to replace him on the mound with Gerry Staley.

Staley gave up a single to pinch-hitter Carl Furillo, allowing two runs to score, and Donovan took the loss in the 3–1 defeat.

[33] In Game 5, Donovan was called on in the eighth inning with one out after the Dodgers had loaded the bases, with the White Sox clinging to a 1–0 lead.

[35] During spring training in 1960, the Associated Press reported a rumor that the White Sox were looking to trade Donovan and Earl Battey to the Tigers for Paul Foytack.

[38] After only going 2+2⁄3 innings in a no-decision (eventual loss) against Detroit on June 2, Donovan was removed from the rotation in favor of Russ Kemmerer.

[39] He made just one more start for the club all year, a July 29 game against the Senators in which he relinquished three runs in 3+1⁄3 innings in an eventual 7–5 loss.

[7] Still, the White Sox left him unprotected from the expansion draft after the season, and Donovan became an original member of the new Washington Senators franchise.

He had a 3–2 lead through the sixth inning, but errors by Gene Woodling and Dale Long allowed a couple unearned runs to score, and the Senators lost 4–3.

[45] For his second victory, Donovan threw a shutout in the first game of a June 9 doubleheader against his old team the White Sox, but it took the Senators 10 innings to get him a run to give him the win.

[45] Despite his losing record, he was the Senators' lone representative at both of the year's All-Star Games, pitching two scoreless innings in the first one at Candlestick Park.

[7] Shortly after the season, on October 5, the Senators traded him, Gene Green, and Jim Mahoney to the Cleveland Indians for Jimmy Piersall.

[58] Against the White Sox in the second game of a doubleheader during September 6, he relinquished 16 hits but lasted into the 13th inning, when Pete Ward finally drove in a run to give Chicago a 3–2 victory.

It will be nice to take it easy if I don't go with another club.”[1] During a 15-year major league career, Donovan compiled 122 wins, 880 strikeouts, and a 3.67 ERA, with 101 complete games, 25 shutouts and five saves.