satchel paige
July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982
satchel paige
At 42 years old, Leroy Satchel Paige made his Major League debut for the Cleveland Indians, making him the oldest rookie in MLB history. Paige officially ended his career at the age of 59, making him the oldest player to play Major League Baseball, a record that stands to this day.
career
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was an American professional baseball player, playing in both the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball.
His career spanned over 5 decades and culminated with his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
As a right-handed starting pitcher, Satchel first played professionally for the semi-professional Mobile Tigers and the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Negro Southern League from roughly 1924 to 1926.
However, his professional baseball career in the Negro Leagues would start in earnest the next year playing in the well organized Negro National League I for the Birmingham Black Barons at just 2o years old.
During this time in his life, Satchel Paige would quickly became one of the most recognizable and successful black baseball players to ever play professional Major League Baseball.
As a show of force to his competition, he would frequently display his dominance against professional competition on barnstorming tours all across the United States.
As a fan favorite trick, Satchel would be to occasionally have the infielders playing defense behind him sit down as a parlor trick for the crowd, infuriating the competition after striking out the side. [3]
At the age of 42, Satchel Leroy Paige made his debut for the Cleveland Indians in 1948.
To this day that makes him the oldest debutant National League or American League history.
Paige was 59 years old when he officially played his last professional baseball game.
Satchel also holds the record for oldest player to ever pitch in an organized professional Baseball League.
He was the first African-American pitcher to play in the American League and was the 7th professional black baseball player to play to Major League Baseball.
Additionally in 1948, Paige became the first African-American player to pitch in both the Negro Leagues and a in Major League Baseball World Series.
A series which Cleveland won 4-2 against the Boston Braves, claiming the 1948 World Series Title.
The Cleveland Indians (Guardians) franchise has not won a World Series title since their appearance in 1948.
During a long professional career in baseball that would feature highlights such as playing for Bill Veeck's St. Louis Browns from 1951 to 1953, and also represented the Cleveland Indians in the 1952 and 1953 All-Star Games.
His incredible professional career would last until his final game on June 21, 1966, for the Peninsula Grays of the Carolina League, two weeks shy of his 60th birthday.
In 1971, Paige became the first elected by the Negro Leagues Special Committee to be inducted into the Major League Baseball’s National Hall of Fame. [5]
According to Satchel Paige himself, his nickname ”Satchel” originated from his childhood, spent toting bags at the local train station for extra cash.
However, he complained he was not making enough money at a dime a bag, so he used a pole and a rope to build a contraption that allowed him to cart up to four to five bags at once.
Another young man supposedly yelled at him, "You look like a walking Satchel Tree." [11]
A different take told by a boyhood friend and neighbor, Wilber Hines, claimed he gave Leroy Paige the nickname after he was caught trying to steal a bag (who can blame him). [12]
At the age of 10, Leroy “Satchel” Paige was a fan of playing "top ball", which is what sparked his interest in the game baseball.
"Top ball”, as it was known, was a kids' game that was often played in low income communities, often played using a stick or broom handle as bat, and bottle caps instead of baseballs.
His mother, Lula, commented on her son's devotion to the game of baseball, commenting on how Satchel would rather "play baseball than eat. It was always baseball, baseball, baseball." [13]
However, his early life was not without its share of set backs,
On July 24, 1918, just seventeen days after his 12th birthday, Paige was sentenced to six year term — or until his 18th birthday, whichever came first — at the Alabama Reform School for Juvenile Negro Law-Breakers in Mount Meigs, Alabama. [14]
While in reform school Satchel would learn the fundamentals of pitching.
Under the tutelage of Reverend Moses Davis and his guidance, Paige became increasingly interested in pitching professionally.
Reverend Davis was also the trustee of the school and devoted much of his time coaching black youth baseball.
Davis was even able to find sponsors for his team, striking a deal with a local sporting-goods store in Montgomery to secure the team's first personalized uniforms.
Reverend Davis was an African-American pastor, and graduate of Tuskegee Institute.
He was a mainstay community leader as part of the teaching staff at Mount Meigs, that also included Tuskegee Institute graduate and school's founder, Cornelia Bowen. [15]
Paige was released from juvenile detention in December 1923, seven months short of his 18th birthday. Paige spent nearly 6 years in confinement.
He summed up his years of incarceration by stating:
"I traded five years of freedom to learn how to pitch. At least I started my real learning on the Mount. They were not wasted years at all. It made a real man out of me." [16]
A former friend from Mobile, Alabama, Alex Herman, who was the player /manager for the Chattanooga White Sox of the Negro Southern League, saw great promise in the young pitcher.
In 1926 he discovered Paige’s incredible talent and offered to pay him $250 per month to play baseball for his team. The terms of the agreement of which Paige would collect $50 with the rest going to his mother.
He also agreed to pay Lula Paige the $200 signing bonus, and she agreed to the contract. [19]
The local newspapers—the Chattanooga News and Chattanooga Times—recognized from the beginning that Paige was a special talent and was on the rise in local baseball circles.
In April of 1926, shortly after his arrival with the Chattanooga White Sox, he recorded nine strikeouts over six innings against the Atlanta Black Crackers, a major professional franchise in black baseball.
Partway through the 1927 season, Paige's contract was sold to the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro National League I.
According to Paige in his first memoir, his contract was for $450 per month, but he would later recant, stating that it was actually $275. [21]
While pitching for the Birmingham Black Barons, Satchel threw hard but was wild and awkward in his delivery.
In his first big game in June of 1927, at the age of 20, against the St. Louis Stars, Paige incited a brawl when his inside fastball hit the hand of St. Louis catcher, Mitchell Murray. (not to be confused with the finctional company glen garry glen ross)
Murray charged the mound, as Satchel made a sprint for the dugout.
Before he could escape any danger, Murray flung his bat, and struck Paige just above his hip.
The police were quickly summoned, and the headline in the Birmingham Reporter the next day described the game with the headline "A Near Riot." [22]
Around this period in his life a young Satchel Paige, slowly began to focus on improving his pitching mechanics, slowly maturing through the help of his older teammates and mentors such as Sam Streeter, Harry Salmon, and manager, Bill Gatewood.
All of these men were very important role models and guiding figures for Paige during this time in his life and contributed greatly to his growth and development as a player.
He finished the 1927 season with record of 7–1 striking out 69 batters, while issuing 26 walks in 89 1⁄3 innings of play.
In June 1931, an independent club owned by Pittsburgh underworld figure Gus Greenlee, made Satchel Paige an offer of $250 a month to play for his team, the Pittsburgh Crawfords. [36]
Paige agreed and singed with the club, making his debut on August 6, for the Crawfords against their league rival Homestead Grays lead by Cum Posey.
Summoned in the fourth inning, Paige held the Grays scoreless, finishing his stellar performance with six strikeouts, issuing no walks over five innings of relief work to get the win. [37]
On July 7, 1948, Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck contacted Paige to gauge his interest in trying out for the Cleveland Indians with supervision from player-coach Lou Boudreau.
On that same day, his 42nd birthday, Paige signed his first major league contract, for $40,000, a prorated salary with just three months remaining in the season.
With that he became the first black pitcher to ever appear in an American League game and the 7th African American to venture across Major League Baseball’s color barrier.
On July 9 of the same year, Paige also became the oldest man ever to debut in a National League or American League game, at the age of 42 years and 2 days.
Paige got his first victory in Major League Baseball on July 15, 1948.
The previous night he had pitched in an exhibition game against the Brooklyn Dodgers with nearly 65,000 fans in attendance at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium.
His first victory would came at Philadelphia's Shibe Park.
With the Indians up 5–3 and the bases loaded in the sixth inning (in the second game of a double header), Satchel got Eddie Joost to fly out to end the inning, but gave up two runs the very next inning when Ferris Fain doubled and Hank Majeski hit a home run.
Paige then buckled down and gave just one hit for the rest of the game, getting five of the next six outs on fly balls.
On August 3, the Indians were just one game behind the Athletics in their division.
Cleveland manager, Lou Boudreau started Paige in a critical game against the Washington Senators at home.
With the season on the line, the game was of such importance that it attracted 72,562 fans to the Cleveland Indians home field, Municipal Stadium.
The game subsequently set a new attendance record for a Major League Baseball game.
Nearly broke, Paige decided to return to his barnstorming days after being released from the Indians.
However, when Major League sports executive and entrepreneur, Bill Veeck bought an 80% interest in the St. Louis Browns, he quickly signed Satchel to play for his team.
During this time Veeck had petitioned Major League Baseball for a professional St. Louis Browns franchise but were denied entry to the National League by a vote of the owners.
Instead, the Boston Braves were subsequently given the franchise, moving to Milwaukee as part of the agreement.
Satchel though, would eventually find his way back to Major League Baseball with the help of Veeck overseeing baseball operations.
On July 18, 1951, he pitched a game against the Washington Senators.
In his return to Major League Baseball, he pitched six innings of shutout ball, until the seventh inning when he gave up three runs.
He ended the season with a record of 3–4 and a 4.79 earned run average.
In 1952, Rogers Hornsby took over as manager of the St. Louis Browns, and despite accusations of racism against him he assumed full control of the Browns.
However, the way in which Hornsby used Paige was seen as an affront to his racial bias.
Paige was so effective in the short stints in which he was used by Hornsby that he was promptly fired by Veeck mid-season, with his successor Marty Marion seemingly not to want to risk going more than three games without using Paige in some form or another sometimes even as a relief pitcher.
By July 4, Paige had appeared in 25 games for the Browns.
Casey Stengel named him to the American League All-Star team in 1952, making him the first African American pitcher to make an American League All-Star team.
The 1952 All-Star game was cut short after five innings due to rain, and unfortunately Paige never entered the game.
Still, impressed with his raw talent and ability, Stengel resolved to name him to the team again the following season.
Satchel ended that season with a record of 12-10 and an earned run average of 3.07, while his team that lost ninety games. [129]
Stengel kept his word by naming Paige to the 1953 All-Star team, despite Paige not having a very good year.
Paige ended the year a record of 3–9. and was soon released at the conclusion of the season, coinciding with Veeck's decision to sell his controlling interest in the St. Louis Browns.
Discouraged, Paige again returned to barnstorming in the Negro Leagues.
On August 14, 1955, Paige signed a contract with the Greensboro Patriots of the Carolina League.
Veeck once again came to rescue Paige’s baseball career when, taking control of the Phillies' Triple-A farm team, the Miami Marlins of the International League.
Veeck had a taken a strong liking to Paige, signing him to a contract fora prorated $15,000, plus a percentage of the gate receipts.
Paige finished that season for with an 11–4 record and an earned run average of 1.86, striking out 79 batters, issuing only 28 walks.
Veeck would eventually leave the organization, however this time Paige was stuck around.
He continued playing for the team for an additional two years.
In 1957, the [Florida] Marlins International League team finished in sixth place with Paige contributing a 10–8 record with 76 strikeouts , 11 walks and 2.42 ERA.
The following year, Paige finished 10–10, and stated that he would not return to Miami in 1959.
Later that year, Paige returned to his barnstorm roots and signed a contract to pitch for the Havana Cuban Stars who were owned by Dempsey Hovland.
Paige carried on his life in and out of baseball, pitching professionally in some capacity over the next decade.
Astonishingly, at the age of 55, Paige signed with the Triple-A Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League.
There he pitched 25 innings, striking out 19 and giving up 8 earned runs. He ultimately failed to record a decision in his stint with the Beavers in 1961. [130]
In 2010, sportswriter Joe Posnanski, writing for Sports Illustrated, named Paige as the hardest throwing pitcher in the history of professional baseball.
He based this, in part, on the fact that: "Joe DiMaggio would often say that Paige was the best pitcher he had ever faced."
Bob Feller would also corroborate DiMaggio, saying that Paige was the best pitcher he ever saw.
Hack Wilson was quoted as saying that the ball looked like a marble coming out of Paige's hand and it crossed the plate before you had nearly blinked.
Dizzy Dean would said of Paige, that the combination of his fastball and unorthodox delivery made his fastball deceptively look like a changeup. [151]
Posnanski further noted that for the entirety of his career Satchel Paige rarely threw anything but fastballs.
He had different names for them—Bat Dodger, Midnight Rider, Midnight Creeper, Jump Ball, Trouble Ball—but they were all essentially fastballs.
Despite his diversity in pitch selection he was still unhittable for the better part of 15 years in professional baseball.
One of his fastball variations reminded a lot of hitters of Mariano Rivera cut fastball.
The simple fact that Paige complete 48% of the games he pitched in is truly incredible.
Paige was perhaps the most precise pitcher in baseball history— always throwing it on time and on target.
He finished his career with an imprecise tally as far as innings pitched.
Paige almost certainly pitched more innings than he is given credit for especially in relief.
In 1999, he ranked Number 19 on Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
On July 28, 2006, a statue of Satchel Paige was unveiled at Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooper Park, Cooperstown, New York.
The statue was in commemoration to the contributions he made as a member of the Negro Leagues and Major League professional baseball.
players
Oscar Charelston
Oscar Charelston
Oscar Charelston
Oscar Charleston played and managed in the Negro Leagues as an outfielder, first baseman and pitcher. Charleston would later become manager of the Indianapolis Clowns.
Cool Papa Bell
Oscar Charelston
Oscar Charelston
Cool Papa Bell played centerfield in the Negro Leagues from 1922 to 1946. played for the powerhouse Kansas City. Monarchs, Pittsburgh Crawfords, and Homestead Grays.
Buck Leonard
Oscar Charelston
Satchel Paige
Buck Leonard, along side Josh Gibson formed the best three-four, hitting tandem in the History of the Negro Leagues, leading the Homestead Grays to dominance.
Satchel Paige
Cumberland Posey
Satchel Paige
Satchel Paige began his 20 year career in the Negro Leagues pitching for the Chattanooga Lookouts. He would later make his MLB debut at age 42 for the Cleveland Indians.
Cumberland Posey
Cumberland Posey
Cumberland Posey
Cum Posey was a veteran Negro Leagues team owner, player, and league executive. He is the founding member of two leagues, and a Hall of Fame Basketball player.
Jackie Robinson
Cumberland Posey
Cumberland Posey
Jackie Robinson is the first African American to play Major League Baseball. He broke baseball's color barrier in 1945, by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella played one season in the Negro Leagues, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers just one season after Jackie Robinson’s debut in Major League Baseball.
Gus Greenlee
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella
Gus Greenlee was a driving force behind the organization of the Negro National League I. During his time involved with Negro Leagues he owned several profitable side businesses.
Henry AAron
Roy Campanella
Candy Jim Taylor
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Candy Jim Taylor
Cristóbal Torriente
Candy Jim Taylor
Candy Jim Taylor was a professional third baseman, manager, and brother of four professional playing Negro Leaguers. His career in baseball spanned over 40 years.
Cristóbal Torriente
Cristóbal Torriente
Cristóbal Torriente
Cristóbal Torriente, often called the Babe Ruth of Cuba, played as an outfielder in the Negro Leagues from 1912-1932. He was most known for his incredible power to all fields.
Rube Foster
Cristóbal Torriente
Cristóbal Torriente
Considered one of the best pitchers of the early 1900s, and perhaps the most influential figure in Negro League history, Rube Foster founded the NNLI and managed the Chicago American Giants.
Larry Doby
Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson
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Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson
Even at the catchers position, Josh Gibson's display of power in his famed Negro Leagues career is something rarely seen in the history of Major League Baseball.
Sol White
Josh Gibson
Ben Taylor
King Solomon "Sol" White played baseball professionally as an infielder, manager and league executive. White is considered to be one of the pioneers of the Negro Leagues.
Ben Taylor
Ben Taylor
Ben Taylor
Born in July 1888, Ben Taylor was the youngest of 4 professional Negro Leaguers, including Candy Jim Taylor, C.I. Taylor, and Johnny Steel Arm Taylor.
Biz Mackey
Ben Taylor
Biz Mackey
Biz Mackey was regarded as one of the Negro Leagues premier offensive and defensive catchers, playing across several leagues from late 1920s and early 1930s.
Nat Strong
Ben Taylor
Biz Mackey
Nathaniel Strong was a Negro Leagues sports executive, businessman, team owner and founding member of the Negro National League I,
Monte Irvin
Turkey Stearnes
Turkey Stearnes
Monte Irvin flourished as one of the early African-American players in MLB, making 2 World Series appearances for the New York Giants, playing along side Willie Mays.
Turkey Stearnes
Turkey Stearnes
Turkey Stearnes
Norman Turkey Stearnes played professionally in the Negro Leagues, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Willie Mays
Turkey Stearnes
Steel Arm Taylor
A can’t miss five-tool player, Mays began his professional baseball career with the Black Barons, spending the rest of his career playing MLB for the Giants and Mets.
Steel Arm Taylor
Steel Arm Taylor
Steel Arm Taylor
John Boyce Taylor was the second-oldest of 4 baseball-playing brothers, the others being Charles, Ben and James. For the 1899-1900 seasons, Taylor won 90% of his games starting pitcher for the Giants.
Buck O'Neil
Steel Arm Taylor
Martín Dihigo
Buck signed with the Memphis Red Sox for their first year of play in the newly formed Negro American League (NAL). His contract was sold to the Kansas Monarchs the following year.
Martín Dihigo
Steel Arm Taylor
Martín Dihigo
Martín Magdaleno Dihigo Llanos called The Immortal, was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played in the Negro Leagues and Latin American leagues from 1923 to 1936.