Leroy Satchel Paige

Leroy “Satchel “ Paige (1926-1955)

Leroy "Satchel" Paige was born in Mobile, Alabama. Paige always kept his birth date somewhat of a mystery. Satchel started playing organized baseball for teams in the Mobile area like the Mobile Tigers and Mobile Dodgers. His first entry into the Negro Leagues was with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Negro Southern League in 1926. From the late 1920’s through the 1950’s Satchel played at one time or another for virtually all top Negro League teams. Some of the teams that he played for were the Birmingham Black Barons, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Homestead Grays, Chicago American Giants, New York Black Yankees and Kansas City Monarchs. Paige was selected for the Negro League East-West All Star game on nine different occasions. 



Satchel Paige - Kansas City Monarchs

After the Negro League season, Satchel would always play winter league ball or barnstorm. Paige played winter league ball in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and California. Satchel Paige also had his own barnstorming team named the Satchel Paige All-Stars. Satchel barnstormed with his own team from the 1930’s through the mid-1960’s. Satchel’s pitching duels with Dizzy Dean of Dizzy Dean’s All-Stars and Bob Feller of Bob Feller’s All-Stars are legendary in barnstorming baseball. When Paige and Feller toured together, they would sell out Major League stadiums all over the country.


Satchel Paige - Kansas City Monarchs

It is virtually impossible to have the complete career pitching statistics for Satchel Paige because during his Negro League career, Paige also pitched dozens of games for independent clubs. It was common practice of Paige to hire himself out for one game as the special “draw” for a team or as a ringer for a local team’s “big” game. Satchel Paige’s lifetime statistics have been approximated by various Negro League researchers because records for a large number of the games he pitched have no recorded box scores. Some of his projected career statistics are as follows:


       2600 games pitched (Paige would often pitch three times a week year round)

      2000+ wins 

       300+ shutouts

        55  no hitters

        64  consecutive scoreless innings

    104-1 won-loss record while pitching for Bismarck in 1934


After Jackie Robinson integrated Major League baseball in 1947, Negro League stars began signing with “white” Major League organizations. Paige signed with the Cleveland Indians of the American League in 1948. His debut into “white” organized ball was so successful that he won the Sporting News Rookie of the Year for the 1948 season. Paige was in his early 40’s at the time. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 1948-1949 and the St. Louis Browns from 1951-1953. In 1951 and 1952 he was selected to the American League All-Star team. 



After Paige finished his Major League career, he continued to play Minor League baseball and barnstormed on a full time basis until the mid-late 1960’s. His achievements in baseball reached its pinnacle when he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1971.



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