Chapter 2 The Big Leagues and Beyond
Jackie Robinson broke into the majors with Brooklyn in 1947. His trials and tribulations have been well documented. But despite his breaking the color barrier, there was no real rush by any major league team to follow the Dodgers lead. Larry Doby was signed by the Indians, 3 months after Jackie made his debut and went straight to the majors from the Negro Leagues. It would be the following year in July of 1948, I was barely 3 weeks old, when 42-year-old Satchel Paige finally got his chance. He was signed by Bill Veeck for the Indians and he and Doby would help lead them to the World Series Championship over the Braves. Becoming the first black teammates to play for a World Champion.
Satch went 6-1 with an ERA of 2.48. Some writers were so impressed that he received Rookie of the Year votes. He joked he would have had to decline the award since he was not sure which year the writers were talking about. It would be the best season of any of his six years in the majors. He pitched one more year in Cleveland, and then moved on to the St. Louis Browns.
He went 18-23 in his three seasons with the Browns. He had a 12-10 record in 1952. Although his record in the majors was 28-31 with a 3.29 ERA, it is pretty impressive when you consider he was 42 before he even got there. His last game in the majors came for Charlie Finley’s Kansas City A’s in 1965. He shut out the Red Sox for three innings on one hit. A double to Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz led the league in doubles that year and had seen his dad hit against Paige in a semi-pro game on Long Island a generation earlier. He was 59 years, 2 months and eight days old when he ended his career.
That night he was 2 years older than his nearest competitor for the oldest player to appear in a major league game, and he was 33 years older than his catcher. Paige continued to pitch now and then. Mostly just exhibitions. After he had left the Browns, he pitched for Miami of the International League, a Phillies affiliate. He won 30 games over those three seasons, but never made it back to the majors with the Phils.
He pitched five games for Portland in the PCL in 1961. He was 54 years old. Portland was a Cardinals farm team. After his one game in KC, he pitched in one game for Peninsula in the Carolina League and called it a career.
He was as colorful as they come. And a tireless self-promoter. Paige was also very quotable. Some of his best. ” Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you.” ” Smile well and often, it makes people wonder what you have been up to.” ” How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” “Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way,”
A couple more. ” Never pray for rain if you don’t pray when the sun shines.” ” You win a few. You lose a few. But you have got to dress for all of them.” And one of my favorites. ” Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. And dance like there is nobody watching.”
Paige was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971. The very first Negro League player afforded this honor. His last years were spent quietly in Kansas City with his wife, Lahoma and where he and her had raised seven children. Those years were probably too quiet for the man who had reveled in the cheers of the crowd.
His last public appearance was in Kansas City, on June 5th, 1982. He was there for a dedication of a field being named in his honor. He was in a wheelchair and his voice was not what it once was. He told the crowd that he hoped the next time he spoke that he could stand. He thanked them and said I have lived in Kansas City for 46 years, and people on the street do not recognize me. His friends, knowing his condition, had rushed to put the ceremony together. The stadium they were dedicating was as old and falling apart as the old pitcher himself.
Two days later, KC was battered by a rainstorm that felled trees and knocked out power. Paige woke that night with a headache. The next morning, he could not find a comfortable position to lie or sit. His shoulder hurt and he had the chills. His wife put a hot compress on him and covered him with her coat. Then she left to get ice so the food in the refrigerator would not spoil. While she was gone, her second oldest daughter found Paige in a daze. She asked if he could hear her, but he just muttered. She called the paramedics, but they were delayed by a fallen tree.
When his wife returned, she tried to resuscitate him with CPR she had learned as a nurse’s aide. His heart finally gave out in the ambulance, and he was pronounced dead. He had known he was going to pass away soon, but they did not talk about it.
If we look back it is easy to see that Paige had more than his memorable form to set him apart and earned him a cherished spot not just in the Hall of Fame, but in a statue of him that now stands on the grounds. He also was a pioneer in racial equality for his race. A role that is lost because of his showmanship and bluster.
He proved that blacks could play and play well against white teams and that black fans would fill ballparks. He regularly beat white teams during this era of segregated baseball. And he beat the best of them, Dean, Feller, and other white champions. They barnstormed all over the US and in the Caribbean. He drew attention to himself, then his team, the Monarchs and finally, to Jackie Robinson himself.
If you look at his career, Paige was fighting for the demise of baseball’s color line long before Jackie appeared. He was fighting for it the same way early civil rights leaders did for Dr. King. The way Louis Armstrong did for black music and Paul Roberson for black stage performers. So Satchel is not only known as a great Black pitcher, but simply as a great pitcher. Did he win as many as he said he did? Well we would have to see his notebook to find out how much is true. I would think the truth is somewhere less than what he claimed, but more than he got credit for. Satchel Paige is and was a true baseball legend.
Does anyone really care about the WBC, sorry but I just cant get into it….
Not I
I love it! You guys are missing out if you aren’t tuning in….the energy is playoffesque.
Its a glorified exhibition….
Tell that to the fans who are packing the stadiums and going crazy.
Speaking about the US…..most of those fans in Miami are not from the US.
Mostly foreign fans, To them it is like a World Series or the Olympics. US fans have not really bought into it. The US players seem to have though.
This is true, actually. A lot of energy. Fans from Latin America and Asia go crazy over the WBC. I would actually like it to catch on more here.
Lot’s of energy and different vibe. Japan’s fans had their own trumpet section. It’s a little like a combination between the World Cup and playoff baseball.
I think the response to the WBC depends on if you are into that kind of tournament. I for one am not a fan because I would rather see my team’s players with the team. Also, the possibility of a debilitating injury. The Mets lost Diaz for the season when he was injured celebrating. Altuve is going to be out for a couple of months after getting his thumb broke by a pitch. There were other minor injuries such as strains and hammy pulls and such. And of course, those can happen in spring training also.
I think the intensity of the games is pretty cool and sure beats watching what has become some serious boring spring training games. It is just me or is Tim and Rick getting more and more boring game by game but every now and then get to see a stone blossoming
Sometimes I actually almost forget how much I despise altuve then I see him play again and get reminded quick
I don’t bear any ill will to the lying little ____________. It’s just too bad his body did not rot in their cheating lies.
4:05 PM ET vs Cleveland (away)
SP Clayton Kershaw L
0-1 6.14 ERA 7.1IP 6K
SP Triston McKenzie R
1-2 8.10ERA 10IP 11K
Confirmed Lineup
LF D. Peralta L
CF J. Heyward L
3B Max Muncy L
RF James Outman L
2B M. Busch L
1B Devin Mann R
DH Ryan Ward L
SS Y. Hernandez S
C P. Mazeika L
Cloudy
16% Rain
63° Wind 9 mph Out
Lineup change Feduccia batting 9th and catching
4:05 PM ET vs San Fran (home at Glendale)
Alex Wood L
0-1 7.71ERA 4.2IP 8K
Noah Syndergaard R
1-1 0.96ERA 9.1IP 8K
Confirmed Lineup
3B Chris Taylor R
1B F. Freeman L
CF T. Thompson R
DH J. Martinez R
SS Miguel Rojas R
2B M. Vargas R
LF Jonny DeLuca R
RF Jose Ramos R
C P. Mazeika L
Cloudy
21% Rain
61° Wind 6 mph R-L
Split squad games today
Which one is the TV game????
I don’t know
LA-Giants is the TV game. Cleveland radio broadcast for the other. Kersh went 5 and gave up 2. Syndergaard gave up four in one inning. Peralta hit his first homer of spring and has three RBI’s in the Cleveland game.
The active roster for position players on dodgers.com has 13 listed:
Barnes
Smith
Freeman
Muncy
Rojas
Betts
Peralta
Taylor
Martinez
Hernandez
Vargas
Outman
Thompson
They’re paying Peralta and Taylor decent money, so does anyone think they won’t make the roster? I don’t.
So:
If Heyward gets added to the roster, who is shit out of luck?
A) Heyward doesn’t get added
B) Hernandez
C) Vargas
D) Outman
E) Thompson
Vote now or forever hold your peace. lol.
B) Hernandez
I won’t reply to anyone’s vote I promise. If you think either Peralta or Taylor are shit out of luck vote F) and put the name.
Hernandez
D) Outman is OUT MAN Oklahoma City Bound
Agree Outman will play every day at okc
F) the fans
I suck at guessing, but Outman to AAA.
I saw the game with KC in 1965. They televised it. My Dad called me out to see it, because Paige had been so great.
It was in KC when the A’s were there. Charlie Finley had him sitting in a rocker tended to by a nurse as part of the gag. The A’s weren’t selling tickets so it was done as a stunt to get people to the game.
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic01.nyt.com%2Fimages%2F2014%2F10%2F04%2Fupshot%2F04up-Beschlos%2F04up-Beschlos-articleLarge.jpg%3Fquality%3D75%26auto%3Dwebp%26disable%3Dupscale&tbnid=7yptmPibE1BoeM&vet=12ahUKEwiSnZC_1u39AhVshe4BHYo0AgsQMygBegUIARDAAQ..i&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2014%2F10%2F04%2Fupshot%2Fthe-twilight-of-satchel-paige.html&docid=4yWJdXYY4UP8CM&w=600&h=830&q=satchel%20paige%20kansas%20city%20athletics&ved=2ahUKEwiSnZC_1u39AhVshe4BHYo0AgsQMygBegUIARDAAQ
Rick,
The link does not work for me.
I’ll be honest. I didn’t watch one inning of the WBC. No specific reason, but just never put it on.
However, I did put yesterday’s Japan game on in the 7th, and yes, it was a playoff type atmosphere. So I will definitely have today’s game on now!
I don’t understand the WBC hate from baseball fans. I mean would you seriously rather be watching spring training ball? To me it’s just a nice little treat every 4 years and now that a lot of the best players are actually in it (at least from a position player standpoint) all the better. I mean who wouldn’t want to watch Trout face Ohtani?
We are in agreement. Shocking, I know.
You have to remember the median age of this particular cohort is about 70. Change is not something that’s usually very popular in that demographic.
You’ll get there.
He might not make it! 😉
“Grrrr! I’m not interested in any of this new-fangled, world baseball tom foolery! It’s all a bunch of nonsense! The World Series is in October, and there ain’t no two ways about it! Baseball has been all downhill since Koufax retired! Grrrr! …. Now get off my lawn!!”
Not at all convincing
You have give these things time. Schmaltz takes years to perfect You’ve got a head start on being inflexible, but you haven’t lived long enough earn your disaffected curmudgeon stripes.
I don’t watch soccer and I don’t care about international sports. The WBC is like the World Cup to me. Fake nationalism and we already know we’re the best.
I’ve watched a few games. They have been far more entertaining than anything the Dodgers are doing. I have had no attachment to an outcome – until today.
Best in WC? Dream on.
Get off my lawn!!
Bet you’re a blast at parties.
https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Clint-Eastwood-Get-Off-My-Lawn-Gran-Torino-by-clickmouse/51298501.LVTDI
I have watched a few innings.
I will watch the final tonight,
The players are sure into it! I can’t wait to see Ohtani face Trout. Why can’t we develop a baseball version of the World Cup? I think it’s great!
Amazing to see the 2 Angel players, maybe the best 2 players in the game, walking in with their flags.
And even more amazing how irrelevant the Angels are. Shohei is gone sometime in 2023. Trout should demand out afterwards and go experience October.
The reports of Outman’s death are greatly exaggerated. Outman with a single and double today with an RBI.
Means a little, but not much if it comes down to them cutting a guy on the roster for Heyward. Outman has options. None of the other outfielders do. Now they might carry the all of them and have Taylor as the only backup infielder. But that does not make much sense. They really need another infielder on the 26-man.
Syndergaard needs another pitch. Looks same as with Angels – long relief/ mop up guy and not fooling anyone.
Vargas with a nice catch going out to center.
I would never make that judgment during Spring Training… especially since he has four other excellent outings. You have no clue what he was working on.
True that. He said his blister problem flared up. Soggy weather too. Meh.
He’s making big money ($13 mil). Expecting more.
Unfortunately, that’s the market. And from what I hear he turned down more money to come to the Dodgers.
Watching him it looks like he’s focused on working on an off-speed pitch, so they don’t care too much about pitch selection that’s going to get a hitter out. Still, hitters were squaring on his fastball. It’s just not the weapon it used to be, and one he can rely on to overwhelm hitters. He’s got to mix speeds and go for deception.
That’s my fear – that the Syndergaard the Dodgers are getting is the Syndergaard of the past couple of years – 4.00 ERA/average 4th/5th starter. For the Dodgers to do well this year, they have to strike gold with signings such as Syndergaard and JDM – like they struck gold with Anderson and Heaney last year. If he’s going to pitch like he did with the Angels you might as well promote Gavin Stone.
There are four players on the active roster who will probably start the season on the IL. Gonsolin, 15day, Hudson, 15day, Reyes, 60day, Lux,60 day, that means there will be four roster spots that can be filled which allows them a little time before making final decisions on guys like Heyward and Thompson. We all are pretty sure who the position player locks are. C Smith, Barnes. 1B Freddie, 2B Vargas, SS Rojas, 3B, Max, Util, Taylor, LF Peralta, RF, Betts. DH and occasional LF Martinez. CF candidates are Outman, Heyward and Thompson. Backup infielder, Hernandez, possibly Williams because he plays multiple positions, About 5 or 6 guys in the running for three spots. Most prefer one of those to be Outman.
In my opinion, none of the other non-roster outfielders have a shot at making the team. It is going to be an interesting final week. I can see Outman assuring himself a spot with a hot finish. But then again, nothing on this team is etched in stone.
If you had to put money on it, who makes the 4 outfield spots to start the year.
Betts, Thompson, Peralta, Taylor.
Taylor is utility. I still believe they want to keep both Heyward and Thompson.
They will.
Betts, Outman, Peralta, Taylor. Those will be the starters and the last 2 platooning.
I think they’ll carry 5. Maybe even 6.
Ohtani strikes out Trout as Japan wins the WBC.
How can this happen?
Unbelievable!
Team with 8 Ks, Trout had 3 of them.
0 for 7 RISP
Exhibition is over. Get back to camp.
It was a great game … and a great at-bat!
Ohtani was just going fastball, fastball, fastball. Trout swung through two of them. Ohtani threw another 101 MPH fastball outside and in the dirt. On a 3-2 count Trout was looking fastball again and Ohtani came with the slider just off the plate. Got Trout to commit to it and strike out. Gutsy pitch selection.
The more I see of Ohtani, the more comfortable I am with the Dodgers throwing 500 million at him. Can you imagine what a draw he would be for fans?
2025 starting rotation:
Ohtani
Buehler
May
Gonsolin
Bobby Miller
Stone
What was a great at bat?
My guess is Kershaw will be back to get 3000 strikeouts
Yeah, and my lineup doesn’t have a lefty. Kind of unbalanced. You might be right.
Still don’t think the Dodgers pay Urias, but they will need a good lefty. Maddux Bruns is still a long ways away if he ever develops command.
Kersh might be back just to play with Ohtani and go after a ring.
Sure would be fun.
Jomboy had a good analysis. Pretty much what I said.
https://youtu.be/NccPSinTcK4
That was WOW
Outman
Grove
Vargas
Pepiot
Would you rather have Vargas/Grove or Outman/Pepiot?
What about Miller/Busch or Stone/Pages?
Stone was sent to the minors along with Kolarek and Reed.
For USA that looked a lot like a 2022 October Dodger game. An all time baseball moment, two of the greatest ever to play the game!
If you love baseball as a sport, you had to love that game and that final at bat. The 2017 final against Japan was a great game, too. I watched it on YouTube the other day.
Are you saying Trouts’s last at bat was a great at bat?
Objection: badgering the witness
nice
I’m saying it was a classic matchup with two outs in the 9th inning of a deciding game between two of the best players in baseball of this or any generation. So yes, it was a great at bat.
Will watch on youtube…. but yeah, Ohtani facing Trout with a championship on the line is epic.