Satchel & the Yastrzemskis: A Long Island Narrative

Satchel & the YastrzemskisA Long Island Narrative Fabio Montella (bio) In his final major league game, Leroy Robert Paige—better known to the world as Satchel Paige—produced yet another impressive outing to add to the multitude he had collected over his long and illustrious career. It was September 25, 1965, and a then fifty-nine-year-old Paige had made his way back to a major league mound after an absence of twelve years. Paige was pitching for the Kansas City Athletics, a fitting tribute and reminder of his days as a star pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues. However, what was meant to be a celebration of Paige’s past had suddenly turned into an admiration of his present career. Fans marveled as the former Negro Leagues’ star player—who had been kept out of the major leagues during its period of segregation—pitched three dominant innings, surrendering one hit and allowing no runs. The lone hit, a double, came off the bat of Boston Red Sox All-Star left fielder, Carl Yastrzemski Jr. Paige had created a moment that became ingrained in the annals of baseball history, and Yastrzemski’s name will forever be mentioned in its telling. Yet the story of Satchel Paige and Carl Yastrzemski Jr. began much earlier—and with less fanfare—in the suburbs of Suffolk County, Long Island. This paper presents the events leading to that first encounter between Satchel Paige and Carl Yastrzemski Jr., and it also addresses how three distinct histories converged on that day. The first of these histories is that of Satchel Paige and his association with the Yastrzemski family during his multigenerational career. The story of Paige pitching to two generations of Yastrzemskis on two very different stages is evidence of his amazing talent, unmatched longevity, and diverse baseball career. The second of these histories is that of the Yastrzemskis themselves, a well-respected and formidable Long Island baseball family known primarily for Carl Yastrzemski Jr. and his career with the Boston Red Sox. And the third of these histories looks at the Long Island baseball scene during the early to mid-twentieth century. During this period Long Island communities supported and sustained several [End Page 86] semiprofessional baseball leagues that produced talents like the Yastrzemskis and attracted established stars like Satchel Paige. Suffolk County, Long Island, maintains a long and distinct history. As the easternmost county in New York State, this area of suburban communities is located within a relatively short distance of New York City and maintains a population of close to 1.5 million people.1 Known today for its renowned wine vineyards, beautiful beaches, and ritzy Hampton lifestyles, Suffolk County at one time maintained a vastly different identity. Prior to the suburban housing boom of the 1960s and ’70s, Long Island was synonymous with commercial potato and duck farming. At the peak of these industries, Long Island potato farms totaled more than seventy thousand acres,2 and the duck farms were producing nearly eight million ducks at their peak in 1959.3 To many residents of Suffolk County, potato and duck farming became a large part of their identities. Yet to others, it was the coinciding and passionate local baseball scene with which they most identified. Suffolk County’s history includes a rich baseball narrative, but the mid-twentieth century included some of the most documented and passionate years the county has ever seen. An influx of semiprofessional baseball teams permeated throughout most of the region, and local fans flocked to watch their teams with a religious-like fervor. Teams like the Bridgehampton White Eagles, the Patchogue Athletics, and the Riverhead Falcons maintained a strong, local following. Furthermore, Suffolk County’s local baseball fandom was often rewarded with appearances by some of baseball’s most recognized faces. The House of David, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth were some of the star attractions who made their way to Suffolk County to entertain fans and match up against the finest players that Suffolk County had to offer. Although Suffolk County did boast many great ballplayers during this period, perhaps none were as admired and respected as the Yastrzemskis. The Yastrzemskis...

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