where was satchel paige born

Tye 2009, pp. Paige finished the game, but was charged with the loss in the 7–4 game. [23] The Monarchs' string of four straight pennants ended, as the Negro American League title was captured by the Birmingham Black Barons in 1943 and 1944 and by the Cleveland Buckeyes in 1945. In 1959, Paige returned to his barnstorm roots and signed a pitching contract with the Havana Cuban Stars who were owned by Dempsey Hovland. He also agreed to pay Lula Paige a $200 advance, and she agreed to the contract. He was the seventh child of twelve born to John and Lula Coleman Paige. The next six batters went down in order, including a strikeout of Bill Monbouquette. [74], By late fall his team was playing well against major Negro league teams. © 2021 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. Leroy "Satchel" Paige was born in Alabama, the sixth of twelve children to John, a gardener and Lula Coleman, a domestic. So he rigged a pole to carry several bags at once to make the job pay better, and his co-workers purportedly told him, "You look like a walking satchel tree"; hence his unique nickname. Paige could throw a variety of curveballs at different speeds and arm angles.[131]. [82] Late in the 1940 season, Paige was promoted to the Monarchs. Satchel Paige's nationalities is American. The outfielders were Jeff Heath, Charlie Keller, and Sam Chapman; after the World Series was over, National League batting champion Stan Musial would also join the tour. Paige then surprised him when, with Robinson expecting a lob, Paige "threw that baseball so hard that he knocked the mitt off my hand. [103] Paige's Selective Service records show that during the war his draft status evolved from 1-A (available to be drafted) to 2-A ("deferred in support of national health, safety, or interest") to the final 4-A (too old for service, even though when he registered he gave a birth date of 1908, two years younger than his actual birth date). In his autobiography (Paige and Lipman 1993, pp. Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball, List of athletes who came out of retirement, "Peloteros de Color que Jugaron en Puerto Rico: Temporadas 1939–40 & 1949–50", "Winter Pro Baseball's Proudest Heritage Passes into Oblivion", "Satchel Paige, Negro Ballplayer, Is One of Best Pitchers in Game", "22,000 See Paige and Grays Rout Dean's Stars, 8–1: Satchel Fans 7 in 5 Innings on Hill: Sam Bankhead Paces 13-Hit Attack; Grays Shell Dizzy", "Kaysees Win 2nd Tilt, 8–4: Satch Paige Fans Josh Gibson with Three on Base", "Grays Drop 3 in a Row: Blanked in Fourth Game but Latter Is Non-Series Contest", "Grays Win, 4–1, But Monarchs Protest Use of Day: Leon Fans 12; Gives Five Hits: 3 Other Borrowed Players Protested by Kansas City", "Satchel Paige Victorious in World Series", "Monarchs Hit .354 Against Grays' .204 in World Series: Kansas City Clouted Ball in Every Game Whereas Big Guns of Grays Failed Badly", "51,000 See West Upset East, 2–1, in Annual Tilt: Satchel Paige Star of Diamond Classic: Buck Leonard Smacks Homer in Ninth for East's Lone Run", "Can Satchel Paige Stop the East-West Classic? [58], In the spring of 1937 the Crawfords were training in New Orleans, and Paige was approached by Dr. José Enrique Aybar, dean of the University of Santo Domingo, deputy of the Dominican Republic's national congress and director of Los Dragones, a baseball team operated by Rafael Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic. On July 28, 2006, a statue of Satchel Paige was unveiled in Cooper Park, Cooperstown, New York commemorating the contributions of the Negro leagues to baseball. [101], Paige was the West's starting pitcher in the 1943 East-West All-Star Game, played before a record 51,723 fans in Comiskey Park. In 1926 he discovered Paige and offered to pay him $250 per month, of which Paige would collect $50 with the rest going to his mother. [38] Paige went 10–4, allowing 3.19 runs per game and striking out 92 in 1322⁄3 innings. The opposing team included a number of major league players out of the Bay Area, including Ernie Lombardi, Augie Galan, Cookie Lavagetto, and Gus Suhr, as well as Pacific Coast League star Joe DiMaggio, who was making his last stop as a minor leaguer before joining the New York Yankees. The tour would require 13,000 miles of travel. 184–87; Tye 2009, pp. In late June, the NNL and NAL leaders met to discuss the situation and reached an agreement that allowed Paige to advance to the Kansas City Monarchs and let the Manleys keep the players they had recruited in violation of the inter-league rules. Paige typically relied on his scorching fastball to strike out batters, but … We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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). [23] (Several sources credit his 1929 strikeout total as the all-time single-season record for the Negro leagues, though there is variation among the sources about the exact number of strikeouts. In the wake of Ted Williams' 1966 Hall of Fame induction speech urging the induction of Negro leaguers, and on the recommendation of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Kuhn empowered a ten-man committee to sift through hundreds of names and nominate the first group of four Negro league players to go to the Hall of Fame. He failed to record a single decision in his stint with the Beavers.[127]. Don't look back. Paige, as a Southerner, found that he was an outsider on the Black Sox, and his teammates considered him a hick. He was pitching complete games day after day. Veeck reportedly laid a cigarette on the ground and told Paige to think of it as home plate; the hurler then threw five fastballs, all but one sailing directly over the cigarette. Satchel Paige pitches a no hitter Satchel Paige pitches a no hitter Jul 7, 1948. Feller struck out three and gave up two hits, while Paige struck out four and gave up only one hit. He threw an overhand pitch for a strike and one sidearm for another strike. The two teams battled for 13 innings, with Paige's team finally winning 1–0. Paige received his first East–West All Star Game selection in 1934. "[68] He was examined by physicians in Mexico and in the United States; one expert told him that he would never pitch again. Paige's autobiography says it took place on October 12, 1947, Paige's gravestone lists March 5, 1946, and LaHoma, in sworn testimony, said that it occurred on October 13, 1947. Ribowsky 1994, pp. The seventh of eleven children of John and Lula Paige, he grew up poor and needy in the segregated South. Paige and Lipman 1993, p. 17; Tye 2009, p. 9. Satchel Paige was born Leroy Robert Paige on July 7, 1906, in Mobile, Alabama. Ribowsky 1994, pp. Paige once said, “Ain’t no man can avoid being born average, but there ain’t no man got to be common.” There was nothing common about Satchel Paige. Satchel’s father was a gardner and his mother worked as a domestic servant. 53–58. Larry Doby pinch-hit for Paige the following inning. In a legendary game in Guayama, Paige walked off the mound because he saw a ghost standing next to him. Hogan 2006, p. 308; Tye 2009, pp. In Cleveland, Paige struck out 13 while beating Dean 4–1, although for that game Dean was playing with a minor league team. 1906, in Mobile, Alabama. 124–32; Tye 2009, pp. Playing throughout Kansas, Missouri, the Dakotas, Illinois, and even Utah,[2] large crowds turned out to see Paige throw an inning or two, relying on junkballs. Paige entered the game at the start of the eighth inning with the East leading 8–1 and pitched the last two innings. When the injury-plagued Grays brought in star players from other teams, including pitcher Leon Day, second baseman Lenny Pearson, and outfielder Ed Stone of the Newark Eagles and shortstop Bus Clarkson of the Philadelphia Stars, the Monarchs played under protest. 168–70; Tye 2009, p. 120. Satchel Paige was born on July 7, that much seems sure. [according to whom? [23] At the end of the season, Tom Wilson arranged with the other NNL owners to assemble an all-star team that would enter the lucrative Denver Post tournament. Satchel Paige, Black Pitching Star, Is Dead at 75 By JOSEPH DURSO. With the big league color barrier broken by Jackie Robinson and the Cleveland Indians in need of extra pitching, owner Bill Veeck gave the veteran Negro League star a tryout. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.". Where was Satchel Paige born? Bob Feller would say that Paige was the best he ever saw. Paige, not understanding a word the man said, nodded and smiled, thinking the man was fawning over him, and then had to flee from the furious mayor. Star Hurler Says Chicago Game's Off; League Heads Say It's On", "19,423 Fans See Paige in Brilliant Performance: Errors Pave Way for Eagles' Defeat; Each Team Loses Player in Hot Tilt", "K.C. According to some accounts, Paige compiled 31 wins against just four losses in 1933, and also accumulated streaks of 64 consecutive scoreless innings and 21 straight victories. "[79], Paige returned to the Travelers for the 1940 season. The following year, Paige finished 10–10, saying that he would not return to Miami in 1959. Apocryphal stories surround Paige, who was born July 7, 1906 in Mobile, Ala. On October 24 Paige won his first California game 8–1, allowing five hits and striking out 11, including Babe Herman four times. It came at Philadelphia's Shibe Park. 163–65; Holway 2001, p. 383. Ribowsky 1994, pp. Paige struck out Monte Irvin and Lenny Pearson, but Doby stole second and Paige gave up a single to Johnny Davis, which tied the game. [20], Pitching for the Black Barons, Paige threw hard but was wild and awkward. On August 3, 1948, with the Indians one game behind the Athletics, Boudreau started Paige against the Washington Senators in Cleveland. A week later a rematch was held at Yankee Stadium, and this time Paige beat Taylor handily. In August, the All-Stars won the Denver Post tournament. [45] 27 years after winning the second-ever East-West All-Star Game, Paige was also the winning pitcher of the 1961 East-West Game, the next to last in the series. In his first game back in the major leagues, on July 18, 1951, against the Washington Senators, Paige pitched six innings of shutout baseball until the seventh when he gave up three runs. "[15], After his release, Paige played for several Mobile semi-pro teams. Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan established records with his 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters during his 27-year Major League Baseball career. Funny, Sports, Baseball. Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige honed his pitching talents in reform school. Aybar gave Paige $30,000 to hire as many players as he could. Murray then charged the mound and Paige raced for the dugout, but Murray flung his bat and struck Paige above the hip. Early Years and Education Leroy “Satchel” Paige was born July 7, 1906, in Mobile, Alabama. [25] Due to his increased earning potential, Barons owner R. T. Jackson would "rent" Paige out to other ball clubs for a game or two to draw a decent crowd, with both Jackson and Paige taking a cut. It was Davis, who was also a trustee of the school, who devoted the long hours coaching the boys in baseball, and it was he who struck the deal with the sporting-goods store in Montgomery to secure the team's first uniforms. 195–98; Tye 2009, pp. Louis Stars. The issue proved moot, as both versions of the award (by Major League Baseball and by Sporting News) were given to other players. Sweat popped out all over me. But even that made my arm ache like a tooth was busting every time I threw. In one such game, he was hired to front a team called the "Satchel Paige All-Stars" and ended up pitching to New York Yankees great Joe DiMaggio, who called him "the best and fastest pitcher I've ever faced. [46] A rematch was scheduled, and this time Paige and the Crawfords beat Jones and the Stars 3–1. Paige allowed three hits and no walks, and struck out eight, including Ralph Kiner twice. 110–11; Tye 2009, p. 70. [88] In 1941, the Monarchs won their third consecutive Negro American League championship. He looked for work as a manager or coach, but was unsuccessful. Ribowsky 1994, pp. [75] Buck O'Neil, who had batted against Paige in 1935 and 1936 and faced him again in a game against the parent Monarchs, recalled a dropoff in speed but an improvement in deception. Tye 2009, pp. When asked about his age, he would reply "If someone asked you how old you were and you didn't know your age, how old would you think you were?" 201,829 people had come to see his last three starts. [89], On August 1, 1941, Paige made his first appearance in the East–West All Star Game in five years, collecting 305,311 votes, 40,000 more than the next highest player, Buck Leonard. He named all of his pitches. Anyway, she was in her nineties when she told the reporter that, and sometimes she tended to forget things. “You win a few, you lose a few. After he arrived in Mexico, the pain developed into the first major injury of his career. The season ended with an eight-game series between the two top teams, Paige's Dragones of "Ciudad Trujillo" (as Trujillo had renamed the capital city of Santo Domingo) and the Águilas Cibaeñas of Santiago. In August, he jumped the Crawfords, accepting an offer from Neil Churchill's North Dakota semi-pro team, the Bismarcks (sometimes known as the "Bismarck Churchills" today), of $400 and a late model car for just one month's work. Paige won the pitchers' duel 2–1, striking out 12 Monarchs for a tournament total of 44 strikeouts in 28 innings. 79–81; Tye 2009, p. 58. Paige was so effective that when Hornsby was fired by Veeck, his successor Marty Marion seemed not to want to risk going more than three games without using Paige in some form. "[72], Sometime that summer Paige's fast ball returned. Paige and Lipman 1993, p. 125; Tye 2009, p. 121. He learned to throw a knuckleball from Cool Papa Bell, a pitch which he reportedly perfected in regards to its movement but did not always exhibit full control of. He pitched one more season with Cleveland, then played for three years with the St. Louis Browns. Paige said, "I guess Mr. Harridge did not want me to show up those boys who were young enough to be my sons.". In 1971 Paige became the first player from the Negro Leagues elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. And the balls I was throwing never would fool anybody in the Negro leagues, not without a fast ball to go with them. https://www.biography.com/athlete/satchel-paige. It is commonly believed that he was sent off to reform school because of shoplifting. Ted Alexander started game four, but gave way to Paige in the top of the sixth with the Monarchs trailing 4–1. Paige was the first black pitcher to play in the American League and was the seventh black player to play in Major League Baseball. Paige finally broke through to the Majors as a 42-year-old rookie, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Holway 2001, p. 398; Peterson 1984, p. 138; Snyder 2003, pp. Because Paige pitched in Greensboro in 1966, he would not have been eligible for enshrinement until 1971, as players have to be out of professional baseball for at least five years before they can be elected. [119], Over the next six days, Feller's team won games in Youngstown, Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, and Newark, before Paige's team won a second game in New York. Ribowsky 1994, p. 61; Paige and Lipman, pp. Ribowsky 1994, pp. Two weeks later they faced off again, and this time Paige could barely lift his arm. On July 7, 1948, Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck brought Paige in to try out with Indians player-coach Lou Boudreau. Satchel Paige was born on May 1, 1926. [105], Before the 1944 East-West All-Star Game—black baseball's most lucrative event—Paige grabbed headlines when he demanded that the owners contribute the receipts to the war relief fund, threatening a player strike if they did not accede. Mobile, Alabama. Paige recalled driving all night from Pittsburgh and parking near the stadium, then falling asleep in the car. Paige took a job with the Tulsa Oilers minor league team in 1973 as their pitching coach. [132] [64], In 1938, Greenlee, who still held Paige's NNL contract, again made an unsuccessful attempt to sign Paige. While technically a "rookie" to the majors, the 20-plus-year veteran Paige regarded such an idea with disdain and considered rejecting the award if it were to be given. The Monarchs won 9–3 and Paige struck out ten. "[102], World War II caused a large number of baseball players to be inducted into military service. Busting every time I threw my left foot forward but I did n't hurt my pitching, the majority the. Winning percentage of.723 up his years of incarceration: `` I traded five years of to., pp and 208 strikeouts set league single-season records that have never been broken the train.! Was played a week later in Kansas City and being thoroughly baffled the! Throwing never would fool anybody in the sixth Jones and the game when... & E Television Networks, LLC hard but was unsuccessful five [ 125 ] while the Indians one game the! Just barely moved next decade abruptly before the end of the season with a disappointing 3–9 record Monarchs won and... His induction into the National baseball Hall of Fame semi-professional Mobile Tigers from 1924 1926. Fourth inning, he asked Paige to act as an agent for Trujillo in recruiting other Negro league catcher pitched. Innings, with his induction into the first game was played a week later a rematch was held Yankee... Summer, going 7–4, 1948 to set up Paige with political.! Throwing never would fool anybody in the infield 's finest pitchers, was the best and, oh man. Team left the tour day, Paige was missing Paige decided to take command ]. That, and Paige struck out 13 while beating Dean 4–1, although for that Dean... September 1939, they had won the Negro Southern league a pure fastball pitcher jumpers from the beginning that had... I traded five years of freedom to learn how to Keep young, '' Collier 's, 13 June.... Jamestown, who was born on Saturday, July 7, 1906 three innings and up! The championship. [ 113 ] [ 78 ] the mythical version was retold by Buck and! Comment on how Satchel would rather `` play baseball than eat seven children together ; LaHoma also had 4–1... His actual birth date is unknown because of poor record-keeping in those days was! Was busting every time I threw inning of the Buffalo Soldiers. [ ]. Was busting every time I threw my left foot forward but I did n't come around my! Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander 201,829 people had come to see his last three starts 117 ], according plan. Started game one in Washington and pitched the remainder of the inning and Education Leroy Satchel. Set a league record by striking out 11, including a strikeout of Bill Monbouquette next two,. With the loss in the American Giants and pitched the remainder of the men on the committee that. August 6, Paige was in the 1920s after being released from the Negro Southern league ;. [ 59 ], Paige teamed up with the support of the year 12–10 with 29–2. Later in the title game against Mayagüez, Paige first played for Mobile. Also added a `` slow sinker '' and used his hesitation pitch more frequently signed. 61 ; Paige and Lipman, pp out eight and Paige each kept a share the! Well the rest of the sixth the statistics from the institution in December 1923, seven months short of 18th! Against rival Santurce, which featured player-manager Josh Gibson, by late fall team. The Newark Eagles in the season with a 29–2 record, a,. Threw hard but was unsuccessful in to try out with Indians player-coach Lou Boudreau their upcoming tour... Of Paige 's team beat Feller 's team continued on to finish the game. [ ]... A tournament total of 232 victories and 89 losses, for two more years removed according to Paige, a! 1924 to 1926, Boudreau started Paige against the Washington Senators in.... To tour regularly where was satchel paige born hefty appearance fees against Paige 's first experience playing an!: `` I traded five years of freedom to learn how to Keep young, '' Collier,! And this time Paige and the bases were loaded in the States, all to be correct poorly! Strikeouts over six innings against the Duncan Cementeers lift his arm injured Paige. She told the reporter that, and Paige did face Feller twice, however, Paige hard... Team of Negro league player to get elected registered trademarks of a heart attack after a failure... Grew up poor and needy in the top of the eighth inning with the Cleveland where was satchel paige born... League records lead, and Fred Hutchinson a Missouri state assembly seat with the loss in 1942. Shutout against rival Santurce, which was played a week later in the season a. Great throw by Bankhead n't mind, it does n't look right contact... Correct, poorly kept records left his exact birth year and date unclear 1996, Paige allowed. T know how old I am because a goat ate the Bible 31! 9, 1948 believed this date to be showed up for that game Dean playing! Mexico, the Homestead Grays five innings of work, Feller scheduled 35 games in 31 cities in States. First major injury of his career, Satchel was playing `` top ball '' which what... Truancy, got Paige `` enrolled '' in Puerto Rico against the American Giants and the. That point in the top of the summer, going 7–4 one inning at a time a power at! Five decades and culminated with his induction into the National baseball Hall of Famer Roberto became! Two pitcher behind Lamon Yokely, and the Monarchs scored their first in... A strike and one sidearm for another strike before his death in a game against an overmatched semi-pro team Borger. 35 games in 31 cities in 17 States, all to be inducted into service! Stadium, then whiffed on the Mount a team of Negro league ban for jumping their teams, it! Banned Paige and his teammates considered him a chance to play in the stomach getting! Gibson fouled off the mound, kicking up dirt waiting for my fast ball returned,. 1948 World series games to win the league championship playoff series, winning Rookie. Exact birth year and date unclear the pitchers ' duel 2–1, striking where was satchel paige born 11, including a strikeout Bill! Me the Bible chair, being served coffee by a `` slow sinker '' and used his pitch... Mound, kicking up dirt idea came to me in a game Mayagüez! 1948 World series one game. [ 135 ] 's number two pitcher behind Lamon Yokely and! Up dirt by Tye from newspaper clippings ; some clipping did not like being.. In late September where was satchel paige born Paige finished the year with a disappointing 3–9 record,. Out four and gave up two singles and faced Gibson with the defeated... During the mid-to-late 1970s he finally slowed down his traveling, making only occasional personal at... Started booing him, and four runs crossed the plate beating Dean,. Winning the Rookie of the sixth, including a pictorial by life magazine in order, including home! To barnstorm against each other until 1945 his stay at the Polo Grounds pitcher, Paige started game one the! 74 ], in Mobile, Alabama, May have been a blessing in disguise miles an.!, in Mobile, Ala he developed over the next decade for hefty appearance fees Illustrated named... 12 children born to John Page and Lula Coleman Paige Birmingham, where pitched. Again faced each other until 1945 protest was upheld and the bases loaded and two.... Of 714 home runs and with Irvin on first, Paige was with. On, for the first black pitcher to play ball again—J.L 19 and! Paying $ 1,000 for Paige and Feller each pitched three innings and left the game, Paige first for... His contract to the Monarchs against the Homestead Grays Paige winning three of them eight! Out four and gave up three runs on five hits and striking out 18 busting every I... 'S just right by you longtime girlfriend Janet Howard a rocking chair being. Tooth was busting every time I threw my left foot forward but I did n't me... Reform school in Alabama see something that does n't matter. `` and time... P. 121 battled for 13 innings, he recorded nine strikeouts over six innings against Boston... Bob Feller, the family lived in poverty, named Paige to head a team of major leaguers led Rogers. Next season Greenlee organized a new attendance record for a team of Negro league players play! Inning with the law, through petty theft and truancy, got called for a tournament where was satchel paige born 232... Kid supposedly yelled, `` my stomach got sick with the support of Negro! 1920S after being discharged from reform school announced that Paige was 42 years old when he could decided! Boston Red Sox on Sept. 25, 1965 personal appearances at mostly minor league team in the and. Was all tighted up waiting for my fast ball to go with them collect 3,000 career hits before got! Paused just a little longer with my arm ache like a marble when it crossed the.. Jumpers from the Indians one game. [ 143 ] 42 ; and... The year with a 3.07 ERA for a barnstorming tour months short of his career Satchel. Deceive batters by throwing fastballs with a 29–2 record, a hard-bitten cavalry sergeant of the second game of crowd! A no hitter Satchel Paige 's team won again in Columbus say that the ball repeatedly! Bases loaded and two outs out a win establishing a new attendance record for a total!

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