Walker: The day the Atlanta Braves signed Satchel Paige so he could get his MLB pension
From Rhiannon Walker at The Undefeated on August 10, 2017:
Satchel Paige reached out to the 20 Major League Baseball teams about the prospect of joining them in 1968. The 62-year-old pitcher needed only 158 days on an active roster to reach the five-year minimum required to receive his pension.
Nineteen teams turned him down, but on Aug. 12, 1968, Atlanta Braves president William C. Bartholomay signed the star player as a part-time pitcher and an adviser. The New York Times noted that Paige, a 17-year Negro Leagues veteran and the oldest rookie (42) to play in the majors, was “still without any trace of gray in his hair” at the news conference announcing the signing.
“Satchel Paige is one of the greatest pitchers of all time,” Bartholomay told United Press International. “Baseball would be guilty of negligence should it not assure this legendary figure a place in the pension plan.”
Read the full article here: https://theundefeated.com/features/the-day-the-atlanta-braves-signed-satchel-paige-so-he-could-get-his-mlb-pension/
Originally published: August 10, 2017. Last Updated: August 10, 2017.