Don Osborn

Donald Edwin Osborn

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.

• Born June 3, 1908 in Sandpoint, ID USA
• Died March 23, 1979 in Torrance, CA USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Osborn shown directly over home plate, with the 1942 Championship Vancouver club

Pitcher Don Osborn was 201-122 in the minor leagues between 1929 and 1954. After pitching 17 games in 1929-1930, Osborn was out of organized baseball from 1931 to 1935. In 1936 he was 22-13 for the Seattle Indians. Osborn led the Western International League in IP, hits, runs, and earned runs in 1938, ERA in 1941 and 1942, and wins in 1942, for the Vancouver Maple Leafs and Vancouver Capilanos. Osborn pitched for the Los Angeles Angels from 1943 to 1947, and the Macon Peaches in 1948-1949. After that he pitched sparingly as a player-manager.

Osborn was player-manager with Vancouver in 1942, leading the team to the league title. He was strictly a pitcher until he got to Macon. He managed Macon in 1948-1949, winning a league title in 1949. Osborn managed the Nashville Vols in 1950-1951, winning the league in 1950, and the Spokane Indians from 1952 to mid-1954. After Spokane disbanded, he managed the Mattoon Phillies at the end of 1954. Moving up the Philadelphia Phillies chain, Osborn managed the Schenectady Blue Jays in 1955, and the Miami Marlins in 1956-1957.

Osborn was a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1958-1959. In 1959, he took over the Wilson Tobs for the Pittsburgh Pirates from Hardy Peterson from July 24 to August 13. Osborn was a Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach three different time, first in 1963-1964. He temporarily managed Macon for the Pirates in 1967, until being replaced by Frank Oceak on May 10th, then was the pitching coach again from 1970 to 1972 and 1974-1976. All three of his stints came when Danny Murtaugh was the Pirates' manager.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1941	Vancouver Capilanos	Western International League	73-64	2nd	none	none
1942	Vancouver Capilanos	Western International League	82-56	1st	Chicago Cubs	none League Champs
1948	Macon Peaches	South Atlantic League	86-68	2nd	Chicago Cubs	Lost in 1st round
1949	Macon Peaches	South Atlantic League	96-58	1st	Chicago Cubs	League Champs
1950	Nashville Vols	Southern Association	86-64	3rd	Chicago Cubs	League Champs
1951	Nashville Vols	Southern Association	78-76	5th	Chicago Cubs
1952	Spokane Indians	Western International League	91-64	2nd	none	none
1953	Spokane Indians	Western International League	75-67	5th	Philadelphia Phillies	League Champs
1954	Spokane Indians	Western International League	30-24	--	Philadelphia Phillies		Team disbanded June 21
	Mattoon Phillies	Mississippi-Ohio Valley League	40-32	5th	Philadelphia Phillies		replaced Carl Bush (22-32) June 29
1955	Schenectady Blue Jays	Eastern League	74-64	4th	Philadelphia Phillies	Lost League Finals
1956	Miami Marlins	International League	80-71	3rd	Philadelphia Phillies	Lost in 1st round
1957	Miami Marlins	International League	75-78	4th	Philadelphia Phillies	Lost League Finals
1959	Wilson Tobs	Carolina League	13-16	--	Pittsburgh Pirates	--	Managed club from July 14 to August 13
1965	Gastonia Pirates	Western Carolinas League		--	Pittsburgh Pirates	--	Managed club from June 5 to June 18
1967	Macon Peaches	Southern League	8-12	--	Pittsburgh Pirates	--	replaced by Frank Oceak on May 10