As an interview subject, Paige was
as memorable as Yogi Berra. But as a
pitcher, he was peerless. Among his
most famous witticisms: “Age
is a case of mind over matter.
If you don’t mind, it don’t
matter.” He surely didn’t mind
being 3 7, as he pitched nearly
perfectly for the Kansas City
Monarchs in 19 44. In the 14
starts accounted for, he struck
out 85 batters in 87.2 innings,
tossed three shutouts, and posted
a 0.72 ERA. His run support wasn’t
the best (he went 6– 3 ), but those six
wins were enough to get him the Triple
Crown. Paige would pitch his final three
innings in ’65 for the A’s—at age 58.1944
Triple
CrownSatchel Paige
Mule
Suttles
19 2 6
Triple
CrownHISTORY
The Negro leagues included both
Black and Latino players excluded from
Major League Baseball. Among the best
Latino players of his era was Vargas,
“The Dominican Deer.” Throughout
the 1 920s, ’ 3 0s, and ’ 4 0s, he
played professionally in his
native Dominican Republic,
Puerto Rico, Venezuela,
Canada, Cuba, and the United
States. Once a lithe middle
infielder known for his blazing
speed, Vargas had moved
to center field when he
batted .4 71 for
the New York
Cubans in ’43.
Josh Gibson was
right on his heels
with a .4 66 mark,
but no one else
came close to .4 00.Tetelo Vargas
AVG in 1943
.