Satchel Paige had a baseball career that spanned five decades. Paige’s MLB debut came at an age when other players had already retired from the game.
Leroy Robert Paige was presumably born on July 7, 1906, but nobody knows the exact date with certainty. As a child, he got his nickname from laboring as a baggage carrier at a train station. People said he looked like a “walking satchel tree.”
Photo courtesy SABR.org
Paige took up pitching when he spent four years at a reform school in Alabama. In 1924, Paige joined the Mobile Tigers, a semiprofessional baseball team. A few years later, Paige joined the Negro Leagues. He played with many teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, and the Kansas City Monarchs. Paige also played in baseball leagues representing the countries of Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
Paige signed his first MLB contract in 1948 for $40,000. At 42, Satchel Paige became the oldest man to make his MLB debut, and the 42-year-old rookie led the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series. Paige was the first African American pitcher to pitch in the World Series. He returned to pitch for the Indians in 1949 and later played for the St. Louis Browns for three seasons.
Paige had a unique pitching style. Like many baseball players, Paige was accustomed to pitching fastballs and curveballs. However, he had trick pitches that sidetracked hitters. Paige was honest in saying that he never threw a pitch that was not allowed. “I never threw an illegal pitch. The trouble is, once in a while, I toss one that ain’t never been seen by this generation.” Some of those trick pitches had names like the “Whipsy-Dispy-Do” and the “Midnight Creeper.”
In and out of baseball infrequently, Paige played for Triple-A and minor league teams in the late 50s and early 60s. In September 1965, Paige played his final game in a Kansas City Athletics uniform. He pitched three shutout innings at 59 years of age.
After his last MLB game, he appeared on the game show I’ve Got a Secret in 1965. His secret, “I’ve been a professional baseball player for 40 years.” Paige showcased his trademark pitches during the program. Paige also contributed to the made-for-TV movie Don’t Look Back: The Story of Leroy “Satchel” Paige, with Louis Gossett Jr. playing Paige.
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, Satchel Paige passed away in 1982. He was believed to be 75.
