That Time Satchel Paige Was an Atlanta Braves Pitching Coach
By Josh Brown
The great Satchel Paige. The ageless stalworth of the Negro Leagues. We’re all familiar with Satchel Paige and his greatness, and many of us can even quote a classic Satchel quote or two. But, what you might not have known, is that Satchel Paige was an Atlanta Braves pitching coach once. Well, sort of.
In 1968, Satchel Paige was just 158 days shy of the five years’ playing time needed to qualify for Major League pension. Satchel reached out to 29 teams to give him just one more chance and 29 teams turned the ageless wonder down.
Can you blame them? The man was 62 years old, and at the time and hadn’t played in the Major Leagues in 15 years. But, in Satchel’s mind, it really wasn’t as crazy as it looked.
Even though Satchel was a ripe old 62 years old in 1968, he actually pitched all the way up until 1966. His last professional baseball appearance was in ’66 with the Peninsula Grays, a minor league team in the Carolina League. Heck, at the age of 55, in 1961, Satchel signed on with the Triple-A Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League and had a heck of a season. (Side note – The Portland Beavers’ park is the best park I’ve ever been to, including Wrigley. It was demolished a few years back and is now a soccer stadium. Shame on those granola hippies.) So, when he reached out to 29 teams at the age of 62, to Satchel Paige, his simple request was completely acceptable.
It’s also important to note that Satchel was shy of the major league pension because of the bogus color barrier. He didn’t get called up to the majors, from the Negro Leagues where he played 17 years, until 1949. And in 1949, the man was already 42 years old.
“Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” ~ Satchel Paige
In 1949, when he was with the Cleveland Indians, Satchel Paige became the oldest player to ever debut in the majors. At the end of 1949, the Indians released him at which point he spent the rest of his short-lived MLB career with the St. Louis Browns until 1953 (and in 1965, the Kansas City Athletics signed him for one day for a Negro Leagues old-timers game).
Satchel was one of those guys that never really retired. He was the 1940’s version of Julio Franco. All Satchel Paige knew was baseball. Even during his hall of fame career in the Negro Leagues, he would barnstorm during the winter, and he would continue to play in weird leagues down in Mexico and the Caribbean after he finished playing in the majors in ’53.
So, when 1968 came around and 62 year old Satchel Paige realizes that he’s just shy of a nice major league pension, he just figured he’d make some calls and pick up a baseball again.
But, when every other team was quick to turn down Satchel Paige, Atlanta Braves president Bill Bartholomay saw an opportunity. In 1968, the Braves had been in Atlanta for just three years, and Bartholomay knew that he could kill two birds with one stone. Bill could do the right thing for the legendary Satchel Paige, and he could sell a few tickets along the way in the newest baseball city.
In order to make Satchel Paige eligible to receive his pension, Bartholomay signed Paige to a contract running through the 1969 season as the Atlanta Braves pitching coach. Satchel would actually suit up and pitch a couple of innings during two exhibition games early in the spring 1969, but he’d spend the rest of the season “coaching” from his living room in Kansas City, Missouri.
After reaching his 158 required days, Paige left the Atlanta Braves organization and less than three years later, began drawing that Major League pension. He received $250 a month.