Born June 12, 1879 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Red Dooin played along side fellow Cincinnatians, Miller Huggins and George "Whitey" Rohe on the Mountain Athletic Club when Julius Fleischmann bought a local semi-pro team called Spinney's Specials and moved them to the Catskills in 1900. Despite a small build of 5'6" and weighing shy of 150-pounds, Dooin was scrappy, tough and durable. In a sixteen year career with Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and the New York Giants he appeared in 1,290 games. He held a Phillies franchise record for 1,124 games caught between 1902-1914 that stood for 91 years until it was surpassed by Mike Liberthal in 2006. Dooin also managed the Phils (while continuing behind the plate) between 1910-1914 compiling a record of 392-370. Dooin was on the Phils at a time when Julius and Max Fleischmann had ownership in not only the Reds but the Phillies too. I am inclined to think that a dose of favoritism certainly helped his chances in that he was a Cincinnati-boy and played with the Fleischmann brothers on the M.A.C.
July 8, 1900 Cincinnati Enquirer image displaying the Fleischmann's Mountain Athletic Club. Dooin is in the top-row far right, next to dead-ball era star left-hander Doc White.
In a 1936 interview, Red insisted that Roger Bresnahan - the man who, in Red's mind, is inaccurately credited with being the first catcher to wear shinguards - had gotten the idea from him after seeing him tuck rattan strips into his socks for protection. Red finished his career in the International League in Reading, PA at the age of 40. Later in life, Dooin made ends meet by singing in vaudeville and radio gigs. Married nearly 50 years to his wife Julia, Dooin passed away in 1952 at the age of 71 in Rochester, NY.
Sources: SABR Bio for Red Dooin written by Norman Macht; 5 Catchers Who Left a Mark on Phillies, Larry Shenk, 2015. Baseball-Almanac.com; “Dooin Claims He Was First Catcher to Wear Shin Guards.” Don E. Blasenfelder, March 5, 1936. newspaper unknown.
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