Essay On Satchel Paige

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The differences between black and white players has been going on for a long time since the early 1920’s. The players have always been at each other since the Negro Leagues have been around. There were two players that made the transition from the Negro Leagues to the Majors and those players were Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson. Most people know of Robinson more than Paige because of the Brooklyn Dodgers recruiting him from Kansas City Monarchs. Satchel Paige was a pitcher from the Kansas City Monarchs like Robinson but he was recruited to the Cleveland Indians at the time. Paige has changed baseball today because he has shown new ways to pitch, broke the racial barrier with Robinson, and was an influence on many players in todays …show more content…

He played with them for about three to four years. He moved from several other ball clubs in the Negro Leagues and also played with some of the greatest players in the Negro Leagues that never had the chance in the Majors. Such players as Jud Wilson, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston and Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe that are all in the Negro League Hall of Fame. Paige was known as one of the best pitchers of his day and age. He had a commanding fastball and that is what he threw until everyone finally got use to seeing it with its blazing speed. He learned and developed certain pitches such as a curveball, knuckleball, screwball, and change up. He played with the Kansas City Monarchs before moving up to the big league with all the professional white baseball players. In 1942, he took the team to the Negro League World Series. Paige pitched in all the official games of the series and including one unofficial game. With pitching 18 innings, 16 strikeouts, 8 hits, and 5 runs allowed. His pitching performance was great during the series showing off his new pitches and also using his demanding fastball too. Again took the Monarchs took the World Series in 1946 and lost in a 3-2 series allowing the Newark Eagles to become the …show more content…

Satchel thought it was better for him not to be the first black Major League player to be break racial barrier and also was considered to nice or soft. On July 9, 1948, Satchel Paige debut in his first game against St. Louis Browns and was the oldest rookie ever at 42 and two days. In the bottom of the fourth inning Lou Boudreau pulled starting pitcher Bob Lemon and put Paige in. He recorded his first Major League strikeout against Whitey Platt with his amazing hesitation pitch that the manager of the other team thought it was a balk but stayed as a strike. On July 15, 1948, Paige picked up his first win against the Brooklyn Dodgers where former Negro League teammate Jackie Robinson was beating them 8-5 at Cleveland’s home field. Later in the season the American League President William Harridge made Paige’s hesitation pitch illegal to throw and next time threw it will be considered a balk. Satchel Paige ended his 1948 season with a great 6-1 record, a low 2.48 ERA, 2 shutouts, 43 strikeouts, 22 walks and 61 base hits allowed in 722⁄3

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