Babe Doty

Elmer L. Doty

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 160 lb.

• Debut August 18, 1890
• Final Game August 18, 1890
• Born December 17, 1867 in Lyons, NY USA
• Died November 20, 1929 in Toledo, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Not a single man reached third, Doty being invincible." - Sporting Life, June 28, 1890, reporting on a game between Youngstown and Canton on June 16

Elmer "Babe" Doty played pro ball for at least a decade, with one game in the big leagues. Doty was the first major league player with the nickname "Babe", coming to the majors almost a quarter century before Babe Ruth.

In 1888, he pitched for the Pemberville Sluggers, a semipro team. In the minors, he played for Youngstown and also for a team in the Michigan League.

After his baseball days he was a woodworker like his father before him.

"Pitcher Doty, of the Youngstown Tri-State team, was put in the box (by Toledo) against Brooklyn to-day, and while he won the game, it was not so much to his credit as it was to the perfect and excellent fielding behind him. Toledo put up a game that was out of sight, it was so fine, Nicholson, Scheibeck, Welch, Van Dyke, Swartwood and Alvord carrying off the honors. Pitcher Doty has the making of a good pitcher, but he needs a couple more years in a minor class before going up against such hitters as Big Jim Davis and Willie O'Brien." - Sporting Life's Toledo correspondent, expressing an opinion in the Aug. 23, 1890 issue, and not giving Doty much credit for pitching nine innings while giving up only one run