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

Key League Baseball will celebrate and honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson Friday, 75 a long time following he broke the coloration barrier and turned the first African American to enjoy in the majors.

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

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According to Baseball-Reference info, Paige performed in the Negro Leagues from 1927 to 1947 just before 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 City Monarchs.

He’s deemed to be among the the best baseball pitchers of all-time.

Kendrick mentioned on the radio present Paige was “harm” Robinson obtained the simply call to the majors in 1947. But, by that time, Paige was by now approaching 40 decades previous.

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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 do the job. Paige was a member of the New York Black Yankees.
(Getty Illustrations or photos)

“Satchel Paige was damage. Satchel Paige was a teammate of Jackie’s [with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945],” Kendrick reported. “Satchel, in numerous respects, was the Negro Leagues. He was the Negro Leagues’ most important star. So, in his mind, he should’ve been the person. But there was no way that they had been heading to consider Satchel. It was way too quick for the entrepreneurs to say he was way too aged. …

“I think Satchel was also a very little too charismatic. You couldn’t bring that degree of charisma. … It was also great a risk that a pitcher may possibly fall short. And the very first male can’t fail, due to the fact if the to start with person fails, then there is certainly no second dude. They were being ready for failure. … So Department Rickey experienced a double-tough job of determining the correct guy, because failure wasn’t an choice on possibly aspect of the equation.”

Paige performed for the Indians for two decades and then, in 1951, joined the St. Louis Browns and concluded his occupation with the Kansas City Athletics in 1965 at the age of 58. He appeared in a person sport that period, pitching three innings and putting out one particular batter. He did not give up any operates in that physical appearance.

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

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