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1948 Satchel Paige Rookie Photograph Used for 1947-66 Exhibit Card (PSA Type I)
Presented is a 1948 Type I International News Photos image of Hall of Famer Satchel Paige, then a "rookie" pitcher with the Cleveland Indians, used for a 1949 Exhibit card. Paige was technically a Major League rookie in 1948 only because the unofficial baseball "Color Line" prohibited African Americans from playing modern Major League baseball until Jackie Robinson broke into the Majors in 1947. Paige began his professional career in the Negro National League in 1927 when he pitched for the Birmingham Black Barons. In the ensuing years, he pitched often for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League, but he also pitched for countless teams in the Negro Leagues, and in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and in the Dominican Republic. He finally broke into the Major Leagues in 1948, pitching both as a starter and a reliever, and he went 6-1 with an ERA of 2.48. He also pitched in 1949 for Cleveland, was out of Major League baseball in 1950 and then pitched in 1951-53 with the St. Louis Browns. After not pitching in the Majors from 1954-64, Paige came back to pitch three scoreless innings in one game for the Kansas City Athletics in 1965. In parts of six Major League seasons, Paige finished with a lifetime record of 28-31 and a 3.29 ERA. However, his best pitching was performed in those years when he was not allowed to play Major League baseball because of his race. He pitched in thousands of games before he made his Major League debut, and Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio called Paige, "The best and fastest pitcher I ever faced." The 8x10" photo depicts Paige warming up before an American League game in 1948 on August 13th when he shut-out the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park by a score of 5-0, allowing only five hits. The photo has a small tear in the lower right corner border. The back of the photo has a typed suggested caption that erroneously lists the Paige shutout as being a 3-0 score. The back of the photo is stamped "Dec. 3 1949." The Photo has been encapsulated and graded PSA TYPE I Authentic. The photo provides a valued memento of the rookie season of a pitcher who, if not for baseball's segregation, could have made his Major League debut about two decades earlier.
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