Today is the 22 anniversary of the death one of baseball’s great pitchers, Satchel Paige. I am not old enough to have seen Paige pitch, but many Americans who were of the right age still did not see him pitch because most of his career was played in the Negro leagues because of the color barrier. Infoplease says this of Paige:
American baseball player, b. Mobile, Ala. Celebrated for his wit and extraordinary pitching ability, he became legendary while barnstorming in the Negro baseball leagues prior to the integration (1947) of the major leagues. He played in as many as 2,500 games and is credited with more than 50 no-hitters. In 1948, at the age of 42, he joined the Cleveland Indians of the American League. He pitched for six seasons in the majors and was the first star of the Negro leagues to be inducted (1971) into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
