Leroy "Satchel" Paige
The Man who could have Pitched Forever
A biography of Satchel Paige
Leroy "Satchel" Paige was born circa July 7, 1906 in Mobile, Alabama. Although this is not his exact birthday, but it is a pretty accurate estimate. Satchel was the 7th of 12 children. His last name was originally Page but his mother, Lula, added the "i" into their last name to make it seem more "high-tone". When he was younger, his mother sent him to carry luggage for people traveling in and out of their area to get paid. Paige was frustrated that the job didn't pay much so, he rigged a pole to make it easier for him to carry more bags at a time, giving him more pay. Then one day one of his co-workers told him that he looked like a walking Satchel tree, hence the nickname, "Satchel". But later on, when he was about 12, he got caught with petty theft and truancy. He then got sent to reform school for 5 years. You wold think that it would be like prison for him, but instead he took the better of the 5 years there to work on and master his baseball skills. There was also a man there with the name of Edward Byrd who taught him his unique pitching motion. Satchel later went on to say "You might say I traded 5 years of freedom to learn how to pitch." His first team was with the Chattanooga Black Barons and he ripped through every batter he faced. He was almost unstoppable. He played for teams in California, Maryland, North Dakota, and many other places. He even played some baseball outside of America as well. He played in Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic, and in Cuba. When Paige wasn't on a contract, however, he played exhibition games with local talent where he was at, and this provided him extra money. He got hired to be in a team ironically named "The Satchel Paige All-Stars". During one of the games he played with that team, he got to pitch against the all mighty Joe DiMaggio who described him as "the best and fastest pitcher I've ever faced." One problem with all of his traveling and him jumping from team to team is that there were a lack of statistics. Paige had nothing to really show for all of the amazing feats he had accomplished. But, in 1948, Paige had finally made it to the big leagues. With Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Paige had followed suit and signed with the Indians. He was 42 when he finally made it. His MLB debut was actually on his 42nd birthday, July 7th, 1948. Paige only spent two years with the Indians then moved on to the St. Louis Browns for three years. He retired in 1953 but made a special appearance with the Kansas City A's on September 25, 1965, making him the oldest player in MLB history.
Satchel Paige.
Questions on Satchel Paige
What was the name of the team that Satchel Paige put together after his summer baseball season was over?
What was the date that Satchel Paige signed with the Indians, his first MLB team?
At about what age did Satchel Paige sign with the Indians?
Satchel Paige and the Monarchs of the Negro League
During this time in his life, Paige was in the prime of his career in the Negro Leagues, he never had an ERA over 6.00.
His overall ERA in the Negro Leagues is 3.22. (ERA stands for Earned Runs Average.)
Satchel Paige's MLB Rookie Team
When he played with the Indians, his ERA was 2.92 with a total of 10 wins and 8 losses. He also had a total of 97 strike outs during his 2 years with the Indians.
The Oldest Player in Baseball with his final Team
On September 25, 1965, Paige's last MLB performance with the A's that day made him the oldest player in MLB history. He was exactly 59 years, 2 months, and 18 days of age that day. He was arguably the best pitcher of his time and was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1971.