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SATCHEL PAIGE
He began his professional career in the Negro leagues in
the 1920s and quickly became the biggest drawing card in
Negro baseball.
At the age of 42, Paige made his big league debut when Bill
Veeck signed him to a contract with the Indians on July 7,
1948. Two days later, Paige made his debut for a Cleveland
club involved in one of the tightest pennant races in
American League history.
On August 20, 1948, a 42-year-old Satchel Paige pitched the
Indians to a 1-0 victory over the White Sox in front of 78,382
fans, a night-game attendance record that still stands.
That summer and fall, Paige went 6-1 with three complete
games and a save and a 2.47 earned-run average. Cleveland
won the AL pennant in a one-game playoff against Boston,
then captured the World Series title in six games against
the Braves. Paige became the first African-American
pitcher to pitch in the World Series when he worked twothirds
of an inning in Game 5.
Paige pitched for the Indians again in 1949, then spent three
seasons with the St. Louis Browns from 1951-53, earning
two All-Star Game selections. He then returned to life in
the minors and barnstorming, resurfacing in the majors
at the age of 59 in a one-game stint with the Athletics. He
pitched three shutout innings.
Paige was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971 as the first
electee of the Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues. He
passed away on June 8, 1982.
Source: biography.com/musician/beyonce-knowles
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