Satchel Paige

Satchel Paige
Paige, c. 1948
Pitcher
Born: (1906-07-07)July 7, 1906
Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Died: June 8, 1982(1982-06-08) (aged 75)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Professional debut
NgL: 1927, for the Birmingham Black Barons
AL: July 9, 1948, for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 1965, for the Kansas City Athletics
MLB statistics
Win–loss record125–82
Earned run average2.74
Strikeouts1,484
Teams
 Negro leagues (incomplete)
 Major League Baseball
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1971
Election methodNegro Leagues Committee

Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

A right-handed pitcher, Paige first played for the semi-professional Mobile Tigers from 1924 to 1926. He began his professional baseball career in 1926 with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Negro Southern League and became one of the most famous and successful players from the Negro leagues. On town tours across the United States, Paige would sometimes have his infielders sit down behind him and then routinely strike out the side.[1]

At age 42 in 1948, Paige made his debut for the Cleveland Indians; to this day, this makes him the oldest debutant in National League or American League history. Additionally, Paige was 59 years old when he played his last major league game, which is also a record that stands to this day. Paige was the first black pitcher to play in the American League and was the seventh black player to play in Major League Baseball. Also in 1948, Paige became the first player who had played in the Negro leagues to pitch in the World Series; the Indians won the Series that year. He played with 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, two weeks shy of 60.[2] In 1971, Paige became the first electee of the Negro League Committee to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.[3]

  1. ^ .Kelley, James. Baseball. New York: Shoreline Publishing Group, 2000. pp. 44–45. Print.
  2. ^ Tye 2009, pp. 24–29, 272.
  3. ^ National Baseball Hall of Fame, Satchel Paige [1] Retrieved April 16, 2015

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