Knowra Satchel Paige Satchel Paige Satchel Paige was an American baseball pitcher celebrated for his career in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball. He joined the Cleveland Indians in 1948, becoming the oldest rookie in major-league history.
Josh Gibson : Josh Gibson was a Negro leagues catcher and power hitter widely regarded as one of baseball’s greatest players. Gibson and Paige were celebrated Negro leagues stars whose reputations endured beyond the leagues.
Negro leagues : The Negro leagues were professional baseball leagues formed for Black players excluded from organized white baseball. Paige spent most of his prime in these leagues, becoming one of their best-known attractions.
Pitcher : A pitcher is the defensive player who throws the ball toward home plate to begin each baseball play. Paige's career was built on pitching, the role in which his control and repertoire stood out.
Major League Baseball integration : Major League Baseball integration was the process by which Black players entered leagues that had excluded them. Paige entered the majors after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, extending integration beyond its first wave.
Buck O'Neil : Buck O'Neil was a Negro leagues player, manager, and advocate who later became a prominent baseball historian. O'Neil played against Paige and later helped preserve the history of his career.
Negro National League : The Negro National League was a major Black baseball league founded in 1920 by Rube Foster. Paige pitched for teams in the league and its successor circuits during his career.
Fastball : A fastball is a pitch thrown primarily for speed, typically with relatively little movement compared with breaking pitches. Paige was renowned for the velocity of his fastball.
Jackie Robinson : Jackie Robinson was the first Black player of the modern era to play in Major League Baseball, debuting with Brooklyn in 1947. Robinson's debut preceded Paige's major-league arrival by one year.
Rube Foster : Rube Foster was a pitcher, manager, and executive who founded the Negro National League in 1920. Foster helped establish the organized Negro leagues in which Paige became a leading star.
Pittsburgh Crawfords : The Pittsburgh Crawfords were a powerful Negro leagues team of the 1930s, featuring several future Hall of Famers. Paige starred for the Crawfords alongside some of the era's most celebrated players.
Show all 21