Satchel Paige was one of the most famous and successful pitchers in the history of baseball. He played for various teams in the Negro leagues and the Major League Baseball (MLB), and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. But how did he die and what was his legacy?
Early Life and Career
Satchel Paige was born Leroy Robert Page on July 7, 1906, in Mobile, Alabama. He changed his surname to Paige in the mid-1920s, and got his nickname “Satchel” from carrying bags at a train station as a young boy. He developed his baseball skills at a reform school, where he was sent for shoplifting.
He started his professional baseball career in 1926 with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts, a team in the Negro Southern League. He soon became a star pitcher, known for his speed, control, and variety of pitches. He also had a flamboyant personality and a knack for entertaining the crowds with his antics.
He played for several teams in the Negro leagues, such as the Birmingham Black Barons, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, and the Kansas City Monarchs. He also barnstormed across the country and abroad, facing some of the best white players in exhibition games. He pitched in Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, where he led his team to a championship in 1937.
Breaking the Color Barrier
Paige was one of the most popular and influential players in the Negro leagues, but he was denied the opportunity to play in the MLB because of racial segregation. He was already past 40 when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
The following year, Paige got his chance to play in the MLB when he was signed by Bill Veeck, the owner of the Cleveland Indians. He made his debut on July 9, 1948, becoming the oldest rookie and the first black pitcher in the American League. He helped the Indians win the World Series that year, becoming the first player from the Negro leagues to pitch in the Fall Classic.
He played for three more teams in the MLB: the St. Louis Browns (1951-1953), where he made two All-Star appearances; the Kansas City Athletics (1965), where he pitched three innings at age 59; and briefly for the Miami Marlins (1956) and Atlanta Crackers (1968) of the minor leagues.
Death and Legacy
Paige retired from baseball in 1969, after pitching one inning for the Peninsula Grays of Virginia at age 62. He settled in Kansas City, Missouri, where he worked as a deputy sheriff and a baseball coach. He also wrote an autobiography titled Maybe I’ll Pitch Forever (1962).
He suffered from heart problems and emphysema in his later years. He died of a heart attack at his home on June 8, 1982, at age 75 or 76. He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Kansas City.
Paige was one of the first players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by a special committee on Negro leagues in 1971. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pitchers of all time, and a pioneer of racial integration in sports. He inspired generations of black players who followed him to pursue their dreams of playing baseball at the highest level.
He is also remembered for his humor and wisdom, which he expressed through his famous “rules for staying young”, such as:
- Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood.
- If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.
- Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move.
- Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society—the social ramble ain’t restful.
- Avoid running at all times.
- And don’t look back—something might be gaining on you.
According to Wikipedia, some of his other memorable quotes include:
- “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”
- “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”
- “Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching.”
- “Not to be cheered by praise, not to be grieved by blame, but to know thoroughly one’s own virtues or powers are the characteristics of an excellent man.”
