Satchel Paige

Lore & Background

Paige was born Leroy Robert Page to John Page and Lula Page in Mobile, Alabama. His family changed the spelling of their name from Page to Paige in the mid-1920s. He was sentenced to the Alabama Reform School for Juvenile Negro Law-Breakers in 1918 for truancy and theft, where Reverend Moses Davis taught him to pitch. After his release in 1923, he played for semi-pro teams including the Mobile Tigers. Paige began his professional baseball career in 1926 with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Negro Southern League. He later pitched for the Birmingham Black Barons, and in 1929 he played winter ball for Santa Clara in the Cuban League. At age 42 in 1948, Paige made his MLB debut for the Cleveland Indians, making him the oldest debutant in professional sports. He was the first black pitcher to play in the American League and the seventh black player in MLB. In 1948, he became the first player who had played in the Negro leagues to pitch in the World Series; the Indians won that Series. He played for the St. Louis Browns from 1951 to 1953, representing the team in the All-Star Game in 1952 and 1953. He played his last professional game on June 21, 1966, for the Peninsula Grays of the Carolina League. In 1971, Paige became the first electee of the Negro League Committee to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Reader's Guide

Satchel Paige was a right-handed pitcher whose career in professional baseball stretched across five decades, making him one of the most famous and successful players from the Negro leagues. He was known for his remarkable longevity and showmanship; during town tours across the United States, he would sometimes have his infielders sit down behind him and then routinely strike out the side. His actual birthdate, July 7, 1906, was confirmed in 1948 when Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck traveled to Mobile, Alabama, and obtained his birth certificate from the County Health Department. Paige’s nickname reportedly originated from his childhood work toting bags at a train station, where he built a contraption to carry multiple bags at once, prompting someone to say he looked like a “walking satchel tree.” A different account from a boyhood friend claimed the nickname came after Paige was caught trying to steal a bag. At age 10, he began playing “top ball,” a kids’ game using sticks and bottle caps, which sparked his love for baseball. On July 24, 1918, at age 12, he was sentenced to the Alabama Reform School for Juvenile Negro Law-Breakers due to truancy and stealing. There, Reverend Moses Davis taught him to pitch, and Paige later said those years were not wasted, as they made a real man of him. His career included debuting in Major League Baseball at age 42, the oldest debutant in professional sports, and playing his last major league game at 59, also a record. He was the first black pitcher in the American League and the first Negro league player to pitch in the World Series, which the Cleveland Indians won in 1948. In 1971, he became the first electee of the Negro League Committee inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• Paige was 59 years old when he played his last major league game, a record in any professional sport.
• Paige holds the record with Hoyt Wilhelm and Goose Gossage for the most Major League franchises played for (9) by a Hall-of-Fame pitcher.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"I ain't as fast as I used to be, but I'm a better pitcher.

I used to overpower them; now I out-cute them." — Satchel Paige "There ain't no man can avoid being born average. But there ain't no man got to be common." — Satchel Paige "Cool Papa was so fast that he could turn off the light switch and get into bed before the room got dark." — Satchel Paige "Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines." — Satchel Paige