Morgan: The day Satchel Paige pitched in Winnipeg
From SABR member T. Kent Morgan at the Winnipeg Free Press on August 4, 2015:
The first baseball game played at Osborne Stadium on June 6, 1935 is nothing more than a footnote in the province’s sports history. Completely forgotten is a game that the Winnipeg Free Press described as “the finest mound duel ever unfolded in Winnipeg.”
The stadium that sat where Great-West Life is now located was officially opened on May 19, 1932. Soccer, men’s diamond ball, girls’ softball, high school track meets, rugby football and boxing cards were held there in its early days.
Prior to the 1935 season, manager Johnny Peterson announced the stadium would be renovated in order to place a baseball diamond in the northeast corner. New bleachers along the north end would seat 1,000 with a total capacity of 5,000 for baseball.
Winnipeg had an organized baseball Class D team that already had a home at Sherburn Park, near the corner of Portage Avenue and Sherburn Street. The Maroons won the Northern League championship that summer and the Osborne operators decided to bring in touring teams to play in the new ballpark. During the Depression, many teams barnstormed across North America looking for paydays.
Read the full article here: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/column/The-day-Satchel-Paige-pitched-in-Winnipeg-320674652.html
Originally published: August 4, 2015. Last Updated: August 4, 2015.