22 interesting facts about Satchel Paige

1. Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime.
2. Satchel Paige was over 40 years old the entire time he played in the majors.
3. Satchel Paige was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971, the first player to be inducted from the Negro leagues.
4. Satchel started his career in 1924 when he had a tryout with the Mobile Tigers, a semi-pro baseball team.
5. Paige was a right-handed pitcher and was the oldest rookie to play Major League Baseball at the age of 42.
6. Satchel Paige earned his nickname, "Satchel," as a young boy, when he took a job carrying bags (and satchels) at railroad stations for passengers.
7. When the Negro League wasn't playing in the winter, Satchel Paige would go to the Caribbean leagues and pitch.
   
8. He played with the St. Louis Browns until age 47 and represented them in the Major League All-Star Game in both 1952 and 1953.
9. Satchel Paige went on to become the dominant pitcher of the Negro Leagues.
10. Satchel Paige started 29 games in one month in Bismarck, North Dakota.
11. Satchel Paige would face major league players annually by playing against major league barnstorming teams.
12. Satchel Paige claimed that he won 104 of the 105 games he pitched in 1934.
13. Satchel Paige holds the record for being the oldest rookie in the Major League.
14. Satchel Paige was brought into the major leagues in 1948 by Bill Veeck to play for Cleveland.
15. Satchel Paige ended his six-year major league career with a 28-31 record and a 3.29 ERA.
16. In his first year with Cleveland, Satchel Paige went 6-1 with one save and a 2.48 ERA.
17. Satchel Paige retired in 1953.
18. Joe DiMaggio called him "the best and fastest pitcher I've ever faced."
19. Pitching for the Kansas City Athletics made him the oldest player in the Major Leagues.
20. Satchel Paige made a special appearance in 1965, pitching 3 innings for the Kansas City Athletics.
21. Satchel Paige did not commit a single error in 179 major league games.
22. His professional playing career lasted from 1926 until 1966.