A Punishing Schedule

When I give talks and interviews, the questions I’m asked most often is, “Should we believe stats for Satchel Paige’s days in the Negro Leagues? Could he, for instance, really have pitched in 2,500 games and won 2,000?”

Let’s do the math: he played for more 40 years, pitching two or three innings nearly every night, year-round. He played in the Negro Leagues during their season, and in barnstorming games when there wasn’t a league game. His teams often played double-headers and sometimes three games in a 24-hour period, with him pitching parts of two or even three. After the season was over he played in the California Winter League, then headed to the islands to pitch in Cuba or the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico or Venezuela.

My conclusion: Satchel Paige’s claims of playing in 2,500 games is, if anything, an understatement.

But here’s what we really should take away from that achievement: 2,500 games over 42 years is a punishing schedule. Punishing physically and psychologically. Look at how that compares with today’s Major League schedule. Starting pitchers throw every fifth game and relievers every other night, on average. They play from April through October, if they are lucky and make it to the World Series, then spend the winter resting and getting back into shape. Even if any of these players could last 42 years, which they won’t, that would amount to a fraction of Satchel’s game and win totals.

So yes, Satchel Paige made outlandish claims, and he generally backed them up. And no, nobody ever will break Satchel Paige’s Major League record for longevity, set in 1965 when he suited up for the Kansas City A’s at the over-the-hill age of 59 years, two months and eight days. How did he do? Three innings of one-hit, shutout ball against the hard-hitting Boston Red Sox.