Satchel Paige

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1948-1965)

Satchel Paige was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1965 for 11 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons, a span of 18 seasons. Across 438 career appearances, he went 143-89 with a 2.77 ERA, 1,695 strikeouts, and 47 saves. He also batted .205 with 2 home runs. Satchel Paige was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971 and was a 8-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 77693.7.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

⭐ Hall of Fame 1971
W–L 143–89
ERA 2.77
WHIP 1.11
SO 1,695
Pitcher PIV 77693.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 180 lb
Born
7/7/1906 in Mobile, AL, USA
Died
6/8/1982 in Kansas City, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1948-07-09
Last Game
1965-09-25
Hall of Fame
Inducted 1971 (BBWAA)
Awards
8× All-Star

Full name: Leroy Robert Paige

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Satchel Paige — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
400.0 384.0 22.0 84.0 8.0 1.0 0 25.0 3.0 12.0 1.0 .219 .227 .245 .472

Pitching

Satchel Paige — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
98 48 207 57 24 3 1164.2 863 367 119 26 249 1051 0.92 0.95

Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Satchel Paige — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1937 7.0 7.0 0 2.0 0 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 .286 .286 .286 .572
1955 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
1961 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
Listed seasons · 3 9 9 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .222 — — —

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Satchel Paige — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching
Season W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
1937 2 1 3 3 0 0 27.0 26 10 8 2 4 34 2.67 1.11
1955 0 0 1 0 0 0 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.00 0.00
1961 1 0 1 0 0 0 3.0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0.00 0.33
Listed seasons · 3 3 1 5 3 0 0 33.0 27 10 8 2 4 39 2.18 0.94

Career Pitching Statistics

Satchel Paige — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
143 89 438 226 116 28 47 1962.2 1,647 605 66 533 1,695 2.77 77693.7

Career ERA 2.77 vs. league average 4.03 across their career seasons — 31.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Satchel Paige Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1927 BBB NNL 8 2 21 11 6 3 1 104.2 85 35 30 100 3.01 4.08 (+26%) 3499.2
1928 BBB NNL 11 4 25 15 10 1 4 132.0 113 35 25 121 2.39 4.13 (+42%) 6923.5
1929 BBB NNL 13 9 31 20 15 1 2 202.1 213 97 45 195 4.31 4.60 (+6%) 8719.7
1930 BBS IND 3 1 4 4 3 1 0 27.1 31 11 10 22 3.62 4.80 (+25%) 518.0
1930 BBB NNL 7 2 12 8 7 2 1 73.2 52 21 9 69 2.57 4.80 (+47%) 4644.4
1931 CCU NNL 1 1 5 3 2 1 0 25.1 19 6 4 18 2.13 4.10 (+48%) 486.2
1931 HG IND 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 11 1 3 4 1.00 4.10 (+76%) 0.0
1932 PC IND 9 6 22 16 12 3 3 130.1 100 33 44 126 2.28 4.13 (+45%) 5868.1
1933 PC NN2 4 5 12 10 8 0 1 78.2 49 17 16 77 1.94 3.86 (+50%) 3924.1
1934 PC NN2 13 3 19 16 15 5 0 145.2 97 26 30 152 1.61 4.29 (+63%) 8716.1
1935 KCM IND 0 0 3 3 1 1 0 14.0 4 0 1 23 0.00 4.35 (+100%) 1484.4
1936 PC NN2 8 2 11 10 7 2 1 71.2 67 30 28 72 3.77 4.59 (+18%) 2109.4
1940 KCM NAL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 5.0 3 3 3 10 5.40 — 0.0
1941 NBY NN2 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 5 2 0 8 2.00 3.94 (+49%) 0.0
1941 KCM NAL 7 0 12 11 2 0 0 56.2 47 13 7 48 2.06 3.94 (+48%) 3292.8
1942 KCM NAL 5 5 13 12 5 0 1 76.1 65 19 17 61 2.24 3.57 (+37%) 3651.5
1943 KCM NAL 8 8 26 22 3 0 1 114.1 105 37 30 91 2.91 3.50 (+17%) 4031.1
1943 MRS NAL 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 5.0 0 0 2 7 0.00 — 0.0
1944 KCM NAL 6 4 16 16 6 3 0 98.1 62 11 27 105 1.01 3.57 (+72%) 5467.6
1945 KCM NAL 4 4 10 8 2 1 0 53.1 48 24 15 48 4.05 3.67 (-10%) 2570.6
1946 KCM NAL 4 0 8 7 1 0 0 35.0 24 5 5 32 1.29 3.59 (+64%) 2119.9
1947 KCM NAL 0 2 5 4 1 0 0 19.0 18 5 2 18 2.37 3.97 (+40%) 1361.5
1948 CLE AL 6 1 21 7 3 2 1 72.2 61 20 22 43 2.48 4.10 (+40%) 2225.1
1949 CLE AL 4 7 31 5 1 0 5 83.0 70 28 33 54 3.04 4.12 (+26%) 2223.6
1951 SLA AL 3 4 23 3 0 0 5 62.0 67 33 29 48 4.79 4.04 (-19%) 627.2
1952 SLA AL 12 10 46 6 3 2 10 138.0 116 47 57 91 3.07 3.70 (+17%) 3039.7
1953 SLA AL 3 9 57 4 0 0 11 117.1 114 46 39 51 3.53 4.14 (+15%) 190.1
1965 KC1 AL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3.0 1 0 0 1 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 28 seasons 143 89 438 226 116 28 47 1,962.2 1,647 605 533 1,695 2.77 — 77,694

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Satchel Paige — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
460 762 58 156 10 8 2 59 8 16 39 .205 .222 .247 .469 -1,210

Career AVG .205 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 23.9% below league average.

Career OBP .222 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 33.9% below league average.

Career SLG .247 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — 35.6% below league average.

Career OPS .469 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — 34.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Satchel Paige Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1927 BBB NNL 21 44 3 12 0 2 0 5 0 0 0 .273 — — — — 0.0
1928 BBB NNL 34 70 10 22 0 3 0 6 1 0 0 .314 .280 (+12%) .342 (-8%) .395 (+1%) .737 (-3%) -63.6
1929 BBB NNL 36 104 9 18 1 1 1 7 0 1 0 .173 .289 (-40%) .353 (-49%) .415 (-44%) .769 (-46%) -828.9
1930 BBS IND 5 20 2 4 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 .200 — — — — 0.0
1930 BBB NNL 14 29 4 10 1 0 0 3 2 2 0 .345 — — — — 0.0
1931 CCU NNL 5 6 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .167 — — — — 0.0
1931 HG IND 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1932 PC IND 23 45 5 11 3 0 1 5 0 2 0 .244 — — — — 0.0
1933 PC NN2 12 27 2 3 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 .111 — — — — 0.0
1934 PC NN2 20 53 4 11 0 1 0 3 1 1 0 .208 .278 (-25%) .340 (-35%) .392 (-38%) .733 (-36%) -317.6
1935 KCM IND 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1936 PC NN2 11 32 4 7 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 .219 — — — — 0.0
1940 KCM NAL 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1941 NBY NN2 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1941 KCM NAL 12 27 2 6 0 0 0 3 0 1 4 .222 — — — — 0.0
1942 KCM NAL 13 32 2 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .156 — — — — 0.0
1943 KCM NAL 26 46 3 12 1 0 0 3 1 1 1 .261 — — — — 0.0
1943 MRS NAL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1944 KCM NAL 16 39 2 7 1 1 0 5 0 1 0 .179 — — — — 0.0
1945 KCM NAL 11 25 2 9 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 .360 — — — — 0.0
1946 KCM NAL 8 15 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 — — — — 0.0
1947 KCM NAL 7 9 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .111 — — — — 0.0
1948 CLE AL 21 23 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .087 — — — — 0.0
1949 CLE AL 31 16 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 .062 — — — — 0.0
1951 SLA AL 23 16 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .125 — — — — 0.0
1952 SLA AL 46 39 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 10 .128 — — — — 0.0
1953 SLA AL 57 29 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 9 .069 — — — — 0.0
1965 KC1 AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 28 seasons 460 762 58 156 10 8 2 59 8 16 39 .205 — — — — -1,210

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Satchel Paige — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
10 14 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .143

Playoff Batting by Year

Satchel Paige — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1948 WS CLE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1946 NWS KCM 3 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333
1942 NWS KCM 4 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1927 NNC BBB 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .333

Playoff Career Pitching

Satchel Paige — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 1 10 3 1 37.1 35 14 7 38 3.38

Playoff Pitching by Year

Satchel Paige — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1948 WS CLE 0 0 1 0 0 0.2 0 0 0 0 0.00
1946 NWS KCM 1 1 3 0 0 10.0 16 5 1 13 4.50
1942 NWS KCM 2 0 4 2 1 16.1 10 4 4 18 2.20
1927 NNC BBB 0 0 2 1 0 10.1 9 5 2 7 4.35

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (524 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Satchel Paige — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home12811772404.205
Away13414093008.214

Pitching — Home / Away

Satchel Paige — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home128422.0348841343181.79
Away134462.13881161183152.26

Last 10 Games — Batting

Satchel Paige — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1965-09-25 KC1BOSL 100000001
1953-09-22 SLADETW 300000001
1953-09-16 SLANYYW 200000101
1953-09-12 SLABOSL 000000000
1953-09-07 SLACLEL 212000100
1953-09-06 SLADETL 000000000
1953-08-31 SLAMINL 200000001
1953-08-27 SLAPHAW 000000000
1953-08-23 SLACLEL 000000000
1953-08-23 SLACLEL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Satchel Paige — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1965-09-25 KC1BOS — 3.0100010
1953-09-22 SLADET W 7.0433151
1953-09-16 SLANYY SV 3.2411200
1953-09-12 SLABOS — 0.2100000
1953-09-07 SLACLE — 4.2773023
1953-09-06 SLADET — 1.0100000
1953-08-31 SLAMIN — 5.2633132
1953-08-27 SLAPHA — 0.2211110
1953-08-23 SLACLE — 0.1000010
1953-08-23 SLACLE — 1.0000100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Satchel Paige — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 4 1 11 1 0 0
OF 6 4 8 0 2 0
P 438 202 80 418 14 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Satchel Paige — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1927 BBB P 21 12 5 31 1 0
1928 BBB 1B 1 1 9 1 0 0
1928 BBB OF 1 1 0 0 1 0
1928 BBB P 25 15 6 33 1 2
1929 BBB OF 3 2 7 0 0 0
1929 BBB P 31 20 1 57 3 2
1930 BBS OF 2 1 1 0 1 0
1930 BBS P 4 4 2 11 0 1
1930 BBB P 12 8 7 13 0 0
1931 CCU P 5 3 3 6 0 0
1931 HG P 1 1 1 4 0 0
1932 PC P 22 16 2 28 0 0
1933 PC 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1933 PC P 12 10 4 22 0 0
1934 PC 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1934 PC P 19 16 1 27 3 0
1935 KCM P 3 3 1 3 0 0
1936 PC P 11 10 8 12 1 2
1940 KCM P 1 1 0 0 0 0
1941 NBY P 1 1 0 0 0 0
1941 KCM P 12 11 1 18 2 0
1942 KCM P 13 12 2 18 0 0
1943 KCM P 26 22 7 36 1 1
1943 MRS P 1 1 0 0 0 0
1944 KCM 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1944 KCM P 16 16 6 17 0 0
1945 KCM P 10 8 3 13 2 0
1946 KCM P 8 7 3 4 0 0
1947 KCM P 5 4 0 3 0 0
1948 CLE P 21 0 2 12 0 0
1949 CLE P 31 0 5 10 0 0
1951 SLA P 23 0 2 5 0 0
1952 SLA P 46 0 5 23 0 2
1953 SLA P 57 0 3 12 0 1
1965 KC1 P 1 1 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Satchel Paige Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 438
First Base 4
Left Field 3
Right Field 3

Award Voting History

Satchel Paige — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1952 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 12.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Satchel Paige (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Billy O'Dell
    105-100, 3.29 ERA
  2. 94
    Dizzy Dean HOF
    150-83, 3.02 ERA
  3. 92
    Hooks Wiltse
    139-90, 2.47 ERA
  4. 90
    Charles Bender HOF
    212-127, 2.46 ERA
  5. 90
    Dean Chance
    128-115, 2.92 ERA
  6. 90
    John Candelaria
    177-122, 3.33 ERA

Compare Satchel Paige

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Paige's closest peers by position and era.

vs Cy Young
vs Walter Johnson
vs Curt Schilling
vs Clayton Kershaw
vs Christy Mathewson
vs Lefty Grove

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

See Satchel Paige in Another Era

What would Paige's 1934 season look like in a different era's run environment? Try the cross-era translation with a live slider.

Translate Satchel Paige's peak season across eras →

Satchel Paige: the record in brief

Satchel Paige's season table begins in 1927 with Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB now counts as major league; the bio gives the date of the MLB debut as July 9, 1948, and the final game as September 25, 1965. Club by club, the record runs the Birmingham Black Barons (1927 through 1930), the Baltimore Black Sox (1930), the Cleveland Cubs (1931), the Homestead Grays (1931), the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932 through 1936), the Kansas City Monarchs (1935 through 1947), the New York Black Yankees (1941), and the Memphis Red Sox (1943), with further stops in the season rows. Paige, born on July 7, 1906, in Mobile, AL, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 3 inches and 180 pounds.

The pitching table credits Paige with a 143-89 record and a 2.77 ERA in 438 games. Also on Paige's record: 1,695 strikeouts, 116 complete games, 28 shutouts, and 47 saves.

Frequently Asked Questions about Satchel Paige

What years did Satchel Paige play?
Satchel Paige played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1965.
Was Satchel Paige a pitcher?
Yes. Satchel Paige pitched in the major leagues, recording 143 wins and 1695 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Satchel Paige hit?
Satchel Paige hit 2 career home runs with 156 hits.
Is Satchel Paige in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. Satchel Paige was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
What teams did Satchel Paige play for?
Satchel Paige played for 11 teams: the Birmingham Black Barons (1927–1930), the Baltimore Black Sox (1930), the Cleveland Cubs (1931), the Homestead Grays (1931), the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932–1934, 1936), the Kansas City Monarchs (1935, 1940–1947), the New York Black Yankees (1941), the Memphis Red Sox (1943), the Cleveland Indians (1948–1949), the St. Louis Browns (1951–1953), and the Kansas City Athletics (1965).
Did Satchel Paige win a Cy Young Award?
No. Satchel Paige did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Satchel Paige win?
Satchel Paige was selected to 8 All-Star Games.
What were Satchel Paige's career stats?
In 438 games, Satchel Paige went 143-89 with a 2.77 ERA, 1,695 strikeouts, 1,962.2 innings pitched, and 47 saves. At the plate he had 156 hits and 2 home runs.
What position did Satchel Paige play?
Satchel Paige played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Satchel Paige and how much did he weigh?
Satchel Paige was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds.
What was Satchel Paige's career ERA?
Satchel Paige finished with a 2.77 career ERA, going 143-89 with 1,695 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Satchel Paige have?
Satchel Paige recorded 1,695 career strikeouts.
How many All-Star Games did Satchel Paige make?
Satchel Paige was selected to 8 All-Star Games.