Satchel Paige of the Cleveland Indians 1949 Bowman Reprint Baseball Card

Alex Herman, of the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Negro Southern League discovered Satchel Paige and wanted to sign him to a $50 per week contract.Lula Paige didn’t want any part of it until Herman promised to send her a stipend extracted from Satchel’s salary.

Paige was used sparingly in 1926; on June 22 he got the starting job against the Albany Giants and ended up giving up 13 runs in the loss. It was during a game against the Memphis Red Sox that Bill “Plunk” Drake taught Paige the hesitation pitch that Paige would make famous. For the 1927 season, Paige was given a raise to $200 per month and a slick Ford Model A roadster. After just a few games, Paige abandoned the Lookouts for the $276 per month the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro National League were willing to pay.

Pitching for the Barons, Satchel Paige was wild and awkward and didn’t want to take advice on how to pitch from his manager, Bill Gatewood. During a game on June 27, 1927, against Cool PapaBell’s St. Louis Stars, Paige incited a riot by beaning three consecutive Stars players. Finally Paige accepted help with his mechanics from Sam Streeter and Harry Salmon. He finished the season 8-3 with 80 strikeouts and 19 walks in 93 innings.

Over the next 2 seasons, Paige went 23-25 while setting the Negro League single season strikeout record in 1929 with 184 including the then record of 17 in one game against the Detroit Stars. Due to his increased earning potential, Barons owner R. T. Jacksonwould “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.

Satchel's Major League Stats

Satchel Paige Bowman 1949 Reprint Baseball Card

"My pitching philosophy is simple - keep the ball way from the bat".

--Satchel Page

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