Major League Baseball will celebrate and honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson Friday, 75 years after he broke the color barrier and became the first African American to play in the majors.
in 1948. Paige played for the Birmingham Black Barons, Cleveland Cubs, Pittsburgh Crawfords, New York Black Yankees, Memphis Red Sox and the Kansas City Monarchs.Kendrick said on the radio show Paige was"hurt" Robinson got the call to the majors in 1947. But, by that time, Paige was already approaching 40 years old.
"Satchel Paige was hurt. Satchel Paige was a teammate of Jackie's [with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945]," Kendrick said."Satchel, in many respects, was the Negro Leagues. He was the Negro Leagues' biggest star. So, in his mind, he should've been the guy. But there was no way that they were going to take Satchel. It was too easy for the owners to say he was too old. ...