Blix Donnelly

Sylvester Urban Donnelly

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 178 lb.
• High School Olivia Public High School
• Debut May 6, 1944
• Final Game May 3, 1951
• Born January 21, 1914 in Olivia, MN USA
• Died June 20, 1976 in Olivia, MN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Blix Donnelly had pitched two seasons (1935-1936) in the class D Northern League when the St. Louis Cardinals obtained him from the Duluth Dukes as part of a minor league working agreement before the 1937 season. Blix appeared in eight different minor leagues with nine different teams before reaching the major leagues with the Cardinals in 1944.

When Donnelly arrived at Sportsman's Park, as a 30-year-old rookie, he had already won 145 decisions in the minors and had six seasons of 200 or more innings pitched. So one could say Blix was not your ordinary young rookie. With the Cardinals winning the pennant, Blix appeared in 27 outings and went 2-1 with a 2.12 ERA.

In Game 2 of the 1944 World Series against the St. Louis Browns he came on in relief in the 8th inning and struck out seven in four innings in gaining credit for the Cardinals' 3-2, eleven-inning victory. Blix appeared again in the series, pitching two innings, striking out two and winding up his two-game performance with a 0.00 ERA.

The following season, 1945, Donnelly had an 8-10 record for the Cardinals; four of his victories were shutouts and he produced a 3.52 ERA. But things happen and on July 6, 1946, shortly after threatening to hit manager Eddie Dyer between the eyes with a baseball when he was removed from a game, he was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Blix was used as a spot starter and in relief for Philadelphia through 1950 and finished out his major league career with the Boston Braves in 1951 with a career record of 27-36 and a 3.49 ERA. Even at age 37 Donnelly was not quite ready to call it quits and finished out the 1951 year with the International League Baltimore Orioles, winning 7 and losing 6, with a 4.07 ERA. He took to the mound again for the Baltimore club in 1952 at age 38, with 18 active years of pro baseball under his belt, went 5-11 with a 2.63 ERA and figured it was time to go home to Olivia, MN.

From 1935 through 1952 Donnelly took the mound 381 times and came away with 157 wins and 115 losses, pitching 2,216 innings, giving up 1,571 base hits and 1,151 base on balls for a 3.32 career minor league ERA. He threw minor league no-hitters in 1939 for the Daytona Beach Islanders of the Florida State League, 1940 for the Springfield (IL) Cardinals of the Western Association and 1943 for the Rochester Red Wings of the International League.

After baseball Donnelly operated an anhydrous ammonia business in his hometown of Olivia, Minnesota, where he passed away on June 20, 1976, at age 62.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1944

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page

Related Sites

• Blix Donnelly at the SABR Bio Project