Satchel Paige Dominated MLB in His 40s (And 50s) | Baseball Bits

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Twitter: / foolishbb ______________________________________________________________
Satchel Paige. The man. The myth. The legend. There’s a lot to talk about here. The numerous Satchel Paige stories. The famous Satchel Paige fastball velocity and Satchel Paige windup. This video about Satchel Paige highlights the stats instead. Particularly from the Satchel Paige negro leagues years and Satchel Paige MLB years.
Satch played for many teams over his lengthy career. We’ll be sure to hit on the Satchel Paige Birmingham Black Barons, Satchel Paige Pittsburgh Crawfords, which featured Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston. Then the Satchel Paige Kansas City Monarchs, which is probably the team he’s most associated with. Finally, after following Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby to MLB, he pitched for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, and Kansas City Athletics.
In this episode of Baseball Bits, a Foolish Baseball production, I will attempt to separate fact from fiction by just looking at the Satchel Paige negro league stats and Satchel Paige MLB stats. We'll also talk about the Satchel Paige barnstorming tours featuring matchups like Satchel Paige vs Babe Ruth and Satchel Paige vs Bob Feller. These stats are punctuated by contributions from his autobiography Maybe I’ll Pitch Forever, which provide the necessary context of the time. So stay tuned and learn about the oldest baseball player AKA the oldest MLB player in history.
_______________________________________________________________
Maybe I'll Pitch Forever by Paige & Lipman: www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/bis...
Buck O'Neil on Paige vs Ruth: • Buck O'Neil talks abou...
Satchel Paige on Baseball Reference: www.baseball-reference.com/pl...
Satchel Paige on Seamheads: www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/pl...
The League documentary now available to rent: www.theleaguedocumentary.com/
Soundtrack by William Kage: williamkage.com/

[@FoolishBaseball]

Use code FOOLISH50 to get 50% off your first Factor box at bit.ly/3IsnN7U

[@chuggaroo]

NO

[@RetroBaseball]

“I don't know how old I am because a goat ate the Bible that had my birth certificate in it. The goat lived to be twenty-seven.” - Leroy Satchel Paige

[@FoolishBaseball]

That goat's name? Comment below

[@RetroBaseball]

@@FoolishBaseball I feel like it should be named Kevin but maybe that’s just me.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@FoolishBaseball Tom Brady

[@markpjgaming1795]

the goats name should be journeyman pitcher and grid legend edwin jackson

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@markpjgaming1795 I see your Edwin Jackson and will raise you a Bobo Newsome

[@caseystorton681]

And then 3 years after his time with the As, Paige was briefly signed by the Atlanta Braves at the age of 62. While he never ended up pitching for Atlanta, they didn't care, stating that the primary reason they signed Paige was because he needed 158 more days on an active MLB roster to qualify for his pension.

[@FoolishBaseball]

There's some footage of him putting on a Braves uniform and tossing some pitches in the bullpen.

[@benn454]

That's awesome. Good on the Braves for looking out for a legend.

[@marcoslaureano5562]

That's awesome. Props to them for that. He deserved so much more but at least they did him a real solid with that.

[@John-cl2uq]

Ok. I hate the Braves. But now I hate them a lot less for this fact. Thanks for sharing.

[@Firecracker321g]

Learn something new everyday. Thank u sir, I never knew that

[@CadChamberlain]

Satchel Paige's life story alone would make him an American icon, as would the numbers that are fully verified which only make up a small portion of his baseball career.

[@FoolishBaseball]

He's basically one part Paul Bunyan one part Nolan Ryan.

[@ageyoung24]

Why isn't there a hollywood movie about this legend?

[@CadChamberlain]

@@ageyoung24 Its up to his estate to allow it to be made

[@felixmarvin1199]

​@@ageyoung24because it's easier to race swap characters in an already written and studio owned script.

[@FratBoyFishing]

I have a great Satchel Paige story from my uncle. When my uncle was a kid, he used to go to Forbes field to watch the Pirates play and often would sit in the bleachers near the bullpen and try to chat and get autographs with the pitchers. One game, Satchel Paige was one of trainers for the opposing team and my uncle was talking to him and asked him, “Hey Satch, how were you able to pitch for so long?” To which Paige replied, “Never eat pork!” Funny enough after their conversation, Satchel slipped my uncle a dollar and asked him to go buy him an ice cream sandwich from the concessions to which he proceeded to eat underneath a handkerchief” 😂

[@SalisburyTheWaterFoxxo]

XD Sneaky

[@houstonmuhammad843]

I think FratBoyFishing goes fishing without a pole.

[@handsomeX]

Great story! ❤

[@swadizzy]

Love to see Bailey showing his second channel more attention

[@FoolishBaseball]

come on now

[@wilsonian6082]

The Little Joel of baseball channels

[@therealbs2000]

​@@FoolishBaseballooh that burn so good

[@person_perhaps]

Give him 2 years and he’ll pull a Jerma

[@austin8783]

It's incredible that we have as much footage of Satchel as we do. He's one of the few that the "exaggerated stories" probably aren't all that exaggerated. Getting big league hitters out in your 50s is no joke, no matter what era you were in. Watching him in his 20s must've been like watching a superhuman

[@bryanzzz748]

I have a lot of doubt about any pitcher before 1940 being able to throw 100 mph but if there’s one guy I definitely wouldn’t doubt with that task it would be Satchel.

[@qfmarsh64]

"'Tungsten Arm' O'Doyle? Hell, I outduelled him over a 23-inning game once. Struck out 50 men that day!"

[@funkgremlin2765]

He might’ve legitimately been throwing 95-97 in the 30s. That would look like 150 mph back then

[@broncos435]

he's baseball's wilt chamberlain

[@corntrollio854]

@@bryanzzz748 Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson would be two that are easy to believe. What make's him more believable than anyone else?

[@CadChamberlain]

I would argue, of all the legends, Satchel would have the easiest time adapting to modern baseball. He adapted to multiple leagues across multiple decades using multiple methods of pitching. I would argue no other player in any sport has ever been asked to adapt more than him, let alone succeed at doing so each time.

[@sergeynazaro1768]

Facts

[@FoolishBaseball]

I think it's around integration that we see the first "time machine players." These are players you could put in the time machine, bring to modern day, and expect them to compete at 2023 MLB level. I don't think Babe Ruth would've been able to do it if we abducted him from 1927. But guys like Ted Williams, Satchel Paige, and Jackie Robinson might've.

[@andrewhawkins6754]

@@FoolishBaseball I think ol' Stevie needs to dig up his grave 'cause even him as a skeleton is better than what he spent his billions on this year. I'm not salty at all, no sir.

[@iamhungey12345]

@@FoolishBaseball Mickey Mantle as well provided that he takes care of himself.

[@thomasg2488]

@@iamhungey12345 Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente RIP

[@imc440]

Reminder that the span of time between Satchel Paige’s debut and Carl Yastrzemski’s retirement was 1927-1983.

[@FoolishBaseball]

Satch played with Bill Gatewood (born 1881) and against Carl Yastrzemski (born 1939). He also faced a team in 1966 that featured Johnny Bench (born 1947).

[@warlordofbritannia]

Six Degrees of Yaz achieved

[@dominicpancella3012]

​@@FoolishBaseballHe was also teammates with Skip Lockwood, who was born in 1946

[@madmanac]

One of my favorite Satch stories doubles as a great Dimaggio story too. Some time in the mid-30s, when Dimaggio was still playing with the San Francisco Seals, a Yankee scout went to see him play against one of Paige's many barnstorming teams. The scout wired back to the home office "Dimaggio all we could hope for as a player. Hit Satch 1 for 4."

[@GenericUserNameHere]

DiMaggio, never renowned for his humility,reportedly said he knew he was ready for the bigs when he got a hit off Satchel

[@ianschmitt4991]

​@@GenericUserNameHerethat's a good standard to be fair to Mr DiMaggio

[@handsomeX]

Baseball has the best stories. I'm not a huge Baseball fan, per se, but the best sports books I've ever read were about Baseball. The sport translates into writing so well.

[@TheEagleEnigma]

fun fact, his nickname satchel comes from his childhood job of being a bag porter at the train station; after the satchels he carried. his birth name is leroy

[@FoolishBaseball]

Fun fact: Bob Gibson's nickname comes from the fact his parents named him Robert

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@FoolishBaseball Don’t be foolish, he got the name Robert from his nickname Bob

[@therealbs2000]

​​@@FoolishBaseballsandy koufax got his name from the sandbox he used to play in while the other boys were at yeshiva

[@dominicpancella3012]

​@@FoolishBaseballI hope you know his real first name is Pack

[@MarquisdeSuave]

Oh, I thought he was nicknamed Satchel because he had a giant pair of balls that looked like a carry-on bag.

[@Pjokes65]

The craziest thing to me is how he reinvented himself after blowing out his arm. Going from a guy who didn’t really need off-speed stuff because he had pinpoint command of the best fastball anyone had ever seen to losing the heat but still dominating with terrific control over a dozen different breaking balls is just insane

[@therealbs2000]

He went from peak degrom to old greinke overnight and still held it down for two decades

[@chandlercarroll3242]

Just when you thought they couldn’t get better, he throws out the best one he’s ever made. 😂

[@FoolishBaseball]

Thank you!

[@Legault397]

it is so damn sad that MLB was segregated for so long. So many incredible players that never got to prove that they belonged at the highest level of the sport, and whose history and stats are so fragmented. It's honestly a tragedy.

[@GenericUserNameHere]

Paige said his one professional regret was not getting to strike out Babe Ruth. Maybe I’m biased but I think he’d have put the Bambino on his rear.

[@Fatallica]

Bailey said it himself in this video, the negro all stars were on par or better than the MLB equivalent. If that really is the case then i'd say the call for integration would be much more on a moral level than a competitive one.

[@John-cl2uq]

As Buck O'Neill would say, "I arrived just on time." The NLB players didn't miss out on playing in the majors. No, MLB missed out on having those guys.

[@mentalhaze4226]

The crazy thing is, that it is widely believed that Satchel was anywhere from 5 to 7 yrs older than he said he was. Meaning he more than likely played his first MLB game at the young age of 47 or 49 instead of 42. Crazy

[@satchelwilliams6241]

As a man named after Satchel Paige, this video highlight of my year, my mom used to always say he was supposed to break the barrier not Robinson

[@youngorochi]

Satchel Paige pitching 3 innings going scoreless and only giving up one hit at 59 is the most gangster thing in baseball history

[@olddoggo6769]

Really glad he was able to win a World Series in 48

[@FoolishBaseball]

yup. made a couple all star games as well

[@rileyesmay]

That's crazy that he pitched at 59 years old!

[@FoolishBaseball]

I read his autobiography "Maybe I'll Pitch Forever" to make this video. He'd been pitching professionally for 36 years when it was published and he still wasn't even done.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@FoolishBaseball We need a baseball memoir tierlist, from “Veeck as in Wreck” to [insert quickie cashgrab here]

[@John-cl2uq]

Allegedly 59. He was probably older.

[@lordxelizor]

Satchel Paige gave up only 44 home runs in his whole career. 23 of them came after his 43rd birthday so he had just 21 in his first ~1400 IP. His .13 HR/9 is the best before age 43 with > 500 IP and < 3 ERA.

[@charlesritacca4753]

stathead op

[@lordxelizor]

@@charlesritacca4753 I don’t got that kind of cash. This was pure fangraphs

[@bti5]

Man was simply goated

[@makanih808]

Least insane Satchel Paige statistic

[@FoolishBaseball]

I think the tracking of home runs from then is a little incomplete though www.baseball-reference.com/about/coverage.shtml

[@backyardbaseball2006]

You don't know how much i appreciate a video like THIS being made by the GOAT baseball youtuber

[@FoolishBaseball]

He's definitely in the discussion. I would compare him to Cy Young and Nolan Ryan.

[@DylanH2171]

@@FoolishBaseballI believe he’s calling you the GOAT (which you are), not Satchel Paige

[@warlordofbritannia]

Who is the white equivalent of Satch, anyways? A right-hander who pitched forever with a great fastball? He was Nolan Ryan with control, an even more durable Walter Johnson…Justin Verlander might be the best parallel

[@gusterposey]

@@warlordofbritannia or Nolan Ryan

[@Darthtanos]

@@warlordofbritannia randy johnson

[@leoa2187]

About time a video was made about this guy! I remember doing a middle school project about him for black history month in 2007. Dude is such a beast.

[@FoolishBaseball]

Probably THE player most associated with the Negro Leagues

[@Susbus69]

@@FoolishBaseballhim or Gibson

[@alexanderbean7737]

As I approach my 36th birthday, its nice to know i still theoretically have 23 years left to try to break into the majors

[@alexgiangreco3754]

I made a song about Satch a couple years back. Live about 3/4 miles from his grave. His home here in KC was burned down but the NLBM has since purchased it with plans to renovate and use the structure. Shout out to Minnie Minoso, too. He's prob a worth a video. Got to briefly meet him at All Star Fan Fest. And Buck O'Neil certainly deserves a long form deep dive. May be the guy with the most understated influence on the game.

[@northstarjakobs]

Buck O'Neil is one of the biggest reasons I'm such a big baseball fan today. Never got the chance to meet the guy (I was only 4 when he passed), but I watched Ken Burns's Baseball at age 10 and his stories captivated me. I've been lucky enough to visit the NLBM twice and it's really such a gem of a museum (and it shares a building with the American Jazz Museum, another very cool museum). He did so much to make sure that Negro Leagues baseball was recognized.

[@alexgiangreco3754]

@@northstarjakobs Buck is one of 4 NLBers I've met. Minnie Minoso, Connie Johnson, and Slick Surratt were the other 3. Funny enough it was at a Hyvee and he had 4 big packages of toilet paper because they were on sale. I was 10, and he waited to load up in the van that brought him there while I ran back to our car for a ball. Still have that ball today. Met Surratt and Johnson at the same time, admittedly not knowing who they really were then.

[@therealbs2000]

My favorite minnie minoso story involves a hot dog he put in his back pocket

[@alexgiangreco3754]

@@therealbs2000 I've heard about the sunglasses in the pocket, but I don't remember a frank. Wanna fill me in?

[@bigwills53]

that intro fake story about Satchel is the absolute funniest thing you've ever done man lol

[@SteefPip]

Satchel Paige was too good to pitch in the NL/AL in his prime, it wouldn't have been fair. What a legend.

[@Bretkane]

The greatest pitcher of all time.

[@FoolishBaseball]

A very reasonable answer to that question

[@connorkimball3064]

in an alternate timeline where reconstruction was more successful we would have had a full satchel paige MLB career

[@Johnnysox9]

Also should note that he put up great numbers for the AAA Miami Marlins in his 50’s. Dude was the absolute real deal GOAT.

[@BenZ-ui7tu]

I worked by where the old stadium was. Kind of wild to think about

[@luishumbertovega3900]

There's a story about Satchel playing in my country Puerto 🇵🇷 Rico for the Guayama Brujos (Witches, see photo at 3:27) team at his local ballpark, where he supposedly saw a ghost besides him while he was pitching and he was so scared that he abandoned the game, ran away and never played again in that field 😂.

[@SouthboundStill]

RIP Foolish Bailey October 31 2023. You will be missed.

[@joshuapatrick682]

Dude as 150 ERA + over a 22 year career. That is CRAZY!!!!

[@luscorpio3679]

This is one of the best Baseball Bits you have ever produced. Loved the video

[@ghidrah55]

This was such a wonderful video! I just gave a speech on satchel in one of my college classes and he truly was a remarkable man. Some of those might be tall tales but they still add so much to the story of baseball and he should be honored as one of the greatest to ever pick up a ball.

[@JHamilton791]

That was excellent, Bailey, thanks! Always love your second channel's content.

[@masonvalente2134]

You love to see a new foolish baseball video

[@FoolishBaseball]

And I love to upload one!

[@MoshiCola]

Absolutely loved this video. Keep it up Bailey

[@HungryDaYankeeFan]

Love these history videos amazing keep ‘em coming..

[@SEANIEHSHINE]

Really good job brother it made me sub with bell on💪🏿

[@poindextertunes]

this is by far the most comprehensive video ive seen on Satch. thank you

[@RockNRollAllNight56]

Glad you got your channel back Bailey!

[@pathutchison7688]

That Josh Gibson/Satchel Paige tandem is arguably the greatest hitter and pitcher of all time

[@marcoslaureano5562]

13 time All Star and Hall of Famer, Orestes "Minnie" Minoso retired in '64 at 40 years old. Came back in the 70s at 52 and retired again. Only to return again in 1980 at the age of 57. He started his major league career in 1946.

[@SunnySide822]

Only player that can say really “I’m too old for this”

[@warlordofbritannia]

“…but I’m gonna do it anyways”

[@theWreakerofChaos]

Satchel is probably my favorite athlete that I never got to see play. I'm just glad to see someone making a video about him. Also, slightly unrelated, the Kansas City Monarchs are now an Indy league team, and they do a great job of keeping the history of the Negro Leagues alive.

[@GretzkyontheBlues]

Always a good day when you see a new Foolish video

[@dillpi8866]

this one means a lot to me. paige is an absolute legend who has never received the respect he deserves and he never will but at least bailey will help expand the modern understanding of how insanely impressive and important he is. thank you and go phillies :)

[@KolbyCooperOfficial]

Man I live for these videos baseball is such a beautiful thing ❤

[@EdgarDiaz-pt4qx]

Although I never got to see him play, Satchel Paige was always my favorite player to learn and read about when I was younger. The stories and the stats, I thought, were insane lol so awesome to see this video. Great work Foolish Baseball!!

[@duhbigcat1848]

Absolutely brilliant video.

[@luisangelamparo6954]

the michael jackson-satchel paige crossover was * chef's kiss *

[@FoolishBaseball]

hee hee

[@sethpulsford511]

Thank you for finally uploading on your second channel

[@yourownpersonaljesus2108]

Satchel Paige in the rocking chair between innings was hilarious

[@John-cl2uq]

The BEST intro you've ever done, and maybe even the best video. Or certainly my favorite! Great work. I would LOVE to see you do one analyzing the career of the pitcher who is #1 in career WPA - Lefty Grove. Or at least a dive into his 1931 season that set the still-current record for single season WPA. That year he won league MVP, the pitching triple crown, went 31-4, AND led the league in FIP, WHIP, K/BB ratio, complete games, and shutouts. Yet, most people forget about him because he pitched before TV and before most radio recordings that have been preserved.

[@unhpsychology3909]

Fantastic job, as always. If someone asked me for a singular recommendation for baseball content on KZbin, I would point them to Baseball Bits every time.

[@newtonstan7864]

New Foolish Baseball video and October to our door steps. Best time of the year.

[@griffinm9]

New baseball bits, best Tuesday ever

[@mlbmobilegamer]

amazing!!!

[@fluoriteheals]

WOW! I never knew that he played in my Hometown! Astounding and inspiring! I have been a pitcher but never made an organized team. I'm 45 now and my arm is better than it has ever been. I'm looking to start a league of my own or join on to another so i can show my stuff!!

[@TheronSorensen]

The audio for the murder and murdered part sounds like the dialogue when characters are in the red room in Twin Peaks

[@FoolishBaseball]

I think it sounds like Banjo Kazooie dialogue

[@sinosleep007]

Best baseball channel on youtube.

[@dumbbuff]

Excellent video!

[@tybeeez]

Great vid as always Cool Papa Bell! Can't wait for Halloween this year! 👻

[@tomritz52]

Brightening my rainy day, never a bad time for baseball bits!

[@sway_onthetrail]

YESSSSSS!! My favorite pitcher of all time, I am STOKED to finally see this video.

[@brendansouter4869]

I have midterms to study for, but that can wait with a new Foolish Baseball video

[@alpine3931]

Satchel Paige sounds like if you took a present day pitcher and dropped him in the 20’s with that eras arm endurance

[@noahsherman257]

Baseball Bits is back!

[@justinkeizer2386]

I recently graduated college with a history degree and the negro leagues were the focus of my final thesis. As much as I loved my paper and the work that went into it. I can so clearly see that Bailey comes from a similar background but is so much more proficient in his ability to pull out the very best from his sources. Another banger video as always. Loved it

[@TheBBD]

This was awesome

[@YaleStewartArt]

Of all the great videos you've made--and frankly most of them are--this one is high on the list for best all-time. Also, "that baby's name was Bob Gibson" took me OUT. lmao

[@TheTEN24]

This is an awesome video Bailey, what a player he was. One of the legends like Ted Williams that you wish you could have seen play.

[@augustwest7292]

Another fine foolish baseball production 👏

[@strawhatgoose7719]

if we were able to see more of Satchel i feel he'd have a case as the best baseball player ever. Hell he might have a case now

[@leonardouribe522]

Waiting for the next inning on a rocking chair is insane 😂😂😂

[@Rhezz12]

I don't know nearly enough about Satchel as I should, this was a great watch.

[@subforacasserole]

It makes my day 69.420 % better when Foolish Baseball uploads

[@unexpected0010]

Just in time for lunch! This’ll be a treat!

[@anadraham2995]

Well that was incredibly fun (as usual) ‼️

[@BaseballYakker]

Hey Bailey, just wanted to mention a few things about Negro League stats. It's true that negro League stats are better compiled than a lot of folks think, but they are far from complete. Regular seasons were indeed short (70ish games), but teams often played another 30-40 "major League" non--regular-season games against each other (100+ total). The stats that we do have are those with known boxscores, but a large portion (maybe 30-50 %) are missing boxscores. So Paige's published numbers are probably only half or less or of his actual totals. I recommend Retrosheet's Negro League game data for a good idea of how many games for which we have boxscores and how many are missing. Also, papers rarely published earned runs for Negro League games, so ERA is often more of an estimate than hard numbers.

[@terencehill2320]

It was sad to know that Satchel Paige passed away the day I was born, June 8, 1982, also the same night Rickey Henderson stole a crap ton of bases in a couple of innings :)

[@CubeApril]

Absolutely fantastic video and story, although the upscaling software used on some of those images produced some downright creepy weird results.

[@Impepega]

The edit from sponsor to the start of the video was cold.

[@WendyFrank-vu4ts]

60 years old and went 3 scoreless!!!! Absolutely amazing

[@braydensullivan3980]

Kalamazoo mentioned! Classic Foolish Baseball W

[@mazurbeem]

the GOAT

[@FinzTalkzTV]

In the history of baseball, when it comes to pitching, there are only three legitimate freaks of nature: Nolan Ryan, randy Johnson, and satchel Paige. That is it.

[@notthemauler]

Beautiful video

[@drock9933]

Since childhood I’ve always had an obsession with Satchel. His Jersey was the fist one I ever got with my own money still have it to this day

[@haydenpike8586]

Best Baseball Bits in awhile

[@craigwheeler4760]

Here's how insane Satchel Paige was: He threw 2 shutouts in the MLB for the St. Louis Browns at age 46. He was the oldest non-knuckleball pitcher to ever throw a CG shutout until Jamie Moyer did it in 2010. Satchel's obscure record stood about 60 years. He also came back around age 60 to throw 3 innings of relief with no spring training, no team jelling, or anything....and allowed only 1 hit. I'd say this guy was probably throwing 101-105 MPH in his prime on a good day.

[@anthonys3892]

Sb nation needs a series on this dude

[@StarkRavingSports]

What would it take for you to try and recreate that windup in the thumbnail?

[@FoolishBaseball]

at least an hour of stretching

[@Dylan-yb9tj]

what i got from this is not only was satchel paige a great baseball player. He was one of the greatest people in baseball.

[@graysonbyass-rascoe4326]

WE ARE BACK LET'S GOOOO (Thank you for making my day ❤️)

[@luvdemjets1998]

Really appreciate you showing love to some of the greats coming from the Negro league.

[@No5712]

using satchel paige for orioles - athletics on immaculate grid is a dopamine rush

[@FoolishBaseball]

sicko move

[@moonlapsevertigo2432]

13:23 yikes at that strike call!!

[@DutchVanDerLinde-sx1ox]

I found out about satchel paige from a book where the main characters father is an injured catcher. I don't know why, but that book sticks out in my memory.

[@knowyourenemies7]

Paige and Feller are my 2 favorites as a Cleveland fan. Never knew they faced off.