Doug Allison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania back in 1846. I have no information on his childhood or even his parents name. what I can offer you is of course the rest of the story so let’s begin.
Just before he turned 22 he was working as a bricklayer in Philadelphia when he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. That move changed his life forever, for you see he started playing baseball in what then was a non-professional team. He became a defensive specialist; his job was simply to catch a ball. Back then a fielder could put the batter out by a catch on the first bounce. Catchers back then would stand 20 feet behind the batter however, he changed that by getting closer to the batter which proved effective in curtailing baserunners from stealing bases.
He was one of the first professional baseball players, his MLB debut was for the Washington Olympics in 1871. His last game was played in 1883 for the Baltimore Orioles. After his career he worked for the Post Office Department in Washington, D.C. however, can you tell me what he is most noted for in the annals of professional baseball? Okay times up he was the earliest known player to use a glove when he donned a buckskin mitten to protect his hands back in 1870.
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