Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president on why Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson over Satchel Paige

Main League Baseball will rejoice and honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson Friday, 75 years after he broke the colour barrier and have become the primary African American to play within the majors.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick appeared on “The DA Present” Friday to speak about how Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and workforce president Department Rickey’s resolution to signal the infielder over the likes of Satchel Paige.

In accordance with Baseball-Reference knowledge, Paige performed within the Negro Leagues from 1927 to 1947 earlier than he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1948. Paige performed for the Birmingham Black Barons, Cleveland Cubs, Pittsburgh Crawfords, New York Black Yankees, Memphis Crimson Sox and the Kansas Metropolis Monarchs.

He’s thought of to be among the many finest baseball pitchers of all-time.

Kendrick stated on the radio present Paige was “damage” Robinson obtained the decision to the majors in 1947. However, by that point, Paige was already approaching 40 years outdated.

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Baseball Corridor of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander stands on the pitcher’s mound at Yankee Stadium and watches pitcher Satchel Paige at work. Paige was a member of the New York Black Yankees.
(Getty Photos)

“Satchel Paige was damage. Satchel Paige was a teammate of Jackie’s [with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945],” Kendrick stated. “Satchel, in lots of respects, was the Negro Leagues. He was the Negro Leagues’ greatest star. So, in his thoughts, he ought to’ve been the man. However there was no method that they have been going to take Satchel. It was too straightforward for the homeowners to say he was too outdated. …

“I feel Satchel was additionally slightly too charismatic. You could not deliver that stage of charisma. … It was too nice a danger {that a} pitcher may fail. And the primary man cannot fail, as a result of if the primary man fails, then there isn’t any second man. They have been ready for failure. … So Department Rickey had a double-difficult process of figuring out the correct man, as a result of failure wasn’t an choice on both facet of the equation.”

Paige performed for the Indians for 2 years after which, in 1951, joined the St. Louis Browns and completed his profession with the Kansas Metropolis Athletics in 1965 on the age of 58. He appeared in a single sport that season, pitching three innings and hanging out one batter. He didn’t quit any runs in that look.

Satchel Paige rests within the Cleveland Indians’ bullpen throughout a sport at Metropolitan Stadium in Cleveland in 1948.
(Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Photos)

Paige was elected to the Baseball Corridor of Fame in 1962.