Satchel Paige played for Trujillo

PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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I just happened on Ken Burns American Stories ?Baseball? last evening on PBS. The history was going on about Satchel Paige, the famous and talented pitcher of the Negro Leagues. He helped the Kansas City Monarchs win six pennants from 1939-48 and when he pitched for the Pittsburgh Crawfords he claimed to have won 104 of 105 games in 1934. The program related to a 1937 event when he and some other Negro League players were invited by Dictator Rafael Trujillo to play for his team. The story goes on to say the night before the game there were guards placed around the player?s rooms to ?prevent? whiskey from being delivered to them. The players were uneasy and when it came to the game, the team was behind in the seventh inning. Satchel noticing there were more guards around the ballpark said to his fellow players he had to do something about it.. He commenced to pitch his way out of the problem, the team got some runs, they won. He supposedly said ?we?re outa here? the team was on a plane back to the states the next day.

This poster would add, it is alleged Trujillo had brought the players, to include, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and Satchel Paige to play to make sure his team, the Ciudad Trujillo Dragons, won. His ?re-election? depended on his team winning. It is reported after the game the players had paid police to ensure their safety until leaving the country. It was just another day at the ballpark. Regards, PJT