Remembering Satchel Paige's final chapter with Braves
The Braves' legacy includes some of baseball's most iconic names, with Aaron, Glavine, Maddux, Mathews, Spahn among them. Then there's another name that is rarely included on those lists.
Satchel Paige.
In 1968, the right-hander was 158 days shy of the five years' playing time needed to qualify for the major league pension. He would reach out to 29 teams and 29 teams would turn him down.
The problem was, he was 62.
But Braves president Bill Bartholomay saw an opportunity. While it would help at the box office for a franchise that was in its third season in Atlanta, it was also about something more.
"I jumped all over it, because I just thought it was the right thing to do," said Bartholomay, currently the team's chairman emeritus. "I didn't think of it so much from the standpoint of diversity, I thought it was just the right thing to do."
On Aug. 11, 1968 -- nearly three years after he became the oldest pitcher every to play a game when he threw three innings for the Kansas City A's at 59 years, 2 months and 18 days -- Atlanta signed Paige, becoming an assistant trainer and pitching coach.
At a press conference announcing the signing Paige said "I don't know what I can do now. I'll have to get out there and unfold first. If cold weather comes, I'm dead. My blood's not as thick as it used to be. If it's hot, I"ll be alright. I'm goad to be here and I"ll do my best whatever I'm in."
Said Bartholomay: "The Braves that particular year were in a position to have him coach in a uniform. (But) then he insisted on playing too."
He would never take the mound in an official game for the Braves, but in the spring of 1969 was scheduled to pitch against Triple-A affiliate Richmond in a series of exhibitions.
"After I pitch in those exhibitions, I"m gonna hang 'em up," he said days before. "That's it."
Paige, who had pitched six years in the majors with the Indians, Browns -- and that stint with the A's -- compiled 476 innings over 179 games there and another 1,298 2/3 innings in 176 games in 17 seasons in the Negro Leagues before that, still believed he could succeed against players more than half his age.
"I can still throw harder than half the pitchers here," Paige told reporters. "I can still pitch. You better believe it."
In the opener in Savannah, Paige took the mound in the seventh inning wearing No. 65 -- a nod to how old he would be once his pension kicked in -- and proceeded to give up a double.
But after getting the next batter with an infield pop up, he closed out with two strikeouts and got the win.
He would throw another scoreless inning the next game in Columbus, Ga., then finally suited up for Richmond against the Braves -- and Hank Aaron.
Paige would go up 0-2 on the future home run king with a slow, arching pitch -- one that Aaron stepped out of the box before it arrived -- and another off-speed pitch. Aaron checked his swing on Paige's third offering to make the count 1-2, the finally on the fourth he took a massive cut but the ball flew off his bat to the glove the awaiting third baseman.
"I didn't want him to be ducking around line drives and things of this kind," Bartholomay said of Paige's outings. "He was some kind of guy, I've got to tell you."
As Aaron told the Academy of Achievement's Web site in 2013 "At that time -- and I'm not exaggerating, Satchel could still throw the ball very, very well -- and for someone to be out there catching the ball and throwing it as well as he did, that tells me one thing. If he had been given the opportunity to play like everybody else, he'd have probably did wonders."
Paige and Aaron often joked with each other during their time together and that vibe permeated the clubhouse as Paige had a little fun with his much younger teammates. As Dusty Baker told Larry Tate, author of 'Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend,' "He called me Daffy. I said 'My name is Dusty.' He said 'Daffy, I know what your name is.'"
After reaching his 158 required days, Paige left the Braves and less than three years later, began drawing that pension. He received $250 a month.
"It was momentous and he did quality for his pension," Bartholomay said, "but more importantly, the slight recognition for one of the great athletes, maybe one of the .. certainly short list of greatest pitchers of all time.
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney
