Major League Baseball

Athletics History: Satchel Paige Makes Final MLB Appearance

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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There are so many legends about Satchel Paige that it is often difficult to separate truth from fiction. On this day in 1965, he made his final appearance in the Majors, pitching for the Kansas City Athletics.

Satchel Paige was a living legend. Known as the greatest pitcher in the Negro Leagues, it is possible that he was the greatest pitcher that ever lived. He was the first player from the Negro Leagues to appear in the World Series, fired two no hitters, and tied the MLB single game strikeout record during one of those no hitters. Paige would have his fielders sit down, then strike out the side. His exploits and personality were the stuff of legend.

Perhaps his greatest accomplishment came on this day in 1965. Charles O. Finley, known for his publicity stunts, signed Paige to a contract, having him pitch against the Boston Red Sox. Before the game, a number of Negro League legends were introduced, including the likes of Cool Papa Bell. Paige, meanwhile, sat in a rocking chair in the bullpen, where he was given coffee by a “nurse” between innings.

As it turned out, the joke was on the Red Sox. Paige, at 59 years old, ran into a bit of trouble in the first, when Dalton Jones, the second batter of the game, reached on an error. Jones was erased trying to advance to third on a ball in the dirt, and Carl Yastrzemski hit a double. However, that would turn out to be the only offense that the Red Sox would muster off Paige.

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Paige then set down the next seven batters he faced, even striking out opposing pitcher Bill Monbouquette. He went out to the mound before the start of the fourth inning, but, as part of the design, was taken out of the game. The crowd, such as it was that day, gave Paige a standing ovation, with fans lighting matches and using cigarette lighters to illuminate the stadium. As he walked off the field, the crowd, led by the PA announcer, sang “The Old Grey Mare.”

That outing made Paige the oldest player to ever appear in a Major League game. He was one of only six players to appear in a major League game in his 50’s, and had the best performance of any of them. He also set the record as the oldest player in MLB history, beating Charley O’Leary by a year.

It was another of the impressive feats that Paige performed in the Majors. While he was not the same pitcher he had been in the Negro Leagues, Paige still made two All Star Games and in 1952, at age 45, earned 12 votes for MVP. With his impressive resume in  professional ball, it is no surprise that he was the first player inducted into the Hall of Fame in the Negro League wing.

Satchel Paige was one of the best pitchers of his era, even if it was not in the Majors. He furthered his legend on this day in 1965 when, at 59 years old, he took the mound for the Kansas City Athletics.

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