| Before a packed house at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, 72,434, Satchel Paige, age 42, made his first major league start, August 3, 1948. Paige pitched seven innings and got credited for the win as the Indians beat the Washington Senators 5-3. Catcher Jim Hegan homered for the Tribe and Eddie Klieman got the save for the Indians, which moved into a 4-team tie for first place.
On August 13, Paige pitched before a standing room only crowd at Comiskey Park, 50,013 fans attended and over 15,000 were turned away. Satchel Paige goes the complete game, beating the White Sox 5-0. Paige is the oldest rookie ever to pitch in the major leagues, around 42 years.
Indians owner Bill Veeck stated, "If Satch were white, of course, he would have been in the majors twenty-five years earlier. Leroy Satchel Paige, who pitched for years in the Negro League, is a member of the Hall of Fame.
For more news of players of the past, type Hall of Famer into the 'Search' located on the Home Page. |
