"It might have been" different if Satchel Paige were White? If Satchel Paige had not existed in real life, then some writer would have had to create him. The baseball world is truly fortunate that LeRoy Robert "Satchel" Paige did exist. This book is his story, in his words, as told to David Lipman. Paige was an American baseball player. He pitched in the American Negro Leagues as early as 1926. For 22 years he was widely believed to be the world's best pitcher. He probably was, but he was Black and that made all the difference. It was not until 1948 on his 42nd birthday that he signed with the Cleveland Indians, he became the oldest rookie in baseball history. He pitched for three Major League clubs in six different years. They were the Cleveland Indians in 1948 and 1949 and The St Louis Browns in from 1951 to 1953. With the Kansas City Royals in 1965, he started his last major leagues game at age 59. He pitched only in the minor leagues three years and exhibition games after that.
