Satchel Paige
Leroy Robert PaigeInducted to the Hall of Fame in: 1971
Primary team: Kansas City Monarchs
Primary position: Pitcher
The numbers do not do justice to his legend.
The stories, however, keep alive the memory of a man who became bigger than the game. Leroy “Satchel” Paige was bigger than mere numbers.
Apocryphal stories surround Paige, who was born July 7, 1906 in Mobile, Ala. He began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in the 1920s after being discharged from reform school in Alabama. The lanky 6-foot-3 right-hander quickly became the biggest drawing card in Negro baseball, able to overpower batters with a buggy-whipped fastball.
Paige, a showman at heart, bounced from team-to-team in search of the best paycheck – often pitching hundreds of games a year between regular Negro Leagues assignments and barnstorming opportunities. During the 1930s, Paige’s stints with Negro National League powerhouse Pittsburgh Crawfords were interrupted by seasons with teams in North Dakota and the Dominican Republic.
In the late 1930s, Paige developed arm problems for the first time. Kansas City Monarchs owner J.L. Wilkinson signed Paige to his “B” team, giving Paige time to heal. Within a year, Paige’s shoulder had recovered and his fastball returned. As he aged, the control he once used to dazzle fans now became his primary weapon as a pitcher.
“He could throw the ball right by your knees all day,” said Cool Papa Bell.
At the age of 42, Paige made his American League debut when Bill Veeck signed him to a contract with the Indians on July 7, 1948. Two days later, Paige made his debut for a Cleveland club involved in one of the tightest pennant races in American League history.
That summer and fall, Paige went 6-1 with three complete games and a save and a 2.48 earned-run average. Cleveland won the AL pennant in a one-game playoff against Boston, then captured the World Series title in six games against the Braves. Paige became the first African-American pitcher to pitch in the World Series when he worked two-thirds of an inning in Game 5.
Paige pitched for the Indians again in 1949, then spent three seasons with the St. Louis Browns from 1951-53, earning two All-Star Game selections. He then returned to life in the minors and barnstorming, resurfacing in the majors at the age of 59 in a one-game stint with the Athletics on Sept. 25, 1965. He pitched three shutout innings.
Paige was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971 as the first electee of the Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues. He passed away on June 8, 1982.
“Age is a question of mind over matter,” Paige said. “If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Career stats
ESSENTIAL STATS |
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Year Inducted: 1971
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Primary Team: Kansas City Monarchs
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Position Played: Pitcher
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Bats: Right
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Throws: Right
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Birth place: Mobile, Alabama
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Birth year: 1906
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Died: 1982, Kansas City, Missouri
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Played for: |
Birmingham Black Barons (1927-1930) |
Cleveland Cubs (1931) |
Pittsburgh Crawfords (1933-1934) |
Pittsburgh Crawfords (1936) |
Kansas City Monarchs (1941-1947) |
Memphis Red Sox (1943) |
Cleveland Indians (1948-1949) |
St. Louis Browns (1951-1953) |
Kansas City Athletics (1965) |
CAREER AT A GLANCE |
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GamesG 391 |
HitsH 1411 RunsR 635 Innings PitchedIP 1695 |
WinsW 118 LossesL 80 Winning %Winning % .596 Games StartedGS 189 |
ERAERA 2.70 Complete GamesCG 93 ShutoutsSHO 22 WHIPWHIP 1.092 |
SavesSV 44 Earned RunsER 508 WalksBB 440 StrikeoutsSO 1438 |