Satchel Paige Celluloid Souvenir Stadium Pin (c. late 1940's)

his souvenir pin was sold at stadiums where Satchel Paige played from the late 1940’s through the mid 1950’s. This pin has the photo likeness of Satchel Paige in a Kansas City Monarchs uniform. 

Satchel Paige is considered the greatest baseball player in Negro League history. Paige’s professional playing career started in 1926 with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Negro Southern League and continued into the mid 1960’s when he was still barnstorming with various teams. Paige played and was the top player at every level of baseball: Negro League, independent baseball, barnstorming, winter league ball, Major League baseball and Minor League baseball.

Leroy “Satchel” Paige was born in Mobile, Alabama. His exact birth date was always a topic for debate. Paige was one of the best self-promoters in sports history and the question of how old he really was added to his mystique. It is generally accepted that he was born around 1906. He started playing baseball in the Mobile area for teams like the Mobile Tigers, Mobile Black Bears and the Down the Bay Boys.

Paige played in the Negro Leagues from 1926 to 1955. During his Negro League career he played for just about every team in the Negro National League and Negro American League at one time or another. He is most recognized with the Kansas City Monarchs and Pittsburgh Crawfords.

When the Negro National League and Negro American League seasons were over, Satchel always played winter baseball. He played in the California Winter League, Cuban League, Venezuelan League and Puerto Rican League. He also barnstormed with his own team, the Satchel Paige All-Stars, off and on from the mid 1930’s until the early 1960’s. Paige’s games against Bob Feller’s All Stars are legendary in baseball history.



Satchel Paige signed with the Cleveland Indians of the American League in 1948 when he was well into his forties. Paige’s debut was so successful that he won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Paige played for the Cleveland Indians from 1948-1949 and with the St. Louis Browns from 1951-1953. After his Major League career was over, Paige played for the Miami Marlins of the International League for three years.

Satchel Paige - Cleveland Indians

Paige played professional baseball twelve months a year for over 40 years. His records and all his baseball statistics will never be totally known. But one thing is for sure, no one ever had nor will anyone ever have a career in professional baseball that will come anywhere close to matching that of Leroy “Satchel” Paige. 

His antics on and off the field were legendary. Examples of some of the extraordinary things Paige used to do on the field are:

·        Paige would warm up before a game using a chewing gum wrapper instead of home plate and as one of his catchers used to say ”he would hit the corners.”

·        Paige was known to guarantee a promoter that he would strikeout the side in the first inning or they wouldn’t have to pay him.

·        Paige would walk the bases loaded only to strikeout the next batters to retire the side.

·        Paige would call all his outfielders in and proceed to strikeout the batter to end the inning.

Some of Satchel Paige’s career highlights and awards are:

·        Eight time selection to Negro League East-West All-Star team

·        California Winter League all time wins, strikeouts and shutouts leader

·        National Baseball Congress (NBC) Most Outstanding Player of All Time

·        Major Baseball League All-Star selection 1952 and 1953 

         (Satchel Paige was in his mid 40’s at the time)

·        Sporting News Rookie of Year (1948)

·        International Baseball Hall of Fame

·        Puerto Rican League Baseball Hall of Fame

·        National Baseball Hall of Fame (1971)



For information on the life and baseball career of Leroy Satchel Paige read his autobiography Maybe I’ll Pitch Forever by Leroy (Satchel) Paige as told to David Lipman.